Translated Excerpt Michael Hampe Die Lehren Der Philosophie. Eine

Translated excerpt Michael Hampe Die Lehren der Philosophie. Eine Kritik Suhrkamp Verlag, Berlin 2014 ISBN 978-3-518-58605-1 pp. 10-30 Michael Hampe The teachings of philosophy Translated by Michael Hampe © 2014 Michael Hampe On Asserting, Narrating and Educating* Suppose the world consists of particulars, which occasionally form patterns. We can narrate them, but we can also assert something about them in order to develop a doctrine. Narration seems prima facie to focus on the specific, such as how and when something has appeared. Assertion, by contrast, is concerned with general patterns that concern many particulars. Narration can be personal: “I sat on this chair once many years ago.” Assertions tend toward the impersonal form: “This chair is a Chesterfield from 1920.” So at first glance there is no obvious connection between activities of asserting and narrating; they seem to run in parallel. In a simplifying, distorted image, asserting is expressed as a serious and rigorous activity, which serves the true knowledge of the world and the correct explanation of its phenomena. Narration, by contrast, is a rather relaxed pastime, one might think; one which comes after the rigidity of asserting and educating, relieves us of it, and which at the very most serves our moral instruction, provided we are dealing with stories which have a moral. The art of narration – we could say in this simplifying fiction following Horace – like all art, is occasionally morally useful in the sense of edifying, but for the most part it is merely a form of entertainment. Science, with its assertions, teaches the rigorous and sometimes unpleasant truth about the world. The art of narration distracts the mind from confrontation with the harshness of reality, regaling it with pleasant or exciting fictions. Social conditions also differ depending on whether one is in a teaching or a narrating situation. Someone who must acknowledge an assertion learns about something, is in the position of the learner, facing the teacher, who lays claim to the authority of being able to make an assertion. Someone receiving a narrative is being regaled; the narrator seems to serve her. Suppose the world consists of particulars, narration – we could say in this simplifying which occasionally form patterns. We can fiction following Horace – like all art, is narrate them, but we can also assert occasionally morally useful in the sense of something about them in order to develop edifying, but for the most part it is merely a a doctrine. Narration seems prima facie to form of entertainment. 1 Science, with its focus on the specific, such as how and assertions, teaches the rigorous and when something has appeared. Assertion, sometimes unpleasant truth about the by contrast, is concerned with general world. The art of narration distracts the patterns that concern many particulars. mind from confrontation with the Narration can be personal: “I sat on this harshness of reality, regaling it with chair once many years ago.” Assertions pleasant or exciting fictions. Social tend toward the impersonal form: “This conditions also differ depending on chair is a Chesterfield from 1920.” So at whether one is in a teaching or a narrating first glance there is no obvious connection situation. Someone who must between activities of asserting and acknowledge an assertion learns about narrating; they seem to run in parallel. In a something, is in the position of the learner, simplifying, distorted image, asserting is facing the teacher, who lays claim to the expressed as a serious and rigorous authority of being able to make an activity, which serves the true knowledge assertion. Someone receiving a narrative of the world and the correct explanation of its phenomena. Narration, by contrast, is a 1 In the sense of Verse 333 of Horace’s Ars rather relaxed pastime, one might think; poetica: “aut prodesse volunt aut delectare one which comes after the rigidity of poetae.” (“Poets aim either to benefit, or to asserting and educating, relieves us of it, amuse,” trans. H. Rushton Fairclough). and which at the very most serves our Quintus Horatius Flaccus, Satires, Epistles and moral instruction, provided we are dealing Ars Poetica: With an English Translation by H. with stories which have a moral. The art of Rushton Fairclough, London, W. Heinemann; New York, G. P. Putnam's sons, 1926. 