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What is Philosophy? – A Blog

Posted by: mthorsby | September 30, 2009 Comments Off on What is Philosophy? – A Blog |

Many students ask the question: what is philosophy?  Against the typical back drop of the cool, dry, and often boring generalization that philosophy is a useless subject without direct influence on our lives and the world, I answer that philosophy is first and foremost for the living.  What do I mean by this?  Philosophy is not so much a subject matter to be studied by scholars; but rather, it is a certain way of living that unites contemplation with action that can be adopted by all.  The task of the philosopher is the interrogation of our world and the reasons we have for being the types of people we are and making the sorts of decissions that we do.  The truth is that many (or even most) people live their lives according to a routine mechanized way of thinking.  Philosophy attempts to crack the wall of solidified reasoning and allow for a fluid, lively, and enlightening investigation of how we ought to live.  In many ways, philosophy is also a damnation to those who arrogantly pronounce that they have knowledge and need not question their views.  The fuel of philosophy is the ability to ask questions and the courage of philosophy consists in the ability to admit one’s ignorance.  It is against the matrix of cultural assumptions and the variety of ignorances that philosophy can be seen as a threat.  Many people often think that philosophy can be dangerous, especially for those who hold particular religous views – but philosophy is only a danger for those whose views are accepted out of habit and not contemplation.  Philosophy promises nothing other than the realization that a life without contemplation is a life of vanity, foolishness, and ultimately a life without value.

This blog will explore the variety of ways in which philosophy can and does make an impact on both knowledge and action.  In the coming weeks and months, I encourage you to follow me in the discussion over the relevance of philosophy in the contemporary world by adding your comments and questions to the discussion.  I look forward to this forum and the e-space for philosophical discussion.

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