Abstract

Contemporary philosophy, after confronting the plurality and locality of theoretical perspectives, finds itself caught in a dilemma between foundationalist dogmatism and relativist anarchy. This paper systematically argues that a path named "Philosophy of Finitude" is the way out of this predicament. Its core thesis is: the foundation of philosophical validity should shift from pursuing ultimate synthesis to thoroughly acknowledging the fundamental finitude of human understanding and developing a corresponding meta-methodology. This paper first establishes the ontological situation of human understanding—the "Domain of Encounter - Domain of Comprehension - Horizon" Tripartite Matrix of Finitude, revealing that all cognition is constrained by the absolute boundaries of experiential material, conceptual tools, and present attention. Within this matrix, the "Project" as the basic unit of understanding undergoes a constructive process from "Capture-Truncation-Intervention" to "Forgetting-Self-justification". Its successful operation solidifies into a "Domain of Governance", breeding two philosophical vices: "The Totalizing One" and "The Either-Or". To address this, this paper constructs a methodological toolkit: delineating theoretical boundaries through "Demarcation", managing complementary perspectives through "Stellar Coordination", stimulating conceptual innovation through "Rhizomatic Linking", and cultivating "Negative Capability" to face the unspeakable "Domain of Silence". Ultimately, the Philosophy of Finitude transforms the philosopher's role from an "arbiter" of truth to a "gardener" of the ecology of understanding, and philosophical practice from a "war of truth" to "gardening of perspectives". This paper concludes that the Philosophy of Finitude not only provides a systematic method for coping with cognitive complexity but also issues a profound existential invitation: only by soberly accepting our own finitude can we, within these very boundaries, attain genuine cognitive freedom and philosophical wisdom.