The Evolution of the Concept ‘Crisis’: Ancient Thought and Contemporary Philosophical Approach

Abstract

This study addresses the historical evolution of the concept of "crisis" in philosophical heritage, starting from the derivational approach that relies on the etymology and uses of the term in its initial stage among the Greeks. The article then examines the transition of the term into the realm of conceptualization and its passage into the era of the Middle Ages and the new domains it penetrated, adapting to the nature of the age. In the third stage, the article discusses the entry of this concept into the modern era and how it opened up to more expansive and continuous fields, where the connotation of the term "crisis" expanded to the extent that its meaning became threatened by the growing ambiguity resulting from its numerous and diverse uses. The focus is then placed on two fundamental models represented by "Karl Marx" and "Paul Ricoeur."