A History of Western Philosophy: Modern and Postmodern, From Descartes to Derrida

In A History of Philosophy by Frederick Copleston, he makes an interesting observation as philosophical thought proceeds from the Ancient and Medieval times into the period of the modern philosophers. This transition begins around the mid 1400’s. He notes that the ancient philosophers were more aesthetic, concerning themselves with the surrounding beauty, where they based their viewpoints primarily upon the world around them. However, the thinkers in the Middle Ages did consider the theological aspects associated with philosophy. When considering the beauty and goodness surrounding them, they reasoned as such and considered the ‘first cause’ of these events. Their reasoning regarding these first causes provided a link in the mind as to the true nature of things. Faith in ‘what ought to be’ reigned supreme in the medieval mind. This faith was solidified even more when divinely revealed truth was found. Therefore, these thinkers saw philosophy as a handmaiden to theology. As the modern era begins, philosophers began to focus more on a scientific plain in his search for truth. One of the results of this particular focus is that it becomes more individualized, but yet at the same time, and as the means for disseminating correspondence increases, these finding become more international. As, such, no two great thinkers of this era agreed fully regarding the important issues—each researcher examined his own evidence drawing his own conclusion. The modern scientist demonstrated probable truths based on empirical observations. Their reporting was confined to the facts that they had discovered. They did not regard science as the mere accumulation of data. They also were interested in explaining their findings. The entire focus of modern philosophical thought was to uncover those truths that were consistently held in the past, arrived in their time, and could carry them onto into future thought. However, these truths are encapsulated in a historical setting. The study of the history of philosophy is governed by rules of interpretation which comes into play when evaluations are made. Every philosophical method must be able to prove its worth by being able to evaluate other ideas. Using this format, the history of philosophy investigates the other philosophies to see how their conclusions stand up. The result of the investigation is to discover how to set aside errors.