| The dissertation starts from the discrepancy between theory and practice, but observes this problem from the perspective of the entire human intellectuality. Reviewing the Greek perception of philosophy, I demonstrate that philosophy in general sense is the pursuit of intelligibility (logos), which makes human beings as human beings. It is characterized by incessant effort to grasp experiential manifolds into intelligible ones through communication, although no absolute unity can be reached due to human finitude. Not knowing itself as an endless pursuit, this fundamental pursuit tends to halt at determined individual ends and the human nature tends to conceal itself. Philosophy in strict sense, beginning from Socrates, aims to recognize the human nature as the constant pursuit and resume the pursuit of the unity. Therefore, it has the immanent duty to seek community out of individual distractions.;On the other hand, as all kinds of beings are determined historically during the process of the fundamental pursuit, philosophy in general sense shapes human practices and philosophy in strict sense appears as a particular practice. Ancient philosophers build living communities to overcome individual interests and pursue an integral communal life. The modern pursuit of unity is peculiar in so far as knowledge has been gradually abstracted and formalized as universal science, whereas indefinite experiential activities are no longer considered as the form of knowledge. The division enables universal understanding independent of empirical constraints, but also reduces knowledge to empty conceptual form. Correspondingly, philosophy as the recognition of this historic process is as well transformed into solipsistic conceptual knowledge. It consequently loses the comprehensive power to overcome the universal abstract determination of scientific technology and capitalism.;Therefore, I call for reflection on the form of philosophy. Not only is theory inseparable from practice, but philosophy should not be confined to theory as a particular kind of practice. It ought to go beyond academic theories to rebuild its strength in comprehensive everyday experiences, as no being in the world lies outside of the pursuit of logos. |
