Death of philosophy: condemnation of life
by Aspasia de Graná: We should bear in mind that philosophy is not one, white, masculine and bourgeois, but that philosophies are many and must be taken into account in their complexity
XXI century, we are under the regime of the neoliberal economy that has modified all strata of society. Life revolves around an illusory happiness, mediocre aurea, installation in comfort. Taking it to the socio-labor level, we could point out the evolution of precariousness: an impoverished world population that lives in unstable conditions without minimum guarantees, under various forms of exploitation, without decent income ... and more aspects that prevent a dignified life in the that affective, constructive social relationships and personal growth can be created in peace.
In the midst of this chaos, philosophy is today a cry of resistance. It is putting into play all that is available to face a system that aims to end imagination, as well as our conditions of dignified life; it is a path of struggle towards social justice. For this reason, philosophy must be careful not to fall into the transmission of knowledge in an encyclopedic way, but must have as its main mission to develop analytical and critical skills. Philosophy must have as its mission, among other things, to facilitate analyzes of social discourse and the truths (moral but also of other types) that circulate in our societies.
If we pay attention to the characteristics of the global society in which we currently live, we can observe that there is a certain disintegration of what had been the traditional nuclei of solidarity until now, on the one hand there is a certain loss of the value of the family, of the neighborhood , of the communities, in the same way that we fall into an abrupt loss of solidarity between people, which are often replaced by bureaucratic aid and paid solidarity. The vision of man as a social being, like that Aristotelian zoon politikón, is left unraveled before a new vision of man, homo economicus, which leaves aside the complexity of the human being, his capacity to love, to see the value in the immaterial and to be enraptured by how poetic there is in life. Our current way of life disintegrates the sense of the social, it breaks completely with a civic sense that encompasses us all under the pretext of a common society.
Globalization puts us in front of structural problems for which we are not prepared, the loss of the values of social brotherhood breaks with the traditional virtues of hospitality, reception of otherness, respect and empathy with foreigners. Losing these values in the context of a global migration crisis such as the one we find ourselves in places us in an irrational hatred of the threat of possible cultural loss, a xenophobia that is racist in an aporophobic sense. We accept American cultural imperialism, but we defend the values of the national tradition against the one that comes by boat. Doesn't philosophy have a solution for this?
Likewise, in the midst of this moral chaos, philosophy is shown as a key tool to guarantee the fulfillment of the rights and freedoms of every human being. When philosophy is absent, moral and cultural relativism takes over the ethical space, which, in the absence of a deep analysis of what is just, what is good, and what is beautiful, takes over discourse and actions, thus falling into injustices. and systematic violations of rights. We need to recover a philosophical discourse that teaches us to act after analyzing, from the different ethical theories, in the fairest and most free way possible.
If we continue in this line of pointing out the philosophical usefulness in today's world, we must inevitably turn our face towards technology. The technological advances of our society increasingly place us in front of ethical problems that are more difficult to solve. The major health problems are no longer only on issues such as abortion or the end of life, but more and more we see how global health demands ethical responses: resentment of health due to pollution and climate change , deaths caused by new pandemics such as the current coronavirus, decisions about transplants, eugenics, surrogacy ... In the same way, the development of other branches of pure science increasingly demand the presence of ethical committees that resolve possible problematic about their applications.
by Aspasia de Graná: We should bear in mind that philosophy is not one, white, masculine and bourgeois, but that philosophies are many and must be taken into account in their complexity
XXI century, we are under the regime of the neoliberal economy that has modified all strata of society. Life revolves around an illusory happiness, mediocre aurea, installation in comfort. Taking it to the socio-labor level, we could point out the evolution of precariousness: an impoverished world population that lives in unstable conditions without minimum guarantees, under various forms of exploitation, without decent income ... and more aspects that prevent a dignified life in the that affective, constructive social relationships and personal growth can be created in peace.
In the midst of this chaos, philosophy is today a cry of resistance. It is putting into play all that is available to face a system that aims to end imagination, as well as our conditions of dignified life; it is a path of struggle towards social justice. For this reason, philosophy must be careful not to fall into the transmission of knowledge in an encyclopedic way, but must have as its main mission to develop analytical and critical skills. Philosophy must have as its mission, among other things, to facilitate analyzes of social discourse and the truths (moral but also of other types) that circulate in our societies.
