20th Century Philosophy
20th Century Philosophy Paper
HUM/300
August 15, 2011
20th Century Philosophy Paper
Philosophy is an activity undertaken by people seeking to understand the fundamental truth about them. It also helps people to understand the world they live in, their relationships with the environment and world around them, and their relationships with other people. The people who study philosophy take life’s most basic questions and become engaged in asking, answering, and arguing for their answers. This paper will identify three prevailing philosophical perspectives at work during the 20th century. Each of these philosophies reflected the changes in industry and the individual that created them.
Sigmund Freud and the Psyche The philosophy of the psyche was first developed by Sigmund Freud. He spent a large part of his life studying the psyche. He wanted to know how the mind operated. He developed his theory based on his research. Freud is known as the father of psychoanalysis. Part of his theory was the idea that humans have two parts to their awareness. There are those parts of the awareness that a person knows is there. There are those parts that a person does not know is there. This part of his theory was a huge contribution to psychology and Freud’s greatest contribution. The psyche consists of three components. These three components are the conscious, the preconscious, and the unconscious. The conscious component is the part where a person knows what they are thinking about or aware of what is going on. The thoughts that are currently occupying the mind are found in the conscious. The preconscious component is the part that stores memories and knowledge. This component includes knowledge and memories that a person knows are there, but are not currently thinking about. The person will be able to access the knowledge or memories if they needed to. The third component of the psyche is the unconscious. The unconscious is outside the awareness of a person. A
HUM/300
August 15, 2011
20th Century Philosophy Paper
Philosophy is an activity undertaken by people seeking to understand the fundamental truth about them. It also helps people to understand the world they live in, their relationships with the environment and world around them, and their relationships with other people. The people who study philosophy take life’s most basic questions and become engaged in asking, answering, and arguing for their answers. This paper will identify three prevailing philosophical perspectives at work during the 20th century. Each of these philosophies reflected the changes in industry and the individual that created them.
Sigmund Freud and the Psyche The philosophy of the psyche was first developed by Sigmund Freud. He spent a large part of his life studying the psyche. He wanted to know how the mind operated. He developed his theory based on his research. Freud is known as the father of psychoanalysis. Part of his theory was the idea that humans have two parts to their awareness. There are those parts of the awareness that a person knows is there. There are those parts that a person does not know is there. This part of his theory was a huge contribution to psychology and Freud’s greatest contribution. The psyche consists of three components. These three components are the conscious, the preconscious, and the unconscious. The conscious component is the part where a person knows what they are thinking about or aware of what is going on. The thoughts that are currently occupying the mind are found in the conscious. The preconscious component is the part that stores memories and knowledge. This component includes knowledge and memories that a person knows are there, but are not currently thinking about. The person will be able to access the knowledge or memories if they needed to. The third component of the psyche is the unconscious. The unconscious is outside the awareness of a person. A
References: Biletzki, A. & Matar, A. (2011) Ludwig Wittgenstein. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved August 15, 2011, from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/wittgenstein/ Crowell, S. (2010). Existentialism. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved August 14, 2011, from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/existentialism/ Fiero, G.K. (2011). The humanistic tradition: Modernism, postmodernism, and the global perspective (6th ed., Book 6). Boston, MA:McGraw-Hill Kuther, T. (2001, September 1). Freud’s Theory of Personality: Development of the Psyche. Retrieved from http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/developmental_psychology/78926/1