Mythical vs. Philosophical Knowledge: Concepts & Traits
Mythical Knowledge
Myth is a fantastic story, full of metaphors and symbols, transmitted from father to son or resulting from the collective effort of a group of authors. It explains the origin of the world and answers questions about the hereafter. Myths tell a story from another time; they are timeless. The protagonists are gods, heroes, or supernatural characters who act arbitrarily. The myth reveals an esoteric truth, which a social group interprets and uses to gain privileges. Authority and social cohesion are a myth: the society that created it feels recognized and reflected in its words. A society shares a number of mythical stories. The myth arose from a need to know and to resolve problems. It has great value, but not enough complexity, as it is the result of the exercise of reason.
Philosophical Knowledge
Philosophical knowledge explains the world by moving away from myths, using rational arguments based on natural elements. Nature is under its own necessary laws and no longer depends on the will of gods. It supposes replacing belief or faith with reason, using structured and coherent arguments and the need to test them. Philosophical knowledge was the triumph of the human community in the explanation of nature, freed from the gods and other foreign powers, thanks to reason.
Key Concepts
Knowledge: The domain of information that is available at a particular time and that can be acted upon adequately. There are two types:
- Disinterested knowledge: Seeks to know reality as it is.
- Knowledge to do something: Searching for a practical application of what is known.
Opinion: A form of knowledge that is based on insufficient grounds and sometimes takes the form of personal belief.
Belief: The personal devotion to an idea, theory, or dogma whose affirmation is based on adhesion. Beliefs can arise from naivety, prejudice, opinion, or error.
Traits of Philosophy
- Reason and Questioning: Philosophy is a coherent and well-founded knowledge, but knowledge is never complete. In philosophy, questions are more important than answers.
- Second-Degree Knowledge: Philosophy needs to take into account data from different sciences, but goes beyond them.
- Constant Criticism: Philosophy reviews the fundamentals and latest hypotheses, going beyond what the individual sciences say and questioning its very existence; therefore, its criticism is radical.
- Integrative Knowledge: Philosophy is always interested in raising overall outlooks, combining different knowledge and sciences.
Theoretical Reason
Part of philosophy that analyzes the major general questions about the structure of reality and human knowledge. Study themes:
- Theory of Philosophy: Critical reflection on its own self.
- Anthropology: Analyzes the characteristics of human beings.
- Metaphysics: Issues and problems arising in reality beyond physics.
- Rational Theology: Rational reflection on the concept of God as the ultimate foundation of reality, using reason without limiting faith.
Practical Reason
Designates all philosophical disciplines that study human action and its ends.
- Ethics: Analyzes the problems of human behavior and proposes guidelines to act in a good and informed manner.
- Aesthetics: Considers artistic creation as a fundamental component of the human being and as a signifier of what is considered beautiful.
- Social and Political Philosophy: Analyzes the problems of origin and the constitution of society, including technique, power, law, citizenship, politics, and economy.