Systematic framework for addressing philosophical questions
Aphilosophical theory orphilosophical position[1][page needed] is aview that attempts to explain or account for a particular problem inphilosophy.[citation needed] The use of the term "theory" is a statement ofcolloquial English and not a technical term.[2] While any sort ofthesis oropinion may be termed a position, inanalytic philosophy it is thought best to reserve the word "theory" for systematic, comprehensive attempts to solve problems.[3]
The elements that comprise a philosophical position consist ofstatements which arebelieved to betrue by the thinkers who accept them, and which may or may not beempirical. The sciences have a very clear idea of what a theory is; however in the arts such as philosophy, the definition is more hazy. Philosophical positions are not necessarilyscientific theories, although they may consist of both empirical and non-empirical statements.
Critical theory; in its narrow sense, aWestern European body ofFrankfurt SchoolMarxist thought that aims at criticizing and transforming, rather than merely explaining, social structures.[5] In a broader sense, "critical theory" relates to a wide variety of political, literary, and philosophical positions that take at least some of their inspiration from the Frankfurt School and its dialectic, and that typically contest the possibility of objectivity or aloofness from political positions and privileges.[6]
