What is philosophy? Before I explain what it is, it might be worthwhile clarifying what it isn't. Philosophy is not about two old men sitting around the fireplace discussing the meaning of life.
Unfortunately, that is the type of mental picture most people have of the discipline. It is generally seen as having little connection to real life, and something you might engage in if you had nothing better to do with your time. .
The worst myth about philosophy is the belief that it is a subject for the intellectual elite, with no relevance to the common man. .
That this is society's conception of philosophy is pitiful. However, philosophers have only themselves to blame for the present state of affairs. They alone are responsible for detaching philosophy from the real world. .
A case in point is the prevalent acceptance of Plato's dichotomy between mind/soul and body. This distinction has been presented in many forms : real vs ideal; spirit vs flesh; earthly vs ethereal; temporal vs eternal; imperfect vs perfect. .
If the layman were looking for support that philosophy has nothing to do with life in the real world, he could find no finer advocate than Plato, who in the Phaedo speaks through Socrates and suggests that to do philosophy is to prepare for death. .
In fact, to practice being dead! Why? Because of his acceptance of the idea that when you die the soul is separated from the body. In Plato's eyes, doing philosophy is separating the soul from the body, precisely so that one is not thinking about the here and now. In other words, you have to remove yourself from life in this world to be able to philosophise. .
The reason why I am so condemnatory of modern philosophy is because it has generally accepted this dualism of Plato's uncritically, when his star student Aristotle did not. .
My grievance is not simply that any philosopher took Plato's position on this dualism, which means basing their theories on the nature of existence and knowledge, in the realm of the mind, soul or ideal.
Philosophy comes in to take the challenging topics, like the meaning of life and existence. ... All of this criticism is the reason that philosophy feels so uncomfortable to us. ... Until we have quenched our insatiable thirst for truth, we will know philosophy. ... Philosophy makes life worth living. ...
Eastern philosophy refers to the various philosophies of Asian countries such as China, India, Japan and some Middle Eastern countries. ... Living life to the fullest in the present as opposed to the past or beliefs of others is the philosophy of eastern philosophy. ... Positive energy is what brings about success in eastern philosophy. ... It only accepts what it believes to be true as given by God and it up to the individual to find balance. ... Always doing good while having positive energy is the main philosophy of Eastern Philosophy....
My personal gravitation towards a perennial educational and teaching philosophy is due to its inclusiveness in regard to the other philosophies. ... The most congruous educational style that could mirror what I would hope for a classroom would be a perennial approach. ... But what is superseded is why these facts are provided. What is their real truth and how can that truth be a concrete principal that can have no refute. ... Perennial philosophy is inclusive. ...
While little detail is known about what actually took place behind closed doors, we do know something about the appeal that these "alternative religions" had on the people of that time. ... Mystery cults focused more on individualism and what you could do for yourself as well as the gods. ... Another alternative which developed was philosophy. ... ," and "what is the best way to live?" ... They weren't satisfied with simple rules and guidelines telling them what to do. ...
What is Philosophy? The reading touches on the core of what philosophy is suppose to be all about. Socrates the "father" of all philosophy is where most all most all the ideas of our modern philosophy scheme come from. His thoughts on philosophy are very complex yet simple at the same time he always pushed the envelope in his theories and how he got people to think; and that is exactly what Socrates saw it to be, it should always make a person think and keep on reevaluating ones self. ... What is philosophy? ...
What is Philosophy? I believe that Philosophy is the systematic examination of our fundamental beliefs. ... Reality is a big topic of discussion in philosophy. ... Most of philosophy deals with the self. ... All of our lives are spent on a road of self discovery, seeing what the world has to offer us, and where our place really is. ...
"What is Philosophy?" ... However, a thinking mankind yearns for more than just history explained and reliable predictions of future, we want to know what makes a "good" life, what is beauty, what is justice, and how might we live our lives in a most satisfying way. ... Most would agree that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but what differentiates one eye from another? ... Therefore my view of philosophy is one of explanation. ... The philosopher explains what we can only speculate on. ...
There are many opinions as to what the so-called "good life" is. ... Hindu philosophy can provide its followers with answers to many questions such as, what does it mean to live a good life? ... Platonic philosophy also stresses how a person should live their lives. ... When analyzing all three philosophies, the one that seems the most relevant to the modern world experiences and goals as students is from the Platonic philosophy. ... All three of these philosophies can relate to today's so- called "good life" based upon the Liberal Learning Statement and they can all answer the qu...
It is recognized that moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that requires regulation, protection, and advice notion of right and wrong conduct. ... Ethics is a go together to Aesthetics in the philosophy field of Axiology. In philosophy, ethics examine the moral actions in humans, and how one should act. ... Frequently they are the morals that are common by a group of people, and each different 'people' or 'society' has rather dissimilar ideas about what is correct and what is incorrect. ... A high-quality life is what most people desire to live. ...