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The Purpose of Philosophy


            As far as we know, humans have always felt the need to examine everything they meet or experience in life. In the early days of human existence, the process of examining reality allowed us to form tools, weapons, and strategies. This made it easier to hunt and produce materials necessary for humans to thrive and advance past a hunter-gatherer civilization. The more we advanced technologically, the better our civilizations became. Gradually we became a society based on a moral code meant to keep harmony and prevent societal problems. The authority to enforce these codes, or laws, came from religions man had invented as a way to govern the masses. Today we use the same or similar principles and social structure. What made all of our technological and ethical advancements possible was Philosophy. Merriam-Webster's dictionary says philosophy is "Critical examination of the rational grounds of our most fundamental beliefs and logical analysis of the basic concepts employed in the expression of such beliefs" (Philosophy).
             Being able to figure out how the natural world operates was something man had always sought to do. For the most part, humanity did a good enough job. However, there were still variables we could not figure out due to the limitations of technology. In order to explain the known unknown, we invented a system of supernatural deities that delegated authority to a certain class of people. Philosophy needed play a different role other than examining the unknown. Religion and man's moral code of ethics needed examination in order to find out if it were truly the best way to live. .
             Socrates said that the "unexamined life is not worth living for a human being" (West et al. 92). Socrates lived in a time when the ruling class used Polytheism to govern a great empire. The men of Athens put Socrates on trial. It was said that, "Socrates does injustice and is meddlesome, by investigating the things under the earth and the heavenly things, and by making the weaker speech the stronger, and by teaching others these same things.


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