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What is philosophy?

Object and definition of philosophy

Even the definition of philosophy is a subject of debate among philosophers. We do not seek here to enter into this debate, but rather to clarify the life approach we propose on this website.

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 has been taught in many philosophy schools—it remains a tool for seizing power, which is often contrary to the second object of philosophy we have just outlined. The success of rhetoric corresponds precisely to the fact that this is often what people came to find in philosophy schools.

A philosophy finally in line with the modern scientific method

Physics and mathematics adopted the modern scientific method from the outset. For medicine, it took until the 19th or even the early 20th century. Based on a view of humanity derived from work consistent with the modern scientific method, the book From Capital to Reason brings politics within the fold of modern science. On the same basis, this website brings philosophy within the fold of modern science. Introspection and simple plausibility are no longer sufficient.

Christophe André's method, based on positive psychology, tends to select, from experiences consistent with the modern scientific method, those that confirm ancestral wisdom. Conversely, our method consists simply in completing the portrait of humanity sketched by the entirety of experiences consistent with the modern scientific method.

We also warn against all therapies and beliefs that find their scientific justification at the level of neuroscience. This is all the more effective because when one sees an image, one easily believes one has understood. However, just as in computing, observing the structure of a processor under a microscope reveals nothing about the algorithm implemented for decision-making, observing the structures of the brain tells us little about the functioning of the human psyche in general. Research on cognitive dissonance is far more useful at this level.

How to cope with 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 documentary Primates of the Caribbean by Jack Silberman and Jean-Christophe Ribot shows that in situations of abundance, and in the absence of external threat, it is the social nepotistic attitude adopted by rhesus macaques that creates an environment of extreme stress for all individuals: 'While this island could have been their paradise, they have turned it into their own hell.'
On the one hand, the behaviors of these monkeys are found in us, because their instincts, products of genetics, are almost identical to ours; on the other hand, the technological revolution of the 19th and 20th centuries places us in the same type of environment, with abundance for all, which depends only on our capacity to adopt a satisfactory social organization.

Limits of philosophy

In responding to the question 'How to succeed in life?', we affirm the necessary pursuit of a certain form of minimalism, of the simplest pleasures. What then to do when circumstances become so unfavorable that basic needs can no longer be met?
Our answer is that this is simply the point where philosophy stops, that is, no longer provides an answer. Each individual adopts an attitude dependent on their fully integrated social capacities, and above all on the strength of their survival instinct, which comes into opposition with their humanity.

Further exploration

Regarding the second question of philosophy:
Watch the documentary Primates of the Caribbean 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. It describes different attitudes adopted by different prisoners in the face of deprivations that, if not circumvented by some means or another, lead to death.
Also refer to the book The Human Species by Robert Antelme, to understand the effect of social organization in situations of extreme precarity (whether it is politicians or common criminals who exercise power).