Analytic philosophy

Analytic philosophy is a branch of philosophy using analysis, popular in the Western world and particularly the Anglosphere, which began around the turn of the 20th century in the contemporary era in Germany, the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Scandinavia, and continues today.

Analytic philosophy is often contrasted with continental philosophy, coined as a catch-all term for other methods, prominent in Europe, most notably existentialism, phenomenology, and Hegelianism. The analytic tradition has been the dominant tradition in Western philosophy since the latter half of the 20th century. The tradition has been critiqued for ahistoricism and aloofness towards alternative disciplines and outsiders.

Analytic philosophy is characterized by clarity of prose and rigor in arguments, making use of formal logic and mathematics, and, to a lesser degree, the natural sciences. It is known for a focus on language called the linguistic turn. Analytic philosophy also takes things piecemeal, in "an attempt to focus philosophical reflection on smaller problems that lead to answers to bigger questions".

Central figures in the historical development of analytic philosophy are Gottlob Frege, Bertrand Russell, G. E. Moore, and Ludwig Wittgenstein. Other important figures in its history include the logical positivists (particularly Rudolf Carnap), W. V. O. Quine, Karl Popper, and ordinary language philosophy (such as Gilbert Ryle or J. L. Austin). After the decline of logical positivism, Saul Kripke, David Lewis, and others led a revival in metaphysics. Alvin Plantinga led a revival in Christian philosophy. Elizabeth Anscombe, Peter Geach, Anthony Kenny, and others developed an analytic approach to Thomism.