What are the definitions of analytic philosophy and continental philosophy?

2 Responses to What are the definitions of analytic philosophy and continental philosophy?

1. toms_babe4ever says:

   September 27, 2009 at 2:26 pm

   Continental philosophy, in contemporary usage, refers to a set of traditions of 19th and 20th century philosophy from mainland Europe.[1] This sense of the term originated among English-speaking philosophers in the second half of the 20th century, who found it useful for referring to a range of thinkers and traditions outside the analytic movement. Continental philosophy includes the following movements: German idealism, phenomenology, existentialism (and its antecedents, such as the thought of Kierkegaard and Nietzsche), hermeneutics, structuralism, post-structuralism, French feminism, and the critical theory of the Frankfurt School and some other branches of western Marxism.[2]

   Analytic philosophy (sometimes, analytical philosophy) is a generic term for a style of philosophy that came to dominate English-speaking countries in the 20th century. In the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Scandinavia, Australia, and New Zealand the overwhelming majority of university philosophy departments identify themselves as “analytic” departments.[1]

   The term “analytic philosophy” can refer to

   (a) A method of doing philosophy [2][3] characterised by an emphasis on clarity and argument, often achieved via modern formal logic and analysis of language, and a respect for the natural sciences.[4][5]

   (b) Certain developments in early twentieth century philosophy, such as the work of Bertrand Russell and Gottlob Frege, and logical positivism. In this sense, analytic philosophy makes specific philosophical commitments, not all of which are shared by contemporary analytic philosophy, in particular:[6]

   The positivist view that there are no specifically philosophical truths and that the object of philosophy is the logical clarification of thoughts. (This may be contrasted with the traditional foundationalism, deriving from Aristotle, that views philosophy as a special sort of science, the highest one, which investigates the fundamental reasons and principles of everything.[7] As a result, many analytic philosophers have considered their inquiries as continuous with, or subordinate to, those of the natural sciences.[8])
   The view that the logical clarification of thoughts can only be achieved by analysis of the logical form of philosophical propositions.[9] (The logical form of a proposition is a way of representing it (often using the formal grammar and symbolism of a logical system) to display its similarity with all other propositions of the same type. However, analytic philosophers disagree widely about the correct logical form of ordinary language.[10])
   The rejection of sweeping philosophical systems in favour of close attention to detail,[11] common sense, and ordinary language.[12]
2. Anna says:

   September 30, 2009 at 10:23 am

   Analytic philosophy is focused on organized logic more than anything and continental philosophy is more like your own feelings and beliefs that doesn’t have to be logical or taught.