The Illusory Game of Speculation: Exposing the Absurd Essence of Modern Western Philosophy

Summary

This paper offers a critical examination of Hume’s causal skepticism and Hegel’s dialectics in modern Western philosophy. It argues that Hume, by employing causal reasoning to deny the objectivity of causality, falls into a self‑contradictory trap of “using causality to refute causality,” and that his theoretical stance is radically detached from his actual practical behavior. Hegel, in turn, distorts dialectics into a sophistical device that disregards formal logic and common sense—through misrepresenting identity, denying the law of excluded middle, and other maneuvers—reducing dialectics to a conceptual game divorced from reality. The paper further traces the common root of these absurdities to an out of touch with reality、reason‑worshiping Paranoia—an obsession with abstract reason at the expense of reality—and contends that philosophy should return to common sense, respect objective laws, and uphold basic logical principles. Beyond critique, the paper proposes a three‑tier classification of existential states (present existence, past existence, and provisionally non‑existent) grounded in epistemic prudence, and uses the real‑number axis model to illustrate the limitations of binary dichotomies, advocating a multi‑layered cognitive framework in place of rigid either‑or thinking.

Keywords: modern Western philosophy; Hume’s causal skepticism; Hegel’s dialectics; sophistry; critique of dualism; ternary cognitive system