Not a House Divided

Abstract

Many who work in the domain of academic philosophy have come to take it for granted that there is a de facto division between professionals who align themselves with analytic philosophy and those who prefer a phenomenological or hermeneutical approach. That this ‘division’ also impairs communication between these schools of thought is evidenced by such familiar refrains as, “I can’t understand what you’re saying,” or “But what do you really mean by that?” In consequence analytic philosophers often only communicate with those of a similar philosophical persuasion, and the same seems to apply to those who opt for a phenomenological or hermeneutical approach. Panel presentations at conferences are divided along what, in some cases, become virtually ideological lines, and an analogous condition can affect professional journals, texts, and even whole departments. The divisions have become so ingrained that those involved sometimes relate as if aliens from different planets who have tried and failed to communicate.