New Empiricism and Pre-Socratic Western Thought

• In Event: Postfoundational Qualitative Inquiry

Abstract

Objectives
This presentation is guided by the question of ‘Where do you start -- how do you begin?’. It traces the genealogy and historicises the intersection of philosophy, methodology, and ideas around matter.

Perspective(s) or theoretical framework
Such an exercise is related to the ontology of the ethical relationship with a thought, rather than to the history of philosophy. As such, this presentation focuses on the ontological foundations of philosophy as a method and its current ‘use’ and positioning in post-qualitative ‘research’ and ‘work’ as new empiricism. It focuses on ontology, epistemology, and axiology of (educational) thought; not on ‘theory’ or ‘concept’ (if definitions permit).

Methods, techniques, or modes of inquiry
“Doing” Deleuze, Barad, Bergson, Whitehead, Spinoza etc is the way that many scholars in recent years have approached the seeking of more questions (and some answers) on new empiricism. While those approaches open up new imaginaries, particularly in educational space, in this paper my mode of inquiry is to re-return to the very foundations of Western thought in order to understand what are those shaky foundations?; what are those theories and concepts that were carried so well for centuries?; and how useful are those metaphysics that attempted to define modernity and beyond? I am intrigued by how this methodological and philosophical exercise can complicate the question (and potentially go against the method) in the intersection of philosophy, methodologies and ideas around matter.

Data sources, evidence, objects, or materials
Data sources that question the idea of matter in Western thought are based in Ancient text. This presentation historicises matter via the key thinkers of the pre-Socratic era. The premise of this presentation is that if we are to understand and read the Western philosophical texts of the past 200 years, we need to consider the origins of Western Thought in the pre-Socratic era, and in particular, the work of Thales, Anixamander and Anixemes. Understanding the diverse accounts of their thoughts, resulting from the absence of original texts, points to the multiplicity of the philosophical ‘origin’ stories. The fragments, remains and traces of thoughts visible in other philosophers’ work are open to interpretation.

Warrants for arguments/point of view
We were gifted by these Ancient scholars with a search for the ‘physis of objects’ and pluralities of co-existent words, and they have influenced current thinkers via Derrida, Heidegger and others. However, at the same time they provide a challenge to the scholar who wishes to study them. If philosophy as a method is an ethical relationship with an original text, interactions with pre-Socratic thought presents an ethical dilemma; whose account do we read and whose interpretation do we analyse?

Scientific or scholarly significance of the study or work
Pre-Socratic thinkers are the origin of Western thought, and they were some of the first to question the ontological, epistemological and axiological nature of things (eg the materialism of Thales was focused on nature and qualities of things). This paper offers via arguing with / and against the pre-Socratic Western thought, new ways to think with new empiricism, that has not been done before.

Author

• Marek Tesar, University of Auckland
  Presenting Author