Introduction 2

Protocol Thursday 31 May 2012
Author: Kayle

[Strictly speaking, p]hilosophers did not [intend to build] their own “philosophical systems” in investigating reality; their followers [who tried to emulate them where the ones who transformed their thoughts into systems or schools].

SYSTEM vs. REALITY
Reality must outweigh the system.
*Procrustean bed – twisting reality to fit the system; an act of betraying and denying reality; it is impossible and highly irresponsible [very heavy word; unfair to scientists] to even attempt to sever experience from the results
“Happy accidents” (in science) – Yes, they exist; but in science, the scientists’ effort is discounted – only the result matters,
as if it were separate from the method.

MARCEL’S INSIGHTS
Metaphysical unease
o Likened to person with fever, when he/she twists and turns to find the “right position”
o The sick person cannot dictate the body to get well and therefore must go through the agony/pain.
o Similar to perplexity that all being is in Being (Heidegger); question on being vs. nothing(ness) (Parmenides)
Wondering about reality as being (as existent) and not nothing (non-existent) – a probable cause for human life to pause
momentarily, for humans to ponder on reality and produce insights about things taken for granted
Musical discord as a part of a wider harmony
o Similar to Heraclitus’ example of tension as a factor to produce music
o Harmony is not about removal or elimination; rather, adjustments are [] made. But before one can make
the necessary adjustments, one must go through the experience of music.

SITUATION
Associated with “involved self”
*nuance – a slight difference in context/appearance
The involved self makes the experience appeal to its senses; thus, inhabits the situation (in contrast with simply making
the experience a mere experiment).

IS PHILOSOPHY TOTALLY SUBJECTIVE?
Is it purely personal and idiosyncratic?
One thing is for sure – it does not aim to be universal.
*Denken überhaupt – “generalized thinking”; überhaupt translates to “universally”, “totally”, or “absolutely”
o (philosophical) systems which attempt to generalize all human experience
o E.g. Hegelianism ([Georg Friedrich Wilhelm] Hegel), Thomism (St. Thomas Aquinas)
Reliance on generalized thinking, a ready-built system which instantly provides, is tantamount to [preoccupying] oneself [with] an abstraction – an illusion of having an omniscient view (in contrast with [being] engag[ed with] the concrete experience).
o E.g. driving with a map; one simply receives directions to reach the destination
One is compelled to move back and forth from the act of driving itself to the act of looking into the map,
which in fact is a mere illusion[?] of a bird’s eye view.
The map fails to show a great deal of things which only reality can manifest.

SCIENCE AS GENERALIZED THINKING (Denken überhaupt)
In the scientific method, the aim of the scientist is to come up with a generalization.
Science attempts to homogenize and predict outcomes (following the correct variables and methodology).
These generalizations are meant to hold true at all times.
o How? Through experimentations for the sake of verification.
One is compelled to move from the generalization to the particular case. (such a movement is similar to
the example of driving with a map)
o More calculations and generalizations are built upon pre-existing generalizations – that is how science works. [please provide examples]
Generalized thinking may be based on reality, but still fails to capture actual reality; for reality is not meant to be captured
by any school of thought – it is meant to be lived, inhabited and experienced.
It is clear that philosophy is not about denken überhaupt. The evident difference between philosophy and science can be
seen.

There seems to be the tension between the idiosyncratic and the general. The involved self [is] intermediary
[to] the two.