“On the Philosophy and History” by Jacques Maritain Essay

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Introduction

In chapter five of On the Philosophy and History, Jacques Maritain presses on the feasibility, reliability concerning philosophy and history by exploring the functionality and necessity. The author gives some insights into how philosophy and history are interconnected at the intermediary level. From the chapter titled ‘Final Remarks’, the reader can understand the integration of philosophy and factuality of history. The purpose of this paper is to present a detailed outline of the chapter by using metaphors used in line with the topic.

“Intellectual Food”

It is important to highlight a brief preview of what the author says in chapter five. In this chapter, the author is depicting that factual history is the fundamental point that philosophers have failed to consider on giving or establishing some laws. One of the metaphors used by Maritain is a comparison of food and intelligence. She says that “… I dare say, provides us with rather scanty intellectual food, and teaches us scarcely more than plain common sense could teach us…’’ (Maritain 173). In this case, the author is trying to show how some philosophers had generalized philosophies without paying special attention to the data, hence making philosophical history to be problematic. An example is Toynbee, whom Maritain says that he had frequently used his sort of theologies to give opinions about history. Therefore, when the author talks about intellectual food, he is suggesting that the factions given by his text would help to enlighten how various philosophers and turned philosophy into pseudoscience.

“Hellenic World”

In the chapter, it is clear that Jacques Maritain links philosophy and history with practical wisdom. He says that the philosophy of history is an integral part of moral attitude and that there should be no speculations other than weighing and evaluating the sequence of events that leads to an understanding of the interdependence of the variables. The second metaphor used is “Hellenic world” which is quoted severally in the text (Maritain 174). The element meant that the world had gotten assimilation of a Hellenic culture characterized by the formation of administrative sections. Therefore, the author referred to the world that way due to the liberty that philosophy had transformed historically just the way the Hellenic period had changed people hence, altering their opinions on philosophy.

“Spiritual Symphony”

On the verge of explaining how philosophy and history have complemented each other, the author used the metaphor ‘spiritual symphony’. In this case, he compares the unification of mankind with a four-part spiritual aspect that is like an orchestra composed of four movements (Maritain 174). Thus, the meaning here is on how there has been intolerance to legit opinions on philosophical history. That has been due to the philosophers who make people believe in their major insights just the way an individual would listen to orchestra movements aligned to religious movements which are key in philosophy. Maritain condemns authors who make questionable prophecies without looking at genuine historical data on philosophy. Therefore, the metaphor is significant in enlightening the reader of how people have been given sub-standard information relating to philosophy and history.

Conclusion

From the above paragraphs, it is clear that the author has his opinions about philosophy and history. Additionally, he is critical of other authors and philosophers who make the subject be contentious matter at twilight due to the authenticity of factions presented without considering the data and intermediary levels between the variables. There are three highlighted metaphors used, namely; intellectual food, Hellenic world, and spiritual symphony.

Work Cited

Maritain, Jacques. “Final Remarks.” On the Philosophy of History. Cluny Media, 2011, pp. 165-176.

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