One of the main purposes of Rational Imperative is to create a system of philosophy that is both complete and practical. Because of philosophy’s importance to our efforts, an early discussion of the role philosophy ought to play seems necessary.
To discuss the role of philosophy, it must first be made clear what we mean by “philosophy”. Philosophy is the application of logical reasoning to certain sets of information, or evidence, in order to further our progress in the quest to understand our destination, to answer Seneca’s question: “what direction should we take? What is our purpose?” Philosophy, then, is a digestive mechanism that is used in order to deduce patterns. Crucially, it is not the province of philosophy to gather new empirical evidence, but rather to organize and apply that evidence.
To put it in simpler terms, philosophy is the process of connecting the dots. The sum of human knowledge in the 21st century is relatively large and growing faster than ever, and this vast body of information is becoming increasingly available to anyone with a computer; a fact that lead some to refer to our era as “the Information Age”. It is clear that there is no drastic shortage in scientists and other researchers who are responsible for adding to the growing mass of information available to humanity. However, there is a vast shortage in the amount of people responsible for the organization of this information into a coherent system capable of addressing Seneca’s question.
In the interest of organization, we shall break down philosophy into three basic fields, all of which logically follow from Seneca’s first question. The first question that we must address is “how do I gain knowledge, about anything at all, in the first place?” Epistemology is the part of philosophy that deals with this and related questions about the nature of knowledge. The next derivative question is, “If I know how to gain knowledge, how do I learn more about the nature of the universe I inhabit, so that I can further understand my place within it as a human being?” Metaphysics is the component of philosophy which deals with this and related questions. The last branch, Ethics, deals with the question “If I understand the part I am to play in the universe, how can I most effectively fulfill my role?” Our system map will be organized under these three basic categories.
In contemporary times, academic philosophers have largely rejected philosophy’s role in addressing the last two of these three subjects. Incredibly, the idea that philosophy should not attempt to develop ethical systems has become prominent. Instead, modern philosophy has largely focused on problems of epistemology and the philosophy of language. The withdrawal of modern academic philosophy from metaphysical and ethical questions means that Western Philosophy has essentially become exclusively academic and has little practical application, resulting in the lack of any popular philosophical system and a decline in the interest in philosophy generally. Philosophy is no longer a major source people draw from to form their beliefs or values. This retreat of philosophers in the 20th century from ethical philosophy, and from broad philosophical systems in general, has lead people to search elsewhere in the attempt to construct their personal morality.
Until the end of the Cold War, the 20th century was dominated by value systems predicated not on philosophical reasoning, but rather on political and economic sentiments. With all the zeal that man had historically dedicated himself to philosophical and religious convictions, for the majority of the 20th he proclaimed his fervent loyalty to one of the competing political or economic systems. Around his system of choice he would build his sense of right and wrong, and from it he would derive his purpose.
The end of the Cold War changed all of this. Liberal Democracy triumphed as a political system, and Capitalism became the dominant economic model. Suddenly, man had no political or economic cause to devote himself to, as the issue was now largely resolved, and therefore nothing to derive purpose from. And so the question of right and wrong fell back to the old authorities: philosophy and religion. Only, one authority had become mute.
It is not likely a coincidence that the ’90s saw a resurgence of ethnic strife and nationalist movements, just as it is no coincidence that religious observance and religious fundamentalism increased so greatly in the wake of the Cold War. Mankind at this time began to tackle with renewed vigor the questions of morality that had been left aside for so long during the great political and economic struggles of the 20th century. For the answers they turned to religion, and to their historical cultural conventions; the few that rejected these moral authorities for the most part turned to moral relativism or abandoned the question of ethics and philosophy altogether.
It is the aim of the Rational Imperative to introduce a new, comprehensive, coherent, and most importantly, practical system of philosophy to restore its rightful role as a shaper of culture and an influence in the day to day life of mankind. If this can be achieved, then religion and custom can reassume their correct roles in popularizing the discoveries of philosophy and giving them emotional significance, instead of attempting themselves to be originators of philosophical truths.
Most importantly, we seek to reinvigorate philosophical discussions of ethics. If the unexamined life is truly not worth living, then the examination of one’s life direction and ethical code on a daily basis is just as necessary as drinking water or sleeping. It is the tragedy of contemporary society that this principle has been rejected, and that reflection has become an academic pursuit. Philosophy should, at its best, not only help humanity more deeply understand its meaning, but also enhance the structure of a human life and imbue it with a sense of dignity and tranquility.
