Philosophy as Rational Knowledge

Abstract

Objectives: Current importance of the investigation has been stipulated by general worldview crisis in humanities and in the whole sphere of the humanitarian knowledge that also affects the development of philosophy. Methods: The fundamental approaches to (or methods of) the investigation of this problem are represented by the comparative approach to the problems of the search for the foundations and historical contexts of the developing rationality of philosophy and the comparative historical method that make for the comprehensive consideration of the problem and its solutions. The study also employs phenomenological, hermeneutical methods and the method of structural analysis. Findings: It has been shown that philosophical irrationalism does not, in fact, imply the negation of the role of reason in the cognition; it just expresses its capability to grasp and to identify the irreducibility of the objective processes to logical schemes. The highest form of manifestation of rationality in philosophy is represented by philosophical concept of the truth and its criterion. The study demonstrates that philosophy largely develops through the progress of its self-understanding, through critical self-evaluation of its capabilities and its importance for an individual and for the society. The study has shown the specific features of philosophical ideas and the destiny of philosophy as rational knowledge. The correlation between philosophy and scientific rationality has been analyzed. Applications/Improvements: The study is of practical value for further development of the problem of scientific and philosophical rationality, for justifying its role in the progress of science, culture and education.