Contemporary Forms of the Abdication of Philosophy and Contemporary Forms of Human Thinking and Human Existence

Abstract

As a result of the final collapse of the old culture and the discrediting of the old cultural norms and values in consequence of the two World Wars, three outstanding forms of the abdication of philosophy emerged: neo-positivism, contemporary existentialism and neo-Marxism. The first form takes its origin in the growing importance of the natural sciences and technology for man’s everyday life and for human existence in general. Paradoxically, the progress and advance of the natural sciences had reached a point where they were no longer able to present to man a coherent world-view. In the 19th century, when atoms had still been conceived (by Maxwell, for example) as the indestructible and solid building stones of the world, its unshakable foundation, it was still possible for the natural sciences to develop a homogeneous world-view based on the classical cause and effect relationship of natural events. In fact, in the 19th century scientists were over-confident that science was on its way to solve the riddles of life and the world. Science would so make it possible for man to solve his existential problems as well and to lead an authentic existence, i.e., an existence in conformity with reality as explored by science, something that philosophy had failed to do.