História da Filosofia - Volume X

História da Filosofia #10

by Nicola Abbagnano

Kierkegaard. Marx. A Dialéctica. Engels. O retorno Romântico à Tradição. O Positivismo Social. Proudhon. Comte. Stuart Mill.

Genres: Philosophy

260 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1970

About the author

Leading Italian existentialist, Abbagnano studied in Naples and taught at Turin. His ‘philosophy of the possible’ condemned other existentialists for either denying human possibility (because all our efforts are futile in a hostile and meaningless universe) or exaggerating it, imagining us capable of things which actually lie outside our potential. In his later work he tended to adopt a more naturalistic and scientific approach to philosophy, although still condemning the ‘myth of security’ implicit in a complacent scientific world view. His major works include the monumental three-volume Storia della filosofia (‘History of Philosophy’, 1946–50) and Possibilità e libertà (‘Possibility and Liberty’, 1956).

Reviews

[Luís · Rating 4 out of 5]

Søren Kierkegaard became one of the most recognized philosophers in the West, notably as the first great existentialist philosopher. He focused on aspects of ethics and Christian theory, which formed the foundation of his philosophical trajectory, in contrast to his focus on pure, hard human reality. For Kierkegaard, the presence of God is a constant in his dialogues about human existence and serves as a point of interrogation of the emotional and mental challenges individuals face. In contrast, his discussion of truth and faith in relation to humanity crafted a unique discourse that persistently questioned ideas that were presented as certain and immaculate, thus opening a completely new space for reflection and discussion. Turning from Kierkegaard's existentialism to another major nineteenth-century philosophical shift, materialism, as elaborated by Marx and Engels, offers a distinct trajectory based on different assumptions about reality and human nature.
In characterizing their materialism, Marx and Engels frequently refer to Feuerbach as the philosopher who restored the rights of materialism. However, the materialism of Marx and Engels differs significantly from that of Feuerbach. While Marx and Engels adopted the "core" of Feuerbach's materialism, they developed it into a scientific-philosophical theory and discarded its idealist and ethical-religious aspects. In contrast, although Feuerbach is credited with materialism, he was not fundamentally a materialist and even rejected the label.
Romanticism emerged within the context of the European Revolution, in which many artists and intellectuals embraced ideas of liberty and equality at the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th centuries. This movement condemned all forms of limitation on freedom, clearly opposing absolutism and traditional society. It valued emotion, the individual, and creative freedom in the arts, literature, and all fields of cultural life. This freedom led to individualism that broke free from conventions.
Positivism is a theory of social development that affects the field of science, as it relies on science as a factor in social development, and the field of politics, as it develops a theory that promotes a kind of doctrine aimed at promoting civil progress.
The intellectuals and workers who had appreciated Proudhon before the Great War tried, after the Russian Revolution, to recast him as an anti-Marxist. Pacifists in favor of creating the League of Nations invoked his federalist ideas. In turn, some defenders of the Vichy regime recovered corporatist aspects of his thought to consolidate the regime's legitimacy. This legitimacy was not enough to save the statue of Proudhon, melted down by the Nazis during the occupation of France, which permanently shocked the credibility of this thinker among progressives.
Utilitarianism is a philosophical current that holds that individuals' moral actions should promote the well-being, happiness, interests, or preferences of the population. In this sense, it argues that morality, politics, and economics should promote maximum happiness and well-being for the greatest possible number of individuals.
Utilitarianism was created, developed, and popularized by thinkers such as Adam Smith, Jeremy Bentham, and John Stuart Mill. Currently, it is at the root of social movements defending animal rights and the economic interests of the poorest, as per the preference utilitarianism advocated by Peter Singer.

[Marinho Lopes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este volume é dedicado a uma parte da Filosofia dos séculos XIX e XX: Espiritualismo, Filosofia da Acção, Idealismo inglês, americano e italiano, Neocriticismo, e Historicismo. O Espiritualismo, como se pode adivinhar, foi mais uma vez muito aborrecido, pela falta de originalidade filosófica, que é aliás quase só Teologia, com repetições da Filosofia de Hegel. Pelo contrário, o Neocriticismo é bastante interessante, não fosse ele a tentativa de continuar o legado filosófico de Kant. Por fim, o Historicismo, que é como que uma Filosofia da História, é também ele digno de registo, pela discussão de como definir o valor intrínseco dos acontecimentos passados que os catapultas para o presente. O filósofo que se distingue neste particular é Max Weber, com a sua sociologia interpretativa. Como parece que vem a ser costume: gostei da segunda parte deste volume.