Incompetence compensation competence
The term “ incompetence compensation competence ” was coined by the philosopher Odo Marquard in the lecture of the same name that he gave in 1973 on the occasion of the 60th birthday of his colleague Hermann Krings . In this lecture Marquard gives a self-deprecating, critical-polemical assessment of the situation of contemporary philosophy and explains in a nutshell how it got into this situation.
meaning
Marquard characterizes the history of philosophy as a history of the gradual loss of skills .
Originally, in ancient times, philosophy was universal, "competent for everything". Today, for some time now, she is “competent only for one thing: namely, to admit one's own incompetence.” This happened because philosophy could not meet three challenges that it faced in the course of history.
The first challenge was the soteriological one. It was about how people can be led to the right life, to salvation. Philosophy was finally outbid by Christianity and was able to survive for a while as ancilla theologiae , as the "handmaid of theology".
The second challenge was the technological one. Here, where philosophy was supposed to lead to the useful knowledge of people, it was clearly surpassed by the exact sciences and for a while - in the form of the theory of science - was able to function as ancilla scientiae .
The third, most recent and final challenge was the political one. Philosophy should lead "to the just happiness of the people". Political practice has eliminated this function. For a while philosophy - in the form of a philosophy of history - still came into play as ancilla emancipationis .
With all these temporary substitute functions, however, it is over: “The philosophy: it is over; we practice philosophy after the end of philosophy. ”Philosophy only remains one competence, the incompetence compensation competence.
Popularization of the term incompetence compensation competence
The concept of incompetence compensation competence has meanwhile also become popular beyond philosophy. Ralf Lisch , for example, used it to describe common behavioral patterns in management and, in this context, characterizes incompetence compensation competence as a "consistent continuation of the Peter principle ."
literature
- Odo Marquard: incompetence compensation competence? About competence and incompetence of philosophy . In: Hans M. Baumgartner , Otfried Höffe , Christoph Wild (eds.): Philosophy - Society - Planning. Colloquium, Hermann Krings on his 60th birthday . Bavarian State Institute for University Research and Planning, Munich 1974, p. 114–125 (lecture in Munich on September 28, 1973).
- Odo Marquard: incompetence compensation competence . In: Philosophical Yearbook . No. 81 , 1974, pp. 341–349 ( philosophisches-jahrbuch.de [PDF]).
- Incompetence compensation competence? About competence and incompetence of philosophy . In: Odo Marquard: Farewell to the principle. Philosophical Studies , pp. 23–38. Reclam ( UB 7724), Stuttgart 1981, ISBN 3-15-007724-9
Remarks
- ↑ Marquard, Farewell to Principles , p. 29
- ↑ Marquard, Farewell to Principles , p. 27
- ↑ Ralf Lisch: Incompetence Compensation Competence - How managers really tick. Solibro Verlag , Münster 2016, ISBN 978-3-96079-013-6 .