If we pay attention to the characteristics of the global society in which we currently live, we can observe that there is a certain disintegration of what had been the traditional nuclei of solidarity until now, on the one hand there is a certain loss of the value of the family, of the neighborhood , of the communities, in the same way that we fall into an abrupt loss of solidarity between people, which are often replaced by bureaucratic aid and paid solidarity. The vision of man as a social being, like that Aristotelian zoon politikón, is left unraveled before a new vision of man, homo economicus, which leaves aside the complexity of the human being, his capacity to love, to see the value in the immaterial and to be enraptured by how poetic there is in life. Our current way of life disintegrates the sense of the social, it breaks completely with a civic sense that encompasses us all under the pretext of a common society.
Globalization puts us in front of structural problems for which we are not prepared, the loss of the values of social brotherhood breaks with the traditional virtues of hospitality, reception of otherness, respect and empathy with foreigners. Losing these values in the context of a global migration crisis such as the one we find ourselves in places us in an irrational hatred of the threat of possible cultural loss, a xenophobia that is racist in an aporophobic sense. We accept American cultural imperialism, but we defend the values of the national tradition against the one that comes by boat. Doesn't philosophy have a solution for this?
Likewise, in the midst of this moral chaos, philosophy is shown as a key tool to guarantee the fulfillment of the rights and freedoms of every human being. When philosophy is absent, moral and cultural relativism takes over the ethical space, which, in the absence of a deep analysis of what is just, what is good, and what is beautiful, takes over discourse and actions, thus falling into injustices. and systematic violations of rights. We need to recover a philosophical discourse that teaches us to act after analyzing, from the different ethical theories, in the fairest and most free way possible.
If we continue in this line of pointing out the philosophical usefulness in today's world, we must inevitably turn our face towards technology. The technological advances of our society increasingly place us in front of ethical problems that are more difficult to solve. The major health problems are no longer only on issues such as abortion or the end of life, but more and more we see how global health demands ethical responses: resentment of health due to pollution and climate change , deaths caused by new pandemics such as the current coronavirus, decisions about transplants, eugenics, surrogacy ... In the same way, the development of other branches of pure science increasingly demand the presence of ethical committees that resolve possible problematic about their applications.
If the pandemic has shown anything, it is that it is useless to urgently claim the importance of solidarity and mutual support if this desire is dictated by those who make the weight of blame fall only on individual defects and not on defects of the society itself, suppressing the little interest they showed in defending the importance of social action. That is why the course of events has left us unquestionable evidence of the lack of a moral guide to ensure the good of the public sphere. In this way, television images are recurrent in which certain individuals put their vain needs first, encouraging against a government that, apparently, circumvents their freedom, taking away the suffering and death of others.
With this, we have seen that it is important to give the necessary value to the shared habits on which our relationships are sustained and to assume individual responsibility, since without this, it is impossible to move towards a better world. The search for alternatives that help to suppress a system of inequality and manipulation depends, to a certain extent, on an overall vision that is aimed at fulfilling projects that are perpetually transforming at every moment and at every choice.
This need to overcome obstacles is what leads us to happiness or, at least, well-being. Hence, philosophy should not be considered only as something theoretical (pure, abstract), but also as a tool for life (an exercise in practice that helps us to elucidate actions and overcome daily contradictions). For this, collaboration and citizen commitment are necessary, since without it it is impossible to promote respect, tolerance and consensus among people. We must once again bear in mind that rights require responsibility and awareness, and that the effort and desire to overcome obstacles that concern the whole are an incentive that makes us recognize ourselves and project ourselves on the other from a symmetrical reciprocity.
In this sense, it is essential to be the owner of oneself to integrate into the public sphere and appropriate that space. Only in politics does one step out of controlled territory and face the unknown or unfamiliar. Something that has its resonances in the well-known Greek maxim "dare to be who you are" (dare to use your voice). Public or political corporeality gives us visibility to claim (us). Thus, politics only makes sense in a philosophical framework of deep reflection that leads us to discard stigmas, inconsistent and poorly founded views.
