The mission of philosophy today

The paper gives a brief characterization of philosophical problems; points up something of their significance for the culture, the social order, and o ur lives; indicates the methodology appropriate for the problems; and prese nts a view of the cultural mission of philosophy today. Philosophy attempts to bring under critical review and to correct errors in the cultural mind of our civilization, the prevailing assumptions and beliefs about our knowl edge-yielding powers, the various sectors of the culture, and the basic str ucture of the world. It holds the cultural mind accountable to the unavoida ble presuppositions of experience, thought, and action. Errors in the cultu ral mind can lead to distortions in the development of the culture and to s ocial and personal pathologies. I contend that our modern Western cultural mind undermines the humanistic dimension of the culture, and ultimately the whole culture, by a restricted view of our knowledge-yielding powers and t he resulting impoverished view of reality. The mission of philosophy today is to point out the errors in our cultural mind and to work for a humanisti c cultural reformation.