Does the world have a dominant philosophy?

[jay gw]

Is there any philosophy that you see holding a more/less popular position in the world today?

I think that marxism is on the wane from a once high position.

Religion is decreasing, specifically metaphysics, in popularity in most of the world. Probably due to the increasingly important role of science.

Freudian psychoanalysis has waned tremendously and is laughed at by many in the field.

 

[Zep]

In general answer, it's always been: I'M ALL RIGHT JACK, STUFF YOU!

 

[lifegazer]

Actually, Zep is right. Hardly anybody gives a stuff, from what I've seen.

And another point: what knowledge has science provided which has negated the existence of God?

It's a myth that science is a philosophy or the basis for one. A very naive myth, at that.

 

[Anathema]

Actually, Zep is right. Hardly anybody gives a stuff, from what I've seen.

And another point: what knowledge has science provided which has negated the existence of God?

It's a myth that science is a philosophy or the basis for one. A very naive myht, at that.

Axe-grinding, anyone?

 

[RussDill]

Actually, Zep is right. Hardly anybody gives a stuff, from what I've seen.

And another point: what knowledge has science provided which has negated the existence of God?

It's a myth that science is a philosophy or the basis for one. A very naive myht, at that.

I have no idea what imagined post by Zep you are responding to, because you are making no sense. And then you are asking what one thing in the whole of human knowledge has negated the existence of an imagined figure? There is no need to negate an imagined figure, no matter how old.

 

[lifegazer]

I have no idea what imagined post by Zep you are responding to

Perhaps you need glasses:
"Religion is decreasing, specifically metaphysics, in popularity in most of the world. Probably due to the increasingly important role of science.

 

[Donks]

Perhaps you need glasses:
"Religion is decreasing, specifically metaphysics, in popularity in most of the world. Probably due to the increasingly important role of science.

Zep didn't post that.

 

[RussDill]

Perhaps you need glasses:
"Religion is decreasing, specifically metaphysics, in popularity in most of the world. Probably due to the increasingly important role of science.

People always ask why, why does the sun rise, why do volcanoes explode, why do people die. An easy answer people came up with was "god did it". More and more over the past 2000 or so years, we've been able to replace those answers with scientifically based ones.

There isn't as much need for superstition.

Perhaps you need reading and comprehensive skills btw, zep said no such thing.

 

[lifegazer]

People always ask why, why does the sun rise, why do volcanoes explode, why do people die. An easy answer people came up with was "god did it". More and more over the past 2000 or so years, we've been able to replace those answers with scientifically based ones.

Science has the absolute answer for nothing Russ. So spare us the sales pitch.

Perhaps you need reading and comprehensive skills btw, zep said no such thing.

Sorry about that. Thought you were complaining about my science comment.
... So when I said "Actually, Zep is right. Hardly anybody gives a stuff, from what I've seen.", you saw no relation with my response to what Zep did say?

 

[c4ts]

If you have a problem with modern philosophy, just say what it is. A valid critique of modern thought is much better than just wasting time saying you hate something because you think it's popular or dominant, or that certain things appear to be trends. The latter is just your view, and you pretending that your opinion is the same as fact. If you think that certain philosophies influence society, say what it is, where it comes from, where you can see the influence, and what you find is wrong with it. Also why.

 

[lifegazer]

If you have a problem with modern philosophy, just say what it is. A valid critique of modern thought is much better than just wasting time saying you hate something because you think it's popular or dominant, or that certain things appear to be trends. The latter is just your view, and you pretending that your opinion is the same as fact. If you think that certain philosophies influence society, say what it is, where it comes from, where you can see the influence, and what you find is wrong with it. Also why.

Is this directed at me?
I could talk about this subject for hours. I was just cheesed-off by that statement in the OP about science providing the philosophical answers which have brought about the demise of religion & metaphysics.
Science has done no such thing. As I said to Russ, science has the absolute answer for nothing.
It's neither a philosophy nor the basis of one.

 

[Dancing David]

I would say hat in the USA there is a dominant paradigm of "realism", which shows in very strange ways. In movies of the forties there is a definite trend to knock down the Santa myth and despite the Miracle on 34 Street, there are many other movies which demonstrate people saying that you shouldn't teach the Santa myth.

There may be debates about what is 'real' but I feel that pragmatism or realism rules in the USA. Outside of the bible belt.

 

[espritch]

As I said to Russ, science has the absolute answer for nothing. It's neither a philosophy nor the basis of one.

That is true. Science does not provide absolute answers. However, every absolute answer I've seen profered has always turned out to be somebody's personal opinion based on unprovable assumptions. I'll take the evidence based conditional answers of science over absolute assumptions any day.

 

[Iacchus]

Is there any philosophy that you see holding a more/less popular position in the world today?

I think that marxism is on the wane from a once high position.

Religion is decreasing, specifically metaphysics, in popularity in most of the world. Probably due to the increasingly important role of science.

Freudian psychoanalysis has waned tremendously and is laughed at by many in the field.

Politcal Correctness? ...

 

[Iacchus]

In general answer, it's always been: I'M ALL RIGHT JACK, STUFF YOU!

Or ... "Here it is, take it leave it."

 

[TragicMonkey]

I think there's a surge in the philosophy of life that can be summed up as "Whatever!" A sort of disdain and apathy mixed together. My generation is so good at apathy. Not that I care.

 

[drkitten]

I think there's a surge in the philosophy of life that can be summed up as "Whatever!" A sort of disdain and apathy mixed together. My generation is so good at apathy. Not that I care.

I believe the usual term for this philosophical position is "pragmatism", and I would be comfortable considering pragmatism to be the dominant philosophy in the world today. This also ties well into Zep's statement about the dominant philosophy.

And, contra Zep, there is a strong overlap between the scientific worldview and the pragmatic one; science has a very good (pragmatic) track record at answering questions within its remit, much better than most competitors, and much more easily accessible within the framework of pragmatism. I think the success of science in producing gadgets that simply work, even if you don't understand the mechanisms underlying them, has helped support a philosophy that disdains the hard work of understanding.....

 

[Eleatic Stranger]

Of course if you want to call it 'pragmatism' you should probably be careful to add "but not what we talk about when we talk about the pragmatist philosophers (Dewey, Pierce, James, Rorty, Brandom, etc. etc.) because that's something different."

Also, I'm curious jay, when you said:

Religion is decreasing, specifically metaphysics, in popularity in most of the world.

You meant that religion qua metaphysics is decreasing in popularity, right? And not that metaphysics is a subset of religion in general (and the part that is decreasing in popularity). If you meant the first of those then there's something to that - though I'm not sure it's entirely accurate in much of the world -, but if you meant the second then it's just plain crazytalk.

 

[jay gw]

I believe the usual term for this philosophical position is "pragmatism", and I would be comfortable considering pragmatism to be the dominant philosophy in the world today. This also ties well into Zep's statement about the dominant philosophy.

I didn't mention it in my op because I was waiting for someone else to, but this is my view too.

Why is the pragmatism of Dewey not the same?

Science has an easier time in a pragmatic environment than in a religious one, but it would be better if the public really understood what was going on, and the scientific literacy of the average person doesn't seem too high. People can't even explain what's behind the cell phone, Xbox etc.

 

[Dr Adequate]

Is there any philosophy that you see holding a more/less popular position in the world today?

Yes. Empiricism. It's the one that everyone uses 99% of the time.

The other 1% of the time, they want to believe something that isn't true, so they use a different philosophy.