The essence of philosophical knowledge according to Dietrich von Hildebrand

Abstract

This paper presents the philosophical insights into knowledge as defined by Dietrich von Hildebrand in his work, What is philosophy? His system draws on the methods of inquiry as used by realistic phenomenology. He recognizes knowledge as a primary datum typical of the person. According to Hildebrand in the process of acquiring knowledge, the subjective sphere – the sphere of the subject who observes and the sphere of the object – the thing that is the appearance for a subject, cooperate. In the phenomenological method knowledge is presented as a set of intentional acts rooted in experience, which reveal the essence and character of things. Hildebrand recognizes two types of knowledge: empirical and apriorical. An empirical knowledge allows for the discovery of the external characteristics of the things examined, while an apriorical knowledge reveals their essence determined by such factors as: intrinsic necessity, intelligibility, and absolute certainty. For Hildebrand it is the latter that is the best way of philosophical inquiry, which should concern only matters of high importance. Cognitive processes are of an axiological character when a person recognizes the value of an object and answers to it in an appropriate way. Cognitive processes presented as a basis of philosophical research reveal the metaphysical order of reality as a world made by God for men.