The existence of human beings and all living and nonliving matter on earth has remained a peculiar phenomenon since the beginning of time. Over the years, researchers and scholars have invested significant time and resources to underpin this existence. Analytical and continental approaches are two branches of philosophy that underpin knowledge, existence, and reality theories. Analytic philosophy is essential and more apt to critical contributions to culture and society because of its pragmatic approach that relies on logic, which is more objective than the continental approach, which is more subjective.
Charles Sanders Peirce is one of the philosophers who subscribed to the analytic philosophical approach and acknowledged the importance of grounding philosophy on logic. Peirce held the opinion that it is crucial to apply philosophical findings to practical issues through science (Lawhead, 2013). Peirce also subscribed to using more objective approaches to solve inquiries about life, knowledge, and realities. Therefore, he recognized that knowledge and truth were essential in supporting philosophy.
Peirce recognized that logic, science, theory, and linguistics were crucial to inquiry. While Sanders upheld the importance of logic and science in creating universal truths through inquiry, he felt that combining the logic with beliefs produced meaningful and clear facts (Lawhead, 2013). His approach as an analytical philosopher is more apt to contribute to society because it does not overlook opinions in the place of logic. Peirce maintained that philosophy should accompany the pursuit of science and knowledge, which would contribute more to culture and society.
John Dewey is another philosopher who adhered to the pragmatic approach of philosophy because he considered philosophy as a crucial companion to science. He practiced the instrumentalism theory of knowledge, which made him different from other pragmatic philosophers (Lawhead, 2013). Dewey recognized that truth is a significant activity in solving problems. This approach makes him an apt contributor to culture and society because his approach is inclusive.
Dewey upheld the importance of ethics in philosophy, a characteristic of analytic philosophers. He acknowledged that values and facts could coexist by combining science and ethics in philosophical inquiries (Lawhead, 2013). Empirically, it is challenging to separate ethics from facts because the rightness of the facts relies on ethics. Therefore, his approach would make essential contributions to society by providing an inclusive approach to solving problems.
Reference
Lawhead, W. F. (2013). The voyage of discovery: A historical introduction to philosophy (4th ed.). Cengage Learning