Philosophy - A guide for the perplexed?

This paper surveys the relation between philosophy and science in the perspective of developments after 1900. Two main lines of thought are distinguished-one stemming from Russell, another from Wittgenstein. The Russellian view holds that science seeks knowledge of truth, while Wittgenstein emphasizes the philosophical understanding of meaning (significance). Knowledge and understanding are the two basic dimensions of the cognitive life of man. In the course of time knowledge has, nourished by scientific progress, hypertrophied at the expense of understanding. A "scientific' spirit has invaded philosophy and created a climate of opinion more akin to Russell's than Wittgenstein's view of things.