Trichotomy (philosophy)

The triad, the philosophical Trinity or Trinity thinking, also called Trialism, represents a form of dialectic, which is used, among other things, to represent the socially real human culture as a unifying " Third " between Shall and being.

The number three, the triad of the methods is its foundation. The triadic thinking it closes epistemological gaps between the dyadic thinking, the methods dualism on the one hand and the colorful methodological pluralism on the other.

Use

The terms of the triad, the Trinity or thinking of Trialism are used far less than that of dualism, in which the Trialism is also co-treated in part as a form. But his expressions are often used. In the English -speaking world are used for the triple form of the Latin name " tripartite ".

The three most famous Trinity formulas, each relating to human culture, namely that from the Western point of view, are:

• " God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit" ( Religion )
• "Liberty, equality and solidarity ( fraternity ) " (Politics),
• " Body, soul and spirit " ( human figure).

The state law also knows the trinities of " executive, legislative and judicial powers " and of " the state, to state power and territory ".

A three-world theory is already of Gottlob Frege (1918 ) called for as a necessary "Third Reich". The notion of a " world 3" used later Karl Popper.

Justification and criticism of the three-world theory

The justification of this triad is: The social real ( western) culture supplemented, includes and endures the bipolar duality of ( idealist ) philosophy and ( empirical ) science. The real social perspective of the social sciences and the philosophical approaches of phenomenology and pragmatism lead to a third element.

The legal philosopher Gustav Radbruch used for the broad concept of culture: "Nature and Ideal, and the gap between them ... never vollendbare bridge the culture ..." and then committed to the method of " Trialism ". Axel Montenbruck builds in his Philosophy of Right on Radbruch Trialism. Montenbruck also describes " ... the word of the " middle world " the " socially real place "..." the Western man ... could understand as its own and largely self-created social real civilization. " He locates the real social reality culture and replaces the notion of culture is more political "civilization ".

Critically, the triadic thinking involves the tendency to Holistic ( holism ), it leads to a relativism and tends to theory- poor nature of pragmatism. Compared to the pluralism of methods, it appears again as oversimplification. For each specialized science has on closer inspection its own method of thinking.

Trialism and dualism

For the most bipolar view of dualism, the triadic perspectives can always be traced back to a duality. The Trialism then appears as a subspecies of the dualism, which is why the triadic thinking will be discussed under this term with. But from triadic view plugged vice versa in every dual counter, incidental or together, as of and what should be the germ of something common third parties.

The Aristotelian doctrine of indescribable in itself " mean" between two extremes ( " The extremes seem to oppose each other because the center has no name. " ) Or the view that the principle requires a sensible balance between different values ​​, use the form of triadic thinking.

Triadic thinking and dialectic

The simplest formula for dialectical thinking is: thesis, antithesis and synthesis. While these often dynamic character has, by the synthesis appears to be the higher goal, embodies the Trialism how the triads usually a static Trinity. Its three components appear of equal quality and at best have different weight.

Individual orientations and teaching

Triadic thinking and Christian Trinity

The Christian Triadic thinking describes the concept of the Trinity.

The "Trinity " in philosophy and science

The common history and current three-world lessons in philosophy and the natural sciences are discussed in detail in the context of dualism. In particular, Karl Popper's three-world theory is one of them. His third world includes the verobjektivierten cultural assets that sociobiologists describe analogous to genes and memes.

Three-world theory and social real right

The law itself is giving priority to normative understand the people is from a social point of view before the everyday task, and If Its either to join or to its polarity, and that is to live the constant breach of the law. For this form and to the people maintain their own legal cultures. In animist civilizations are rituals for dealing with taboos.

Hermann Kantorowicz developed (1925 ) for the right to a " three-world theory " or a " epistemological Trialism ". A distinction must be drawn between

• Sense of Sciences,
• Science and values
• Reality Sciences.

Similarly, Gustav Radbruch confesses in his Philosophy of Right (1932 ) for Trialism and he opens are approach also for a fourth, the religious point of view: " ... So the transition is performed by a dualism to a Trialism the perspectives (if you here of the fourth, the religious approach once apart ). This Trialism makes the philosophy of law to a cultural philosophy of law. "

The legal sociologist Hubert Rottleuthner ranks even among the " Trinity thinkers " and offers the following triad, which is transferred to the right at the same time:

• " Logical, conceptual analytical ( Legal Theory ) "
• " Descriptive, empirical ( Sociology of Law ) "
• " Normative, practical ( philosophy of law ) ."

Triadic thinking and democracy

The legal philosopher Axel Montenbruck considers the three elements of the democratic credo " freedom, equality and solidarity " first as a powerful individual ideas and see them then as a whole by osmotic enzellähnliche subsystems within the meaning of Niklas Luhmann: "All three ideas, freedom, equality and solidarity, therefore mutually supportive. Between them, form a network that offers more than the simple sum of elements. For this reason it is more appropriate, all three basic ideas, such as the Humane and in terms of a "democratic constitutional humanism " to sanctify. Of course, these are three ideas to one another in a competition. The " Good ", the common sense or the practical reason, is the "art", according to the circumstances and in the concrete to pull out the best of all three central ideas. Here, however, a view that will have to take precedence. So there is in the West a system whose triad runs in this sequence: First, there is the freedom of the outdoors. "

Three-world model and Naturalism

Gerhard Vollmer sets between the macrocosm and the microcosm of the social mesocosm of man and the question also arises whether the anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens) from an evolutionary perspective could leave the mesocosm at all.