Comprehensive difficulties

[Deepurple]

Dear teachers,

While reading a psychological paper, I have some difficulties in understanding the following sentence. Could you please give me some hints or explanations? Thank you very much.

"There has been a strong philosophical inclination in liberal Western cultures, at least since the Enlightenment, to emphasize the causal role of independent, self-reliant individuals in shaping events."

 

[BobK]

People use 'philopsophical' in a number of ways/. The first clause could mean that there is a strong inclination among philosophers. But 'philosophical' is often used in a more general sense, to do with attitudes: 'Sometimes you just have to take the philosophical view, and roll with the punches.' (This usage is deplored by some people, but the usage is so common that I think they just have to live with it!)

The Age of Enlightenment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia is a recognized period/movement, also known as 'The Age of Reason'. At this time, philosophers started arguing that previously-held notions of destiny and fate were wrong - that things happened because people did things that caused them ('the causal role of independent, self-reliant individuals in shaping events.')

b

PS In this context, I'm pretty sure the 'philosophical' is referring to a tendency among people writing in the context of philosophy.

 

[Rover_KE]

Note that your title should have been Comprehension difficulties.

Rover

 

[BobK]

I assumed that there was no error here, and that the OP just didn't know where to start in trying to understand the sentence, because his/her lack of understaning was comprehensive. I agree though that 'comprehension difficulties' is more likely.

b