What Is Philosophy – Part 4 (Final)

Last week, I began discussing the ‘way’ of philosophy as part of my series of articles that follow a recently published academic paper by philosopher Kuzin Vasily*. If you missed it, I recommend you start with part one and then proceed to the next, one after another (it will make more sense that way). In this final part three of the series, I explore ‘the way of philosophy’ in more detail. 

For Kuzin, the ‘way’ of philosophy is understanding. Understanding of what? Anything, the scope is not restricted. Understanding for what purpose? Ultimately, the same as other ‘ways’ – science, religion, art – to alleviate suffering and help deal with life’s difficulties. But don’t other ‘ways’ also involve understanding? Surely, it cannot be the exclusive territory of philosophy. Indeed, sometimes the borderlines are blurred because, after all, when referring to science, religion, art, and philosophy, we are talking about abstract categories that describe expressions of human culture. However, unlike the other three ‘ways’, philosophy is impossible without understanding. 

Understanding is both the way and the destination in philosophy. 

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What does Kuzin mean?

Understanding as Philosophy’s Way and Destination

According to Kuzin, philosophy is not a theory about something but a way of improving our lives by means of understanding our experiences. Therefore, understanding is not just a tool or a method for philosophy – it is also the destination. How can understanding help make our lives better? The short answer to this question is that it works because we humans are meaning-seeking-and-creating beings. 

Understanding is our way of finding and creating meaning out of our experiences, and, at the same time, it is the state of having found or created meaning. 

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Kuzin clarifies that by ‘understanding’, he means a specific kind of thinking – philosophical thinking. He defines ‘thinking’ by referring to Descartes’ concept of ‘cogitatio’ (in Latin), which includes conscious reasoning and any mental activity we are simultaneously aware of. The important criterion here is self-awareness. For example, if I am exercising my imagination, creating fantasies, and am aware of this process in myself – that is ‘cogitatio’ for Descartes and ‘thinking’ for Kuzin. 

The four ‘ways’ Kuzin introduces – science, religion, art, and philosophy – have their corresponding types of thinking. Following each of these ways requires using its respective means, which, in turn, directs one’s thinking. The means of philosophy is understanding, which shapes the type of thinking that is philosophical – achieving understanding. That is the content and goal of philosophy. But what is understanding? Kuzin does not leave this question unanswered.

After distinguishing various situations in which we can speak of understanding – related to knowledge, action, and interaction – Kuzin focuses on understanding in the context of knowledge. There can be, he argues, clear and unclear knowledge. Clarity of knowledge is achieved when it is structured in certain forms. 

The forms are abstract schemes or models of understanding, which is a process of structuring specific knowledge into such models.   

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There are many models of understanding. One example Kuzin mentions is the hermeneutical circle: the idea that understanding is achieved when the particular (piece of knowledge) flows into and informs the whole (broader context), which explains the particular by giving it meaning, and this circle of interpretation continues. In other words, no matter the specific type of model of understanding, it is the respective abstract structure that creates understanding and gives meaning to our experiences. 

Kuzin mentions various sources of these structures, such as our languages, ways of thinking and judging. In short, the wellspring of all the variety of our models of understanding is human culture in its diverse expressions. Philosophical categories are some of these expressions (cause, effect, essence, substance, unity, being, purpose, meaning, etc.). Therefore, philosophy seeks an understanding – a structuring – of our knowledge and experience by using its models and categories, which themselves are expressions of respective historically situated human cultures. The result of philosophical thinking, of its ‘way’ of understanding, is the discovery of meaning. This, for Kuzin, is what makes philosophy “a practical exercise aimed at making human life happier” (Kuzin, 2023, p. 32, abstract in English).

Critical Reflection  

I want to finish this series of articles with a brief critical reflection. Kuzin makes a compelling case for defining philosophy as a way of alleviating human suffering through understanding, which is both the way and the destination. Making a challenging situation meaningful can improve our experience, if not the situation itself. The ‘making it meaningful’ is achieved through understanding, which, for Kuzin, is what philosophical thinking is all about:   

“The peculiarity of philosophical thinking is that understanding in it does not act as a means for further application, but as a direct action, practice. The achieved understanding in itself eliminates suffering and resolves life’s difficulties.”

_{Kuzin, 2023, p. 32, abstract in English}

In my view, this is where philosophy needs to be extra critical towards itself. Does it really achieve this result, does it fulfil its task? It can. But there is a risk of complacency, so it should ask itself this control question in every particular context of philosophical work. 

On a more professional note, if understanding is a goal without the need for further application, philosophy as an academic discipline risks isolating itself from other expressions of human culture. It is precisely through applying the results of philosophical work – understanding and the discovered meanings – that philosophy can avoid locking itself up in the proverbial ‘ivory tower’. By application, I mean engaging and encouraging interdisciplinary thought and interaction. 

Many of our increasingly global problems can benefit from investigating the existing models of understanding, revealing their weaknesses and highlighting further possible paths – new models. It is unlikely that this can be achieved by any single discipline alone, and philosophy, if viewed from the perspective of global society, has the potential to offer a valuable contribution.   

keep exploring!

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P.S. Thank you for visiting me here on the humanfactor.blog! If you enjoyed this post and are interested in more philosophical content, I invite you to explore the blog, leave a comment, like, and subscribe to get notified of new posts.

^*Reference and link to the article (original in Russian; abstract translated to English at the end of the paper): Kuzin V. What Is Philosophy?. Idei i idealy = Ideas and Ideals, 2023, vol. 15, iss. 1, pt 1, pp. 11‐34.  

_{Featured image credit: my photo, taken inside the McEwan Hall, the University of Edinburgh, in Edinburgh, Scotland.}