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What is the purpose of philosophy?

I just thought we should start on a clean slate, just wanted ideas to roll in. Opinions of any kind are welcome. I will post mine in the next entry.

@AWohlfarth,

A small trip back into history to explain, Confucius, a single man who made an enormous impact on human existence. His touch began such as a small stone thrown into a pond that creates a ripple which travels throughout the whole, so in this same way did his small touch ripple throughout history and create an enormous impact on all of the East and human existence.

Similarly in the West did Socrates ideals of upholding truth make an impact on everyone that he met. In the end he gave his life for his ideals. This sacrifice of his and what he accomplished exists strongly today; it has helped shape and free the entire West from the clutches of the old mindset.

@AWohlfarth,

Purpose of philosophy is understand our life. The issue is everything has its limits.

Philosophy can repeat descriptions of life in so many ways. After that it repeats and rinse samething over and over with new labels and stories.

It does give general guideline. Does it help live life happy?. May be , May be not.

You can't live happy if your physical surrounding is bad. Sometimes even if you physical surrounding is good , you still can not be happy.

it is always "What is next?".

if you are poor you want money. if you are rich , you want drugs or what ever you think that makes you happy.

I really think philosophy helps you question things.

As long as you keep questioning things and not agreeing or disagreeing , you will grow.

@AWohlfarth,

AWohlfarth;36984 wrote:

What is the purpose of philosophy?

I just thought we should start on a clean slate, just wanted ideas to roll in. Opinions of any kind are welcome. I will post mine in the next entry.

Just a guess here, but I would say the purpose of philosophy is to satisfy ones love of knowledge...

@Fido,

Knowledge is a bundle of belief.:bigsmile:

@AWohlfarth,

AWohlfarth;36984 wrote:

What is the purpose of philosophy?

When I was aged six or seven, someone told me that everything has a purpose. But my favourite colour was purple, so I decided that the actual story is that everything has purple. I expounded the theory to my mother, who said "oh yes. . . " That was my first foray into philosophy.

@pondfish,

pondfish;138820 wrote:

Knowledge is a bundle of belief.:bigsmile:

Is there a difference between believing something, and knowing something?

@AWohlfarth,

AWohlfarth;36984 wrote:

What is the purpose of philosophy?

to understand reality , through Reason , the logical consequence of Reason and to question , reasonably

@AWohlfarth,

Knowing and believing are samething. Knowing just hide the beliefs.

@pondfish,

pondfish;138820 wrote:

Knowledge is a bundle of belief.:bigsmile:

Hardly, though I would go along with the notion that we have nothing of substance behind our knowledge, that what we call knowledge is knowledge only because it works, in a sense.

---------- Post added 03-12-2010 at 05:46 AM ----------

pondfish;138834 wrote:

Knowing and believing are samething. Knowing just hide the beliefs.

As long as what we think we know works, we never have to question the beliefs that lie behind, or beyond them...

@AWohlfarth,

I personally feel that philosophy should be able to provide something otherwise it is just abstract communication. I look for philosophy to provide solutions to problems, however; I realize it is not always something that I will agree with on the onset. In most cases what philosophy points out is that there is more than one solution for a problem despite the fact that people will claim there is only one solution. Sometimes that solution might even go against what you "believe" to be morally correct. It just tells me that morally correct is just a subjective view point and not based in reality.

If philosophy is not practical, it is useless.

@AWohlfarth,

The great advances in science were all the result of philosophy, but the intractable problems of humanity cannot be solved with science, but with understanding and understanding of moral questions touching on moral reality...I love the practical, but moral problems are not something you can take a hammer or a wrench to... One must be patient, and understanding of the problem, which ultimately rests upon human nature and culture...And one should also not do so much as think...Philosophers like Socrates and Nietzsche made stinkers of themselves trying to do with what they thought rather than simply thinking upon what they presumed..

@Fido,

Fido;138941 wrote:

The great advances in science were all the result of philosophy, but the intractable problems of humanity cannot be solved with science, but with understanding and understanding of moral questions touching on moral reality...I love the practical, but moral problems are not something you can take a hammer or a wrench to... One must be patient, and understanding of the problem, which ultimately rests upon human nature and culture...And one should also not do so much as think...Philosophers like Socrates and Nietzsche made stinkers of themselves trying to do with what they thought rather than simply thinking upon what they presumed..

Can you say some more on the difference between doing and thinking? I'd appreciate any examples you can think of from Nietzsche and Socrates. This would help make things more clear, I think. Thanks.

@AWohlfarth,

We think so we can do once and without error what others do without thinking on chance, blaming fate for their failures... We think so we can avoid doing because when humanity is the subject of our actions, invariably all change is accompanied by pain... One wise man who I never knew, and never knew the name of said: All change is an attempt at problem solving...It is so in large and in small, but do as the doctor, and first do no harm...
And no..Not right now in examples since I have fair weather for the moment and I am building a small porch, with a front due any time..

@AWohlfarth,

Quote:

I personally feel that philosophy should be able to provide something otherwise it is just abstract communication. I look for philosophy to provide solutions to problems, however; I realize it is not always something that I will agree with on the onset. In most cases what philosophy points out is that there is more than one solution for a problem despite the fact that people will claim there is only one solution. Sometimes that solution might even go against what you "believe" to be morally correct. It just tells me that morally correct is just a subjective view point and not based in reality.

If philosophy is not practical, it is useless.

I completely agree. Philosophers are the guides of this world. What use is thinking so deeply and about such abstract hypothetical subjects? Philosophy is the basis for advancement. Question and act.The two most important things in philosophy in my opinion.

@Ascendere,

Ascendere;144982 wrote:

Philosophy is the basis for advancement.

Advancement toward what?

@AWohlfarth,

Well one could advance towards anything realy. But i beleive most in expanding human consciousness.

@Ascendere,

Ascendere;145254 wrote:

Well one could advance towards anything realy. But i beleive most in expanding human consciousness.

What if the expansion of the consciousness of a handful of people is possible at the expense of many? Or is it always a win-win situation when consciousness, any consciousness, expands?

@PappasNick,

PappasNick;145256 wrote:

What if the expansion of the consciousness of a handful of people is possible at the expense of many? QUOTE]

so u mean like taking the resources that would educate many for the education of one?

Quote:
Or is it always a win-win situation when consciousness, any consciousness, expands?[/[/QUOTE]
It is because those with an expanded consciousness always try to help the rest of us out. They kind of go hand in hand. It's like Plato's alegory of the cave.

@Ascendere,

Ascendere;145261 wrote:

so u mean like taking the resources that would educate many for the education of one?

It's a good question. Does wisdom always require resources, limited resources?

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