1 © 2014 Michael Hampe is being regaled; the narrator seems to world is eternal, whereas Aquinas claims serve her. that it was created. Descartes claims that It has never been put quite so plainly and there are two substances, while according with such simplicity. But characterising to Spinoza there is only one. Kant claims disciplines such as physics or chemistry that there is a clear difference between as “hard” sciences while referring to prose, analytic and synthetic judgements, and theatre or poetry as “soft” activities, as is Quine contests this assertion. The list often the case in school or at university, could go on and on. Claims such as these would seem to suggest at least implicit are responses to the world – a world of assessments of these activities, leaning in particularities, as will be claimed in our the direction indicated above. critique of doctrinal philosophy (apparently But the following is not concerned with paradoxically) later on. The way in which asserting, narrating (and finally, educating) people respond to the world, when this in general; rather these activities will be does not occur spontaneously, depends discussed in the context of philosophy. In on such factors as their education. This doing so, a distinction is drawn between education is where people become asserting or doctrinal philosophy, and non- acquainted with the universal concepts doctrinal philosophy. Philosophers working that they ought to use in their claims. The in doctrinal philosophy want to educate persons to be educated are taught what other people with or on the basis of their can and what cannot be claimed about the assertions, to persuade them to subscribe world. And sometimes, albeit a somewhat to their assertions as a doctrine. rare occurrence, they learn to react to the Representatives of non-doctrinal world through a narrative. philosophy try to claim either as little as Philosophy has gone to great lengths to possible or nothing at all. Their main attend to these educational processes. For intention, rather, is to find out and show example, in Plato’s The Republic, paideia the asserters themselves why they think is a potentially lifelong process which, for they have to assert something and what certain distinguished people, culminates in consequences this has. Philosophical the knowledge of the idea of goodness as activities of this kind are occasionally the decisive generality, and can only narrated, for example in Plato’s dialogue, actually be controlled by the philosophers where Socrates questions Theaetetus, appointed to govern the state, who have who must still be educated. In Theaetetus, perceived this generality and can apply it we are told the surprising story of how, as in judgements. (Rousseau’s Cultural a result of Socrates’s questioning, the Criticism and Wittgenstein’s Critique of young man to be educated gives up on Metaphysics are other well-known making assertions. This is a pedagogical examples of educational philosophy. Their text which presents doctrinal philosophical aim is to re-educate those who have been activity in all its futility, but it is not simply corrupted by culture or, in the case of an entertaining narrative about a Wittgenstein, to bring about a therapeutic philosopher; instead it is itself a canonised philosophy as a way of educating those philosophical text. Given that, in this way, adults (with a background in philosophy) non-doctrinal philosophy sometimes who are unaware of the multifarious provides a narrative about asserting and workings of ordinary language and how someone is taught that it is better not therefore invent new concepts or want to to make claims about knowledge or virtue, try and find the meaning of terms such as the relationship between philosophy, “understanding”, “having pain”, “wishing”, education and narration to be addressed and so on, which are allegedly difficult to by this study is both complicated and fathom. Wittgenstein’s therapeutic unclear. philosophy continues to be used as a way of educating adults in contemporary Educating with new concepts philosophy, first and foremost by Stanley The fact that claims are made in Cavell. It also has roots in Kierkegaard’s philosophy is obvious, and clearer than the fact that there is also a non-doctrinal form of philosophy. Aristotle claims that the 2 © 2014 Michael Hampe existentialism, which is linked to understand anything at all, even if she Socratism2). already has a philosophical background. Philosophy deals with knowledge which Philosophers also sometimes create new can find its expression in assertions, but terms, i.e. they not only venture to give much like literature and in contrast to the familiar words different meanings, using empirical sciences, many of the so-called them in ways that deviate from current “great” doctrinal authors in philosophy also habit, but even coin new formations such seem to conceptually “start from scratch”, as “affection”, “thing in itself”, “actual as it were. So in philosophy, knowledge entity”, “noematic correlate”. This, in turn, does not simply build up in an increasingly makes the learning process particularly differentiated terminology, and the process difficult for the reader. Finally, readers are of engaging with a philosophical work that recommended to “abandon” certain strives to achieve certain innovations of concepts, as occurs in the criticism of thought can be compared to an metaphysics with Nietzsche and other educational process. Philosophy cannot authors’ treatment of the concepts of the be learned in the same way that physics “absolute” or “God” and those of “essence” can.

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