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Awakening Philosophy The Loss of Truth Robert Elliott Allinson Awakening Philosophy Robert Elliott Allinson Awakening Philosophy The Loss of Truth Robert Elliott Allinson Soka University of America Aliso Viejo, CA, USA ISBN 978-3-031-08299-3 ISBN 978-3-031-08300-6 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08300-6 © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover pattern © Melisa Hasan This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG. The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland “And gladly wolde he lerne and gladly teche.”1 A Capella 1 Description of the Clerk in the Prologue of Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales, trans. Nevill Coghill (London, England: Penguin Classics, 2003). This work is dedicated to my beloved Mother, Gertrud Golda Rosen, aleha hashalom, of whom I have the most poignant and fondest of memories. She passed away at an early age, when I was a small child. She wanted to help and teach others, and was college trained as a teacher. She was sensitive, observant, and kept a journal, an act that inspired me to the goal of becoming a writer and a professor. This book is an offering to her too short a life and toward the path of fulfillment of both of her life goals. A cknowledgments To my beautiful wife Irèné, whose heartfelt devotion and intellectual bril- liance have supported my philosophical and poetic works through our life together and whose perceptive eyes have perused this work in manuscript, I want to express my deepest appreciation. To my extended family, par- ticularly my Aunt Shirley Hodes, who at the wise age of 106 continues to support and encourage my work and whose faith in me has been a lasting source of inspiration, my gratitude is boundless. To my philosophy stu- dents, for their keen interest in the wisdom of philosophy and philosophical thinking, I want them to know how much this means to me. To Philip Getz, Senior Editor at Palgrave Macmillan, whose strong support of my work is what has made it possible for me to share these ideas with the public, I want to express my very special appreciation. To the reviewers of this work who read it in manuscript and took the time to make valuable suggestions, I am indebted. To my Research Assistant, Leonardo Salvatore, I am very appreciative for his focused, indefatigable, and committed assis- tance. To my University, Soka University of America, especially for its President Research Assistant Program, I am most grateful. ix c ontents 1 Prologue 1 Part I The Nature of Philosophical Progress 9 2 Standing on the Shoulders of Giants 11 3 Plato 19 Part II Kant, the Father of Modern Philosophy 27 4 Descartes, Plato, and Kant 29 5 Intellectual Intuition 45 6 Was Kant a Metaphysician? 53 7 Kant’s Arguments against Metaphysics and Ontology 63 8 Kant as the Bridge to Metaphysics 69 9 The Third Kind of Knowledge 83 xi xii CoNTENTS Part III From Epistemology to Metaphysics 91 10 A Path to Metaphysics 93 11 The Mind-Body Problem 105 Part IV From Metaphysics to Ethics 117 12 Metaphysics and Ethics 119 13 The Moral Universe 127 14 The Ethical Foundations 135 Glossary of Key Terms 141 Bibliography 147 Index 149 CHAPTER 1 Prologue Abstract The current global intellectual situation is one of confusion, relativism, and profound distrust in any notions of Truth. The essential reasons for our present dilemma are the loss of any belief in a goal of truth- seeking as well as the loss of belief in universal ethical values to guide us through life’s complex currents. Whence comes this loss? The Prologue introduces the primary thesis that the loss of truth and the consequent moral torpor begins with Kant’s alleged overturning of Metaphysics. The Prologue also points to the problem of the specialization of knowledge and the lack of understanding of the connectedness and developmental aspect of the history of Western philosophy. The Prologue encourages philosophers to return to their traditional role of inspirers and guides to truth-seeking and guardians of truth. Keywords History of Western philosophy • Metaphysics • Kant • Cultural determinism • Cultural relativism • Greek Stoicism • Socrates: Socratic philosophy • Plato • Aristotle • Mencius • Metaphysical truths • Descartes • Leibniz • Spinoza • Berkeley • Hume • Hegel • Nietzsche • Husserl • Heidegger Our present global intellectual situation resembles being aboard a small sailboat at sea, sometimes adrift upon a stagnant sea, and sometimes at full sail without a rudder. We sail hither and yon at the mercy of the prevailing © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature 1 Switzerland AG 2022 R. E. Allinson, Awakening Philosophy, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08300-6_1