Philosophy and the Art of Questioning
One of the first things a person learns having stepped into a philosophy class is that the subject itself is nearly impossible to define. In fact, it is probably THE first thing you learn. People have tried coming up with many fancy definitions of philosophy, but the problem is that the subject has no real parameters, and hence no specific area of study. So what, then, is this subject called philosophy and why is it so important?
It may, and has been, very often been regarded as a boring and wordy subject; meaningless and long-winded; with no real direction or extrinsic value of any sort. Yet throughout history, many people have dedicated their entire lives to the study of philosophy, as if nothing else in their lives mattered. Bertrand Russell, David Hume, John Locke and Descartes are just a handful of such people.
Philosophy, to me, is just a name, a label like any other, which, when invoked, creates either positive or negative connototations in the minds of various people. It certainly depends on what we perceive of it, as a subject, or as perhaps a method, but that is all there is to it; a label.
There are some among us who consider ourselves deep-thinking and constantly wondering about the GML (Great Mysteries of Life). These people like asking thought-provoking questions, no holds barred. There are others who might be currently undergoing a conflicted period in their lives, where they find themselves facing some rather disturbing and awkward questions about a great many things, such as faith and beliefs. And then there are those who say that all this is nothing more than an exercise in stupidity. This last group, sadly, would be the majority. Their entire argument revolves around the idea of 'why should we pursue questions that are ridiculous and unanswerable?'.
This last group of people are badly mistaken in their assessment, I am afraid. It is rather idiotic to say that philosophy is pointless; it is anything but. To prove this, it is crucial to get an idea of what philosophy is.
As human beings, we are unique, in a sense that we are capable of doing a great many things; we are the great achievers of the world, capable of solving great mysteries and finding answers to complex puzzles, as well as harnessing nature for our own purposes. Yet, these are not our greatest gifts. They are merely the products of something else that is of far greater value. Everything we do and achieve in life starts with a simple thing; a question. It is not our ability to find the right answers that mattes most, it is our ability to ask the right questions.
The ability to question is your greatest gift; the process through which you learn to ask the right questions, to me, is Philosophy. From the greatest human achievements to the simplest aspects of our daily lives, it all starts with a question. Think Sir Isaac Newton and the question of "Why things fall?" and think of yourself this morning, standing in front of your mirror and asking "what should I wear to work today?" We're all about questions, do you not agree?
Philosophy, then, is about asking questions that truly matter. Not just asking them, but pondering and contemplating over them; perfecting them, refining them. Through the use of logic and the sharing of knowledge, we are, in many ways, sharpening our minds, because we find ourselves looking through a much wider scope at life and existence. This process is the key to understanding the exercise of philosophy. It is not the destination that matters, but the journey. As Bertrand Russell put it in Value of Philosophy,
"Philosophy is to be studied, not for the sake of any definite answers to its questions since no definite answers can, as a rule, be known to be true, but rather for the sake of the questions themselves; because these questions enlarge our conception of what is possible, enrich our intellectual imagination and diminish the dogmatic assurance which closes the mind against speculation; but above all because, through the greatness of the universe which philosophy contemplates, the mind also is rendered great, and becomes capable of that union with the universe which constitutes its highest good."
One of the first things a person learns having stepped into a philosophy class is that the subject itself is nearly impossible to define. In fact, it is probably THE first thing you learn. People have tried coming up with many fancy definitions of philosophy, but the problem is that the subject has no real parameters, and hence no specific area of study. So what, then, is this subject called philosophy and why is it so important?
It may, and has been, very often been regarded as a boring and wordy subject; meaningless and long-winded; with no real direction or extrinsic value of any sort. Yet throughout history, many people have dedicated their entire lives to the study of philosophy, as if nothing else in their lives mattered. Bertrand Russell, David Hume, John Locke and Descartes are just a handful of such people.
Philosophy, to me, is just a name, a label like any other, which, when invoked, creates either positive or negative connototations in the minds of various people. It certainly depends on what we perceive of it, as a subject, or as perhaps a method, but that is all there is to it; a label.
There are some among us who consider ourselves deep-thinking and constantly wondering about the GML (Great Mysteries of Life). These people like asking thought-provoking questions, no holds barred. There are others who might be currently undergoing a conflicted period in their lives, where they find themselves facing some rather disturbing and awkward questions about a great many things, such as faith and beliefs. And then there are those who say that all this is nothing more than an exercise in stupidity. This last group, sadly, would be the majority. Their entire argument revolves around the idea of 'why should we pursue questions that are ridiculous and unanswerable?'.
This last group of people are badly mistaken in their assessment, I am afraid. It is rather idiotic to say that philosophy is pointless; it is anything but. To prove this, it is crucial to get an idea of what philosophy is.
As human beings, we are unique, in a sense that we are capable of doing a great many things; we are the great achievers of the world, capable of solving great mysteries and finding answers to complex puzzles, as well as harnessing nature for our own purposes. Yet, these are not our greatest gifts. They are merely the products of something else that is of far greater value. Everything we do and achieve in life starts with a simple thing; a question. It is not our ability to find the right answers that mattes most, it is our ability to ask the right questions.
The ability to question is your greatest gift; the process through which you learn to ask the right questions, to me, is Philosophy. From the greatest human achievements to the simplest aspects of our daily lives, it all starts with a question. Think Sir Isaac Newton and the question of "Why things fall?" and think of yourself this morning, standing in front of your mirror and asking "what should I wear to work today?" We're all about questions, do you not agree?
Philosophy, then, is about asking questions that truly matter. Not just asking them, but pondering and contemplating over them; perfecting them, refining them. Through the use of logic and the sharing of knowledge, we are, in many ways, sharpening our minds, because we find ourselves looking through a much wider scope at life and existence. This process is the key to understanding the exercise of philosophy. It is not the destination that matters, but the journey. As Bertrand Russell put it in Value of Philosophy,
"Philosophy is to be studied, not for the sake of any definite answers to its questions since no definite answers can, as a rule, be known to be true, but rather for the sake of the questions themselves; because these questions enlarge our conception of what is possible, enrich our intellectual imagination and diminish the dogmatic assurance which closes the mind against speculation; but above all because, through the greatness of the universe which philosophy contemplates, the mind also is rendered great, and becomes capable of that union with the universe which constitutes its highest good."
1 comment:
wargh hargh hargh... only feller who commented wants to drag you in to make monay... that's funny shit wei~
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