The most striking impact of modernity on philosophy is that the great philosopher is no longer the sage, but the reasoner. Philosophizing in modern times is, at best, creating concepts, but it essentially boils down to articulating and developing logical arguments around irrelevant topics. The word “philosopher” does not evoke in our minds a mature thinker, endowed with great wisdom, but someone interested in systematizations, in abstract concept strings—a freak for definitions. The modern philosopher has definitively lost the condition he enjoyed in antiquity, that of teacher of life: he has become a professional of reasoning, an architect of logic, and is unable to act as a preceptor or counselor. As a result, philosophy has lost its practical character: it no longer implies moral conduct and a posture towards reality. Isolated in its universe, it no longer has anything to say about the real world.
The Most Striking Impact of Modernity on Philosophy
