Human Being and the Philosophical Discourse

• Author: Mirela Arsith
• Position: Associate Professor, PhD, 'Danubius' University of Galati, Romania
• Pages: 642-646

European Integration - Realities and Perspectives 2012

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Human Being and the Philosophical Discourse

Mirela Arsith

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Abstract: The hypothesis from which we start our approach is the one according to which the philosophical

discourse is a specific way of communicating the reality. The base of the philosophical communic ation is

surprise, doubt, uncerta inty, anxiety, all generated by the fundamental interrogations of Kantian origin: How

much am I able to know? What do I have to do? What am I a llowed to hope? The answers to all these

questions were set up in philosophical concepts and visions, all of them leading to communication, trying to

express themselves and make themselves understood. Communicability is the very essence of t he

philosophical approach. Actually, communication i s a fundamental philosophical attitude as I, in my capacity

of human being, live onl y with the other, in full interaction. On my own I am nothing. Throughout this paper

we find arguments for the idea according to which the p hilosophical discourse subordinates an art of

genuinely living and communicating about balance and avoidance of excess, about the ability to assume and

overcome, a bout lucidity and wisdom, about credibility, certainty and truth, ab out freedom and limitation,

about the meaning and value of the human condition.

Keywords: genuine communication; philosophical discourse; the I; the Other; interrogation

1. Introduction

Co-substantiality is a significant characteristic of philosophy and communication. In philosophy,

dialogue accompanied every aspect of philosophy as a representation of the world, as a set of

structures of existence and modes of knowledge catalyst, followed by communication and action.

Albert Camus persisted in believing “that this world has no higher meaning. But I know something

about it makes sense and that is the man, because the man is t he only creature who wants a sense.”

(Camus, 1976, p. 34) Understanding the human specifics in the world determines the man to gain self-

awareness, and also awareness of the existence of the other. In a word, the union is achieved through

discourse.

2. Faces of Philosophical Communication

2.1. Philosophical Meta-discourse

Philosophy is a way of “handling” reality, to value it, being determined by the characteristics of the

age and civilization in which it was developed. A scientific truth is accepted in all fields of

civilization. In philosophy, it may be admitted in a field and rejected in another; it can be promoted at

a time and considered invalid in another. The wonderment was what led Plato and Aristotle to seek the

essence of being, René Descartes, through the methodical doubt, sought to identify the unquestionable

certainty; the stoics wanted to find peace of mind in taking the suffering of life, “each of these

searches has its truth, in historical clothes, each time differently, of certain representations and

particular language” (Jaspers, 1988, p 11). Any philosophical concept tends towards communication,

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Associate Professor, PhD,

“Danubius” University of Galati, Ro mania, Address: 3 Galati Blvd, Galati, Romania, tel:

+40372 361 102, fax: +40372 361 290, Corresponding author: arsith.mirela@univ-danubius.ro.