Methodological Considerations: Contextual and Analytic Approaches to the History of Philosophy

Abstract

Few, if any, of the present academic disciplines makes as extensive use of its history as does philosophy. Unlike most other disciplines, philosophy often views its history as an integral part of itself as a discipline, with the result that philosophy develops by way of its engagement with its own history. However, the history of philosophy has long been marked by controversies over method. One central question is whether we should contextualize theories (and thinkers) by situating them in their original historical context or rather focus on how they can contribute to present discussions. Another is whether we should study how different thinkers in fact relate to — and influence — each other or whether we should present and compare historical (that is, non-current) theories in a systematic (thematic) and non-chronological manner. The two main approaches which have risen out of these debates are known in the Anglophone world as the contextual history of philosophy and the analytic history of philosophy, respectively. Whereas the contextual approach tends to focus on the historicity of philosophy, the analytic approach tends to focus on the meaning and validity of philosophical theories.