Philosophical anthropology is a branch of philosophy that studies the essence of human nature. In addition, it tries to unite the diverse scientific methods with which this subject has been studied throughout history.
The word anthropology has Greek roots: anthropos means "man", while logos it is "reason." That is why it is understood that this anthropology studies humanity and its nature from a philosophical point of view.
Of particular interest to philosophical anthropology is the study of complex issues that are only possible thanks to people. These include scientific knowledge, religion, and concepts such as "freedom.".
During the last century, philosophical anthropology aroused interest among many intellectuals. They used the natural sciences and those that studied men to better understand humanity within the environment in which it operates.
One of the most important questions that have been raised since the beginning of philosophy is what does it mean to be human? And what am I? The answers have been diverse, depending on the philosophical approach.
For Aristotle, man is a rational animal (that is, he thinks in a complex way). Later, Descartes claimed that giving a clear definition of the term "animal" and the term "rational" raised many questions. That is why he gave a new answer to the question of the meaning of humanity with his famous phrase "I think, therefore I am" (Cogito ergo sum).
According to Inmanuel Kant, humanity is linked to the ability to choose to adhere to the laws because they are good, that is, it is free. For him it was a faculty that can be improved with education (artistic and scientific), as well as with morality and socialization..
Kant was also one of the first to consider anthropology as a branch of study, but he did not conceive of it as an isolated scientific area.
These definitions of humanity were joined by others such as biological, which explains that man differs from other animals for evolutionary and genetic reasons; explanations were also given to human nature from the psychological, historical, economic and social point of view.
During the 1920s philosophical anthropology began to be studied as a subject isolated from other branches of knowledge. Some of the most popular areas of philosophy up to that time were logic, ethics, and epistemology..
The development of existentialist and phenomenological currents contributed to the independent conception of anthropology.
One of the first exponents of philosophical anthropology was Max Scheler who proposed that man was a "loving being" and separated himself from the theory that defined him as rational.
Some continued to study human nature along the lines proposed by Scheler, as was the case with Arnold Gehlen. The latter proposed that, thanks to the ability to communicate, man can not only adapt his physical environment but also the cultural one.
In the 40s of the last century, Ernst Cassirer gave a new concept of humanity within philosophical anthropology and described man as a "symbolic animal".
Anthropological philosophy aims to study and philosophically interpret the essence or nature of humanity. In addition, it deals with the phenomena that can only be a consequence of the existence of man.
Among the elements of interest for anthropological philosophy are the social organization of different cultures, human interaction and its consequences. Also, aesthetic and moral differences, complex feelings and the influence of the environment on the individual.
Philosophy is considered by many scientists to be out of date because they believe it is more about assumptions than experience and the observable. Others think that anthropology needs this element to explain what cannot be measured.
In this way, philosophical anthropology seeks to know the qualities that make man what he is and what differentiates him from other species..
This current attempts to unite the methodology that has been used in other types of anthropology such as scientific, theological and interpretive.
That is why anthropological philosophy coordinates the various approaches that exist about humanity. Which means that it seeks to be an independent scientific discipline, but taking traditional tools of this and combining them with philosophy..
During the 1920s this German philosopher laid the foundations for philosophical anthropology. However, he could not devote so much time to study it because he died in 1928, a year before completing his most important work in anthropology..
In any case, the concepts that Scheler created between 1900 and his death were central to this discipline. He said that man was a "loving being", since the act of loving someone is what truly makes the person human (Christian ethics).
Among the most important contributions of this philosopher are having proposed that philosophical anthropology study all aspects related to man. In addition, he said that this new branch of study should take advantage of other sciences such as biology, sociology, or psychology.
For this thinker, anthropological philosophy was the clearest example of what a collaborative science should be (that is, it makes use of other sciences to achieve its goal). In addition, he distanced this discipline from Christian ethics.
Plessner argued that humans can adapt to situations and react to them because they are capable of transcending their innate nature. That is why they are different from animals, which are limited to their biological responses, or plants that cannot communicate in any way..
He also spoke of the eccentricities that people's behavior shows, such as crying or laughing, and the responses that these actions generate in other human beings..
Cassirer's most important contribution to philosophical anthropology was seeing man as a creator of symbols. Its purpose was to study the cultural achievements of humanity (language, religion, art).
At the same time, he wanted to find some link that would unite all human beings and for him that common element was the ability to create symbols and transform his environment to what was considered ideal by each culture..
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