Abstract

The world of philosophy can perhaps be seen as a microcosm of the world at large. In the course of the last few decades, the world has seen the collapse of the communist system of Russia, a major crisis of the free market economy in the USA, Europe and Japan, and massive economic changes in China. One perspective on contemporary philosophical research is reached by asking what crises the major philosophical traditions, if not literally “systems”, are likewise undergoing and what can be done to find a road ahead. What might a “stimulus package” for philosophy be like (except for inevitably being controversial)?