How is philosophy performed? Contributions to a historical and phenomenological perspective

Abstract

Having philosophical inquiry as the theme of this article, initially we maintain a close relationship between object and method in philosophy. More than parallel, we observed that both walk side by side, connected, that is, according to the method will be the object; and according to the method the object is. After a brief introduction, we try to show that, historically, in the second part of the article, where we approach how philosophy was done. We go through a quick review of the philosophies we have had. Since the preSocratic, two main lines of philosophical thought are structured and developed along the western life. One by Parmenides to contemporary Neothomism, another by Heraclitus to contemporary Marxism. A philosophy of being and the other one's coming-to-be, one of the Tradition, another of the Revolution. What matters in this case is clearly realize that the dialectical method, son of Heraclitus, is linked to the conception of reality as involving; and parmenidic method to the conception of reality as permanent. We also showed that, from pre-Socratic to the rationalists, the objective reality was considered the object of philosophy. With rationalism and criticism, subjectivity becomes the object of philosophy and critical rational method. In turn, the rational criticism not satisfying the human need when searching meaning in life, it is created a new method; phenomenology comes to be. In the third part of the article How do you do a philosophy, we take as an example the phenomenological thoughts, which understand man as being intentional. Therein, we completed the article arguing that to do philosophy, we must listen the being, dialogue with the being and say the sense of reality. It is in this listening and speaking process the being that the value of life arises.