Final Post Philosophy- Rabia Anwar (17-2)

What is philosophy and where is it? Philosophy is anything that you believe is the way you or others should live their life, but one should always keep in mind that it should not and cannot be forced upon one. Philosophy is a controversial topic in many countries such as Europe and America, but it is seen and not heard in countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq. While we, in America, may know what philosophy is, there are many nations that do not discuss philosophy yet philosophy is prevalent everywhere in the world, so long as we humans have brains to think with and a heart to feel with. So how does philosophy affect our lives? How does it affect people all over the world, and does it even affect people all over the world? Is civilization inbred with philosophy from birth, or is it something that comes to us as the years go by? I believe that each and every one of us are born with philosophical notions, that we are pre-programmed to have philosophical notions so to speak, and that as time goes on and our environment and the people that we interact with changes, we slowly and steadily start to change our views and our philosophy of life.

Does philosophy affect everyday life? I believe that it does. We hear about it every day on television, whether it is the news channel discussing the war, a talk show, or a reality television show. People from all over the world and all different types of cultures have a philosophy. Culturally, there is a unison philosophy of life, as is also found in religion and other large groups and communities. Individually, we each have a philosophy of our own. This is when our different ideas on popular beliefs cause us to divide and clash with one another. It is also the cause of television shows such as the news, talk shows, and reality television shows. In the news, we hear all about the different wars that go on. What is the cause of these wars? Obviously it had to start from somewhere. As Albert Einstein famously said “He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice.” I believe that he meant that those who jump into war are ones who view their beliefs as more important than other ones. This leads me to my next point. Who exactly is a philosopher?

Many people argue the point that not any one can be a philosopher. I believe that those who say this are incorrect. Anyone can be a philosopher, as long as he or she has a belief or opinion on any subject matter in the universe. As the saying goes, some people just agree to disagree. This assuredly confirms that no matter what you think about anything going on in the world, no matter how insignificant, there will always be someone out there who will argue the point that you are wrong. Because of this, I have come to the conclusion that so long as God has given you a brain, you will come up with views of your own and will therefore be a philosopher.

Another major debatable topic in philosophy is religion. Is there a God? Many philosophers do not believe that God exists and therefore believe in atheism. There are a few well known philosophers such as Pascal who do believe that God exists. So where does this conflict of interest come in? Why are there people who believe in God and others who don’t? Are we pre-programmed to have different beliefs? If so, where does this pre-programming come from? Philosophy itself is a controversial topic.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2xyE5ijWL4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtW3cLWAC3I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtW3cLWAC3I

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/descartes-works/

 

In conclusion, philosophy is in itself a very controversial topic that many will always agree to disagree on. Everyone can be a philosopher, so long as they have a brain to think with and a heart to feel with. No matter what happens in the world, it boils down to philosophy and someone's opinions and views on life that cause just about everything in this world to happen.