The merely productivist orientation taken by some areas of knowledge is no longer strange to us. An exemplary case may be mathematics, where we are taught to solve problems but we are not posed with philosophical debates regarding the discipline. When one of us arrived at the race, she studied mathematics, finding that her teachers were a mathematician and a philosopher of mathematics. This made him, for the first time, understand the complexity and depth of mathematical thinking. Why is this “non-practical” part conspicuous by its absence in secondary education?
We feel that it is time to highlight the philosophical deficiencies that certain areas of knowledge pose. The subjects should not abandon the reflection that underlies the practical knowledge presented. Categories are often transmitted to us as if they were stable, non-conceptualized realities, thus avoiding all kinds of problematization. An example is the category of sex, taken as binary reality in biology, or the idea of Nation in geography and history.
In addition, we should bear in mind that philosophy is not one, white, masculine and bourgeois, but that philosophies are many and must be taken into account in their complexity. Only in this way will a quality philosophical culture be provided that opens society to different perspectives and critical analyzes. That is to say, we do not need Philosophy, but philosophies. We need the canon to stop being so to incorporate black, female, gender and sexual orientation dissidents, disabled, crazy, working-class voices, etc. If keeping philosophy alive is keeping the flame of reflection alive, doing without it in the public sphere means depriving citizens of critical tools and fostering alienating attitudes. Philosophy is not something that is done from the haughty gaze of chairs and offices, from everyday life it is also thought.
Aspasia from Graná
With this, we have seen that it is important to give the necessary value to the shared habits on which our relationships are sustained and to assume individual responsibility, since without this, it is impossible to move towards a better world. The search for alternatives that help to suppress a system of inequality and manipulation depends, to a certain extent, on an overall vision that is aimed at fulfilling projects that are perpetually transforming at every moment and at every choice.
This need to overcome obstacles is what leads us to happiness or, at least, well-being. Hence, philosophy should not be considered only as something theoretical (pure, abstract), but also as a tool for life (an exercise in practice that helps us to elucidate actions and overcome daily contradictions). For this, collaboration and citizen commitment are necessary, since without it it is impossible to promote respect, tolerance and consensus among people. We must once again bear in mind that rights require responsibility and awareness, and that the effort and desire to overcome obstacles that concern the whole are an incentive that makes us recognize ourselves and project ourselves on the other from a symmetrical reciprocity.
In this sense, it is essential to be the owner of oneself to integrate into the public sphere and appropriate that space. Only in politics does one step out of controlled territory and face the unknown or unfamiliar. Something that has its resonances in the well-known Greek maxim "dare to be who you are" (dare to use your voice). Public or political corporeality gives us visibility to claim (us). Thus, politics only makes sense in a philosophical framework of deep reflection that leads us to discard stigmas, inconsistent and poorly founded views.
The merely productivist orientation taken by some areas of knowledge is no longer strange to us. An exemplary case may be mathematics, where we are taught to solve problems but we are not posed with philosophical debates regarding the discipline. When one of us arrived at the race, she studied mathematics, finding that her teachers were a mathematician and a philosopher of mathematics. This made him, for the first time, understand the complexity and depth of mathematical thinking. Why is this “non-practical” part conspicuous by its absence in secondary education?
We feel that it is time to highlight the philosophical deficiencies that certain areas of knowledge pose. The subjects should not abandon the reflection that underlies the practical knowledge presented. Categories are often transmitted to us as if they were stable, non-conceptualized realities, thus avoiding all kinds of problematization. An example is the category of sex, taken as binary reality in biology, or the idea of Nation in geography and history.
In addition, we should bear in mind that philosophy is not one, white, masculine and bourgeois, but that philosophies are many and must be taken into account in their complexity. Only in this way will a quality philosophical culture be provided that opens society to different perspectives and critical analyzes. That is to say, we do not need Philosophy, but philosophies. We need the canon to stop being so to incorporate black, female, gender and sexual orientation dissidents, disabled, crazy, working-class voices, etc. If keeping philosophy alive is keeping the flame of reflection alive, doing without it in the public sphere means depriving citizens of critical tools and fostering alienating attitudes. Philosophy is not something that is done from the haughty gaze of chairs and offices, from everyday life it is also thought.
Aspasia from Graná
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