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What is philosophy?

Subject and definition of philosophy

The very definition of philosophy is a question that is debated among philosophers. We are not seeking to enter into this debate here, but to illuminate the way of life we propose on this site.

We define philosophy as the attempt to answer two questions:

What philosophy is not

Our definition of philosophy implies that, conversely, we exclude rhetoric, that is, the art of discourse, because even though it was taught in many philosophy schools, it remains an instrument for the acquisition of power, which is often contrary to the second objective of philosophy that we have just stated. The success of rhetoric corresponds to the fact that this is often what people were looking for in philosophy schools.

A philosophy finally in line with modern scientific methods

Physics and mathematics adopted the modern scientific method from the beginning. Medicine had to wait until the 19th, or even the beginning of the 20th century. Based on a view of the human being stemming from research that is in line with the modern scientific method, the book From Capital to Reason brings politics into the fold of modern science. On the same basis, this site brings philosophy into the fold of modern science. Introspection and mere plausibility are no longer sufficient.

Christophe André's method, based on positive psychology, tends to select, among experiences that conform to the modern scientific method, those that confirm ancient wisdom. Conversely, our method consists simply of completing the picture of the human being outlined by all experiences that conform to the modern scientific method.

We also caution against all therapies and beliefs that find their scientific justification at the level of neuroscience. It works all the better, since when one sees an image, one often believes that one has easily understood. However, just as in computer science, the microscopic observation of the processor's structure says nothing about the algorithm used for making a decision, the observation of brain structures does not say much about the functioning of the human psyche in general. Research on cognitive dissonance is much more useful at this level.

How to face death?

We refer here simply to the question 'What is impermanence ?'

Why is the question 'How to move beyond mutually destructive natural attitudes' so important ?

The report Caribbean Primates by Jack Silberman and Jean-Christophe Ribot shows that in a situation of abundance and absence of external threat, it is the nepotistic social attitude adopted by the rhesus macaques that creates an extremely stressful environment for all individuals: 'While this island could be their paradise, they have made it their own hell.'
Firstly, the behaviors of these monkeys are found in us, because their instincts, products of genetics, are almost identical to ours, and secondly, the technological revolution of the 19th and 20th centuries places us in the same type of environment, with an abundance for all that no longer depends only on our ability to adopt a satisfactory social organization.

Limits of philosophy

In the answer to the question 'How to succeed in life ?', we assert the necessary search for a certain form of minimalism, the simplest pleasures. What to do then when the circumstances are so unfavorable that basic needs can no longer be satisfied ?
Our answer is that it is simply the point where philosophy stops, that is to say, it no longer provides an answer. Each person adopts an attitude according to his fully integrated social skills, and especially the strength of his survival instinct which is in opposition to his humanity.

Go deeper

Regarding the second question of philosophy :
Watch the documentary Caribbean Primates by Jack Silberman and Jean-Christophe Ribot, available on Arte replay.
See the questions 'What is a human ?' and 'How to succeed in life ?'
Read chapter 22 'Citizenship, education and philosophy' from the book From Capital to Reason.

Regarding the limits of philosophy :
Refer to the book If This Is a Man by Primo Levi. He describes different attitudes adopted by different prisoners in the face of deprivations, which, if not circumvented in one way or another, lead to death.
Also refer to the book The Human Species by Robert Antelme, to understand the effect of social organization in an extreme situation of precariousness (is it the political prisoners or the ordinary prisoners who hold power).