section_path: Western/20th century
section_name: 20th century
paragraph_text: 20th century
  
  Philosophy in the 20th century is usually divided into two main traditions: analytic philosophy and continental philosophy. Analytic philosophy was dominant in English-speaking countries and emphasized clarity and precise language. It often employed tools like formal logic and linguistic analysis to examine traditional philosophical problems in fields such as metaphysics, epistemology, science, and ethics. Continental philosophy was more prominent in European countries, particularly in Germany and France. It is an umbrella term without a precisely established meaning and covers philosophical movements like phenomenology, hermeneutics, existentialism, deconstruction, critical theory, and psychoanalytic theory.
  
  Interest in academic philosophy increased rapidly in the 20th century, as evidenced by the growing number of philosophical publications and the increasing number of philosophers working at academic institutions. Another change during this period was the increased presence of female philosophers. However, despite this progress, women remained underrepresented in the field.
  
  Some schools of thought in 20th-century philosophy do not clearly fall into either analytic or continental traditions. Pragmatism evolved from its 19th-century roots through scholars like Richard Rorty (1931–2007) and Hilary Putnam (1926–2016). It was applied to new fields of inquiry, such as epistemology, politics, education, and the social sciences.
  
  The 20th century also saw the rise of feminism in philosophy, which studies and critiques traditional assumptions and power structures that disadvantage women. Prominent feminist philosophers include Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986), Martha Nussbaum (1947–present), and Judith Butler (1956–present).