This essay is a revised and expanded version of the text which was the basis for the author’s Masterclass at the 11th International Conference on Philosophical Practice (ICPP), the 18th of July 2012 at the Humanities Institute, Kangwon National University in Chuncheon, Republic of Korea.
The main goal of the essay is, to contribute to a theory of philosophical practice. To do this, the author develops a criticism of reductionist practices in philosophy. The theoretical point of departure is an abridged survey of the two paradigmatic changes in European philosophy in the 20th century, i.e., Husserl’s phenomenology, and Wittgenstein’s language game analysis. The line of thinking is illustrated by a case story of the author.
Part I discusses the phenomenological and linguistic turns in European philosophy. Part II describes and discusses a case story. Part III criticizes two forms of reductionism in philosophical practice, namely psychological and conceptual reductionism. Part IV gives an initial impetus to a theory of philosophical practice beyond any reductionism.
In the present essay, the author is dealing with Western philosophy only, as the origins of post-Modern philosophical practice are rooted in Western philosophy. Lately, Eastern philosophy has been an inspiration for philosophical practice as well.