PHL-210 2-2 Essay - Grade: A PDF

Preview

Summary

"What is Philosophy?" short essay...

Description

WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?

What is Philosophy? Southern New Hampshire University

WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY? Introduction When a person says, "My philosophy about that is…" they tend to be using the word "philosophy" as a something that is interchangeable with the word "opinion". However, that is not the true definition of philosophy. From the original Greek, philosophy can be translated to mean "love of wisdom" (Sinclair, 2008). But, a deeper meaning for philosophy is to say that it is a pursuit of knowledge and reason in an attempt to answer some of life's most difficult and most sought after questions. These questions may not have one definitive answer, but philosophers hope to come closer to understanding life and the universe through them. Anytime a person thinks "deeply and consistently about our ideas, concepts, principles, theories, morals, or ways of living, [they] are doing philosophy" (Sinclair, 2008, pg. 1). To philosophize, one must not make assumptions or be bias, but instead, open their mind to the world and allow only reason and knowledge to dictate their conclusions. Opinion vs. Philosophy It may seem difficult to distinguish between an individual's opinion and philosophical concepts. A person's own personal beliefs may or may not match up with the commonly accepted ideas presented by philosophy. Take for example the following question: Does God exist? A believer might say, "I know that God exists because the Bible says so. How do I know the Bible can be trusted? Because it is the word of God" (Rachels, 2012, pg. 184). This statement is an example of circular reasoning that leads nowhere and give no real evidence to the existence of God because the person is basically saying that God exists because God says so (Rachels, 2012). The person tries to pass off their opinion as fact without any evidence to support it. Sometimes, when a person is personally close to a subject, they can be biased, which can often happen with religious related philosophies. When this happens, these biases can "[undermine]

WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY? the neutrality and critical detachment that ought to be the hallmarks of proper philosophical inquiry" (Harris, 2011, pg. 231). But, even so, it is possible to be a good philosopher if one acknowledges possible biases and keeps them in check. On the other hand, a philosopