ISSN 1392-74-50 Marija ONIÐÈIK SOTER 2005.16(44) Rational Reconstruction: an Approach to a History of Philosophy The topic of an article belongs both to the philosophy Ðio straipsnio tema priklauso dviem filosofijos srit- of history as well as to a history of philosophy. The ims istorijos filosofijai ir filosofijos istorijai. notion under discussion is a rational reconstruction Straipsnyje analizuojama racionaliosios rekonstrukcijos as a method of reading the texts of thinkers of the samprata yra filosofijos istorijos tyrimo metodas, taiko- past, proposed by Richard Rorty. The article suggests mas praeities filosofø tekstams skaityti. Toks racio- some reflections on the relationships between philos- naliosios rekonstrukcijos supratimas bûdingas R. Rorty. ophy and its history. The method of rational recon- Straipsnyje siûloma apmàstyti filosofijos santyká su struction can be used in theological investigation as jos istorija. Racionaliosios rekonstrukcijos metodas well, for better understanding of past theological texts. gali bûti taikomas ir studijuojant teologijos istorijà. The article shortly discusses the origin of the notion Straipsnyje trumpai aptariama ðios sampratos kilmë, in question and emphasizes the link between contem- akcentuojamas ðiandienio filosofinio bei teologinio porary philosophical and theological discourse and diskurso istorinës sampratos ryðys su aktualiàja actual philosophical thought. filosofine mintimi. Introduction cussion can be viewed as useful for stu- dents education stimulating their interest in The object of this ar ticle is a method of reading the thinkers of the past. rational reconstruction, presented by Richard I make no claim to give a definition of a Rorty as a useful way of reading the thin- method of rational reconstruction. I would kers of the past. The aim of the article is to like rather to propose some reflections on discuss a methodology of the history of phi- the relationship between philosophy and its losophy and theology in order to point out history, which can probably be of some in- the very relevance of historical studies in terest for those who are trying to teach a the fiel. The method of the article can be history of philosophy in our times, when it described as a careful analysis of Rortys seems that nobody knows how to do it pro- proposals together with an independent in- perly, so that a history of philosophy as an terpretation of the outcomes which can spring academic discipline simply falls out of the from reconstructional reading of philosop- curriculum of the bachelor in philosophy; hical and theological texts. The article as well as for those who are interested in a claims rational reconstruction being of in- history of theology. terest for historians seeking better unders- tanding of our predecessors. However the main importance of the method consists in An Origin of a Notion of Rational its ability to serve the therapeutic purpose Reconstruction healing the metaphysical malaise of phi- losophy inherited from Modern times. The The question of rational reconstruction is a results of the analysis and successive dis- purely methodological one and it has its 244 Marija ONIÐÈIK own story. Being a Thomist and doing some tuitively. The constructional system is a investigations in the field of Analytical Tho- rational reconstruction of the entire forma- mism I have been using a rational reconst- tion of reality, which, in cognition, is car- ruction as a method of text reading. And ried out for the most part intuitively.3 Car- whenever I have been asked if what I do is nap also uses the term rational justifica- a history of philosophy, my answer was tion, because the aim of a reconstruction no. What I am dealing with is a contem- can be considered a kind of vindication of porary philosophy. Why is it so? It is known reality.4 The criteria of Carnaps reconst- that St.Thomas Aquinas and others thinkers ruction are strictly scientific but the very of the past are definitely dead by now and process of reconstruction involves an as- well buried. How can one treat ones philo- pect of retrospection, e.g., sophy and theology as a living thought? In reconstructing the recognition of the plant, How can one actually do ones own philo- the botanist has to ask himself what, in the sophy together with them? So the question actual act of recognition, was really perceived belongs to a link between history and philo- and what was the apperceptive synthesis (Ve- rarbeitung)? But these two components which sophy, it lays on an edge between a history are united in the result he can separate only of philosophy and the philosophy of histo- through abstraction. Thus, in rational reconst- ry, where the former becomes an object of ruction, construction theory has to distinguish, the later: the philosophy of history reflects by means of abstraction, between the purely 5 on a history of philosophy. It is a question given and the synthesis. of life and death. Here a choise between Here an abstraction is made by turning living thought and dead matters depends on back to an initial unity of a cognitional act. methodological alternatives. In reconstructing the real intuitive process A rational reconstruction as a method of of cognition6 , or a world language throught dealing with past philosophy is proposed by a realistic language into the symbolic Richard Rorty. Speaking of a history of phi- language of logistics,7 or even the cultu- losophy Rorty calls its main method a re- ral sciences8 Carnap attempts to embrace construction, meaning that reading of the not only all reality but what is more impor- dead philosophers1 is or should be a kind of tant for us, all fields of philosophy. Such a re-vivification which philosophy probably notion of rational reconstruction has ma- needs for therapeutic purposes: Just as the de its way into the philosophy of science patient needs to relive his past to answer being employed by Popper, Kuhn, and Fey- his questions, so philosophy needs to relive erabend, and today appears as a legacy of its past in order to answer its questions.2 all analytical philosophy. The influence of The very term rational reconstruction Thomas S. Kuhn has been crucial for the has its own quite cautionary story. Origi- notion to become an important part of what nally it belongs to Rudolf Carnap and his one can call the philosophy of a history of seminal work Der Logische Aufbau Der Welt philosophy because of his exlusive preoc- (The Logical Structure of the World) where cupation with the history of science thereby he speaks of rationale Nachkonstruktion. changing the very paradigm of the philo- Here Carnap proposes his construction the- sophy of history. ory with an ambicious aim at showing all G. A. Davia attempts to find an original reality as a kind of a logical structure by form of requirements for the method of ra- converting each part of it into a construc- tional reconstruction. According to him, a tional system, that is, by re-constructing merely descriptive reconstruction makes reality which is given to our perception in- the requirement of similarity with the ori- RATIONAL RECONSTRUCTION: AN APPROACH TO A HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY 245 ginal object. The second, more sophistica- thinkers in an imagined dialogue or conver- ted form of reconstruction called rational. sation about philosophical problems of our Rational reconstruction as a rational again- times. In doing this kind of reconstruction, construction (re- as again) is interested analytical philosophers are often accussed in making an object more equal to itself, of anachronism as anachronistic is con- e.g., by extracting essential elements and re- sidered to be the supposed force with which formulating and restructuring them. Its task is revealing formal or representational problems dead philosophers are resurrected to take and managing them by realising immanent pos- shape of our own interest. Using apparently sibilities to improve precision and consistency Kuhnian terms Rorty agrees with the charge, of the object of reconstruction.9 saying that such enterprises in commensu- This kind of reconstruction has a presc- ration are, of course, anachronistic. But if riptive character. Finally, extreme case of they are conducted in full knowledge of their anachronism, they are unobjectionable.12 rational reconstruction as rational new-const- Thus, in order to serve the purpose, anach- ruction (re- as new-) is interested in a material correction resp. improvement be ex- ronistic behavior should be conscious. ternal formal criteria. The descriptive compo- The other way of reading the texts of the nent reduces in the extreme case to the mere past is a historical reconstruction which factuality of initial material, exactly the object seeks to link up an author of the text in of reconstruction, which is subjected to the instruments of precision and consistency im- question to a particular socio-historical con- provement.10 text of his times, where and when, in the ironical Rortys words, their falsehoods Such a reconstruction requires a mini- look less silly.13 However, this kind of mum similarity between an object and a reconstruction appears to be only an initial product of reconstruction, it can contain rein- stage of reading a text. Rorty argues that terpretations of essential concepts and aban- don original intention of its object. there is indeed a sense in which we can un- derstand what a philosopher says in his own terms before relating his thought to ours, but that this minimal sort of understanding is like Rational Reconstruction as a Method being able to exchange courtesies in a foreign of a History of Philosophy tongue without being able to translate what one is saying into our native language. (...) Translating an utterance means fitting it into Trying to show a scientific nature of the our practices. (...) Successful historical reconst- reconstructional method Davias analysis of ruction can be performed only by people who the notion of reconstruction is quite fruitful, have some idea of what they themselves think about the issues under discussion.14 althought the author does not mention Ri- chard Rorty and his critique of the traditio- In the field of history, the aim of any nal interpretation of a history of philosophy.