What philosophical anthropology brings to the comprehension of man: a view through time

Over the centuries, the thinkers of various philosophical schools contributed to the construction of this philosophical system, from Plato and Aristotle to Kant and Feuerbach. However, the anthropological principle was not accepted by Marxist-oriented philosophers, since Marx himself built his system on the criticism of Feuerbach, who he convicted in excessive "naturalism". Personality rights, as we remember from the course of istmata, is determined by the sum of his relations in society, and nothing more.

The very concept of "philosophical anthropology" was proposed by Max Scheler in the work "Man and History" in 1926. He defined it as a fundamental science of human nature, including the biological, psychological, social and metaphysical aspects of human existence.

The desire to understand yourself

What does philosophical anthropology contribute to the comprehension of man? In the twentieth century, a lot of empirical knowledge accumulated by individual scientific disciplines studying man. There is a need for their generalization and structuring in the light of the problem of human existence.

This led to the emergence of philosophical anthropology, like a full-flowing river, taking in its channel numerous tributaries and carrying to the ocean all that is collected and absorbed on its long journey.

As philosophical anthropology postulates , the nature of a person is determined by its specific relationships with the environment in which it resides, including nature, society and space.

What drives a person?

As Scheler argued, the interest of philosophy toward man developed spasmodically: the "anthropological" epochs were replaced by less humanistic ones. But whatever the position of a person in this or that historical situation, his self-consciousness continued to strive for expansion.

According to Buber, the human problem is especially attractive in times of social instability. Philosophical anthropology seeks to explain the causes of the disorder and loneliness of a person in the face of world cataclysms.

On the eve of World War II, Scheler defines man as a creature contemplating, comprehending the world through an open heart. Plesner emphasizes his "condemnation" to continuous self-improvement, and Gehlen develops the concept of man's desire to manifest himself through various aspects of culture.

Subject of philosophical anthropology

So, a person in the aggregate of all his relations with the world was defined by philosophical anthropology as the subject of research. But at the same time she was still understood ambiguously. This blurring of the semantic content remains in our time.

As P.S. Gurevich, there are three main variations in the interpretation of the concept of "philosophical anthropology." Every understanding is based on what philosophical anthropology brings to the comprehension of man. However, the emphasis is on different aspects: a separate field of philosophical knowledge, a philosophical direction proper and a specific method of cognition.

So what does philosophical anthropology bring to the comprehension of man?

The 21st century, with its forebodings, prophesies, and ever-accelerating technological progress pushes the scientific community to a more in-depth study of the phenomenon of man. Scientists' forums seriously discuss the possibility of supplementing traditional scientific methods of cognition with a variety of unscientific methods, be it art, religious-mystical insights, esoteric concepts or the study of the unconscious.

The idea of integrity, holisticity is what philosophical anthropology brings to the comprehension of man. Answers to the difficult questions about a person's ability to change himself and the world can be obtained by putting together all the experience accumulated by mankind about himself.

A look through time

In the days of Antiquity, cognition was concentrated on nature and the cosmos, in the Middle Ages man has already become an element of God's orderly design of the world. The Age of Enlightenment elevated the human mind to the absolute, allowing it to feel itself as a knowing subject.

The emergence of Darwin's theory sent thinking towards an in-depth knowledge of human biology, and finally, in the twentieth century, all these efforts were transformed into a new discipline - philosophical anthropology.

How can one answer what philosophical anthropology brings to the comprehension of man? Its founder, M. Scheler, expressed this not without humor: "Now a person no longer knows who he is, but he is informed about it."