My understanding of what Philosophy is
Posted 02-22-2013 at 09:27 AM by Gaylenwoof
Updated 03-02-2013 at 05:58 AM by Gaylenwoof (Changed title)
Updated 03-02-2013 at 05:58 AM by Gaylenwoof (Changed title)
This was part of my answer to a question in the Philosophy forum.
- Gaylen Moore (originally posted here 2/21/13)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gaylenwoof
Philosophy, as such, never stops being an important mode of inquiry. What can happen, however, is that people attempting to think philosophically can fail to do so. The lines are not clear or sharp (there are grey areas), but the distinction between philosophical thinking and other forms of thinking is, nevertheless, significant. To think philosophically, you need to be sincerely seeking wisdom. Wisdom is more than a purely cognitive/intellectual state of mind; wisdom is a holistic integration of many forms of intelligence, including emotional intelligence. Everyone likes to point out that the word ‘philosophy’ literally mean ‘love of wisdom’, but notice the word ‘love’. To love something is to strive for it, to nurture it, to protect it, to cherish it – all of which boils down to value. A philosopher places high emotional/spiritual/cognitive value on the quest to achieve a way-of-being that integrates intellectual and emotional intelligence. It is not about just knowing X; it’s about experiencing the full value of knowing X.
Merely expressing an opinion is not philosophy, even if by some chance the opinion happens to be correct. Philosophy begins in wonder, but merely wondering about something does not make someone a philosopher. For philosophical thinking to happen, the thinking must be part of a journey – a quest for wisdom. Expressing an opinion can be a philosophical act, if the motivation for expression the opinion stems from the love of wisdom, both wisdom for oneself, and wisdom for the world at large. To love wisdom is to want to nurture wisdom whenever and wherever there is a chance for it to grow.
In bookstores and discussion groups, philosophy is often lumped together with religion. This is unfortunate. Certainly some religious thought can be philosophical, but the mere fact that a thought is religious does not make it philosophical. All too often, someone expressing a religious opinion is not, in fact, cognitively and emotionally open to the quest for wisdom. The significance of a quest is in the journey itself, and the outcome cannot be known in advance. If one starts on a quest already confident that “God” is the answer (or already confident that God cannot be the answer), then one is not thinking philosophically. The belief that one already knows the destination prior to the quest turns the exercise into an empty formality. The point of a quest is to learn, not to preach.
Thinking ceases to be philosophical when one’s imagination fails to grasp any credible alternatives to what one thinks must be the truth. This is not to say that a feeling of certainty is necessarily bad or wrong; it is just to say that such thoughts are no longer philosophical. They might be logical, scientific, religious, or purely practical, but they are not philosophical. Philosophy begins in wonder, and ceases when wonder comes to an end. Feelings of certainty (stemming from logic, science, spiritual intuition, or practical considerations) can be essential tools in philosophical thinking but, like any tool, their value is in their usefulness for a higher cause.
“Navel gazing” is typically associated with meditation. Meditation can be a form of philosophical inquiry – a form that generally focuses on the intuitive/emotional aspects of wisdom. If it fails to eventually incorporate cognitive/intellectual intelligence, then it fails to be philosophical, but here, again, this does not make it wrong or valueless. It can be an important tool for the philosopher.
Merely expressing an opinion is not philosophy, even if by some chance the opinion happens to be correct. Philosophy begins in wonder, but merely wondering about something does not make someone a philosopher. For philosophical thinking to happen, the thinking must be part of a journey – a quest for wisdom. Expressing an opinion can be a philosophical act, if the motivation for expression the opinion stems from the love of wisdom, both wisdom for oneself, and wisdom for the world at large. To love wisdom is to want to nurture wisdom whenever and wherever there is a chance for it to grow.
In bookstores and discussion groups, philosophy is often lumped together with religion. This is unfortunate. Certainly some religious thought can be philosophical, but the mere fact that a thought is religious does not make it philosophical. All too often, someone expressing a religious opinion is not, in fact, cognitively and emotionally open to the quest for wisdom. The significance of a quest is in the journey itself, and the outcome cannot be known in advance. If one starts on a quest already confident that “God” is the answer (or already confident that God cannot be the answer), then one is not thinking philosophically. The belief that one already knows the destination prior to the quest turns the exercise into an empty formality. The point of a quest is to learn, not to preach.
Thinking ceases to be philosophical when one’s imagination fails to grasp any credible alternatives to what one thinks must be the truth. This is not to say that a feeling of certainty is necessarily bad or wrong; it is just to say that such thoughts are no longer philosophical. They might be logical, scientific, religious, or purely practical, but they are not philosophical. Philosophy begins in wonder, and ceases when wonder comes to an end. Feelings of certainty (stemming from logic, science, spiritual intuition, or practical considerations) can be essential tools in philosophical thinking but, like any tool, their value is in their usefulness for a higher cause.
“Navel gazing” is typically associated with meditation. Meditation can be a form of philosophical inquiry – a form that generally focuses on the intuitive/emotional aspects of wisdom. If it fails to eventually incorporate cognitive/intellectual intelligence, then it fails to be philosophical, but here, again, this does not make it wrong or valueless. It can be an important tool for the philosopher.
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