Philosophy is not a hands-on science; rather, it takes place in the minds of those who study it. There is no physical evidence, no indication that any answer, satisfying or otherwise, will ever satiate humans' natural curiosity for the unknown. Philosophy is in itself deeply philosophical, it is thinking about the process of thinking, it is tuning out the world to tune in to the world.
And yet, we humans cannot resist the truths beckoning to us from the darkness. In the very core of our beings, we are programmed to believe not everything is as it looks, that even supposedly meaningless objects such as a plastic bag drifting on the wind carry some history, some deep reason why it is here at this very moment.
We question it and question it, but we never find the solutions we seek. To questions such as "What is philosophy?" there are no direct answers. Humans are curious, but we are flawed. One's own philosophy differs from that of the others, and yet so proud are we that we seek the ultimate divine Truth, unattainable but dangling in front of us. To get there, we scratch our heads and ponder incomplete truths, our thirsts never quenched in the endless pursuit of knowledge. The answers to these questions will never be found, but we will never admit defeat.
Actually, in my experience philosophers find MANY answers. And many philosophers insist on ONE answer. But most of us do better to remain light on our feet & flexible as new experiences, perspectives, & thoughts flow in. And after all, it's more important to DO philosophy than to DEFINE it.
ReplyDeleteI was waiting a bit to see when my groupmates posted questions for today, but since I accidentally forgot to include my section/group number, which WON'T happen again, I think I'll go ahead.
ReplyDeleteFactual Q: What animal did Socrates see himself as?
Discussion Q: According to Socrates, "Life is only worth living if you think about what you are doing." How does this hold up in the modern day?
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Also, Professor, I can see how multiple truths can be found because of philosophers' different viewpoints, like realists, idealists, et cetera. The "Divine truth" I meant was the meaning of life, the ultimate question every human wants to know. If there is indeed no real answer, then the subject can be (I suppose) broken down into easier questions with more accessible answers. I thus see how it's important to accept the littler ones and remain pliant.
Philosophy in itself can be viewed as the very thing I believe it attempts to rid the world of; a question. Not only a question but a paradox. Part of the purpose of Philosophy is figuring out your own interpretation of what Philosophy. To justify my statement of it being a paradox in itself, I could use the quote from one of the many "experts" featured in the previous Philosophy Bites podcast that mentioned that Philosophy could be viewed as an attempt to be systematic without access to a system.
ReplyDeleteFactual Question: What is Plato's primary relation to Soccrates?
Discussion Question: Based on what we read about him, what do you believe is Soccrates' interpretation of what Philosophy is and it's utility in the world?