Q&A: Attitude Toward Approaches
Attitude Toward Approaches
Question
Hello Rabbi,
There are many philosophical approaches—materialism, idealism, postmodernism, and more. It seems that in the end, any approach can stand on its own once a person accepts it. For example, if I, as a fundamentalist, try to persuade a postmodernist that my approach is more correct than his, I will never succeed (and he will never succeed in persuading me either).
It seems to me that the reason for this is that there are no philosophical principles that can determine which approach is more correct. It works the other way around. After we choose an approach, there can be philosophical principles that support the method. But the choice between the different methods will always be each person’s own.
Given that, I would like to ask—how can I know which approach is more correct? If every approach is each person’s private inclination, doesn’t that mean one should cast doubt on one’s own choice of approach? What should our attitude toward approaches be?
Thank you in advance.
Answer
In my series on philosophy, I explained that its foundation lies in intuitive recognition and not in our own invention. Therefore, it ought to be shared, aside from disputes at the margins. And indeed, contrary to what is commonly thought, in my opinion there are almost no real philosophical disagreements. In many cases, this is a matter of different definitions, or a discussion about a different concept, or a different formulation of the same thing. In any case, in most instances your intuition can decide, and that is what we have.
The question of whether you will succeed in persuading someone who thinks differently is not important. At most, you won’t succeed. But you can still formulate your own position on most issues. You examine what seems more reasonable to you, listen to arguments on both sides, consider the implications, and in the end formulate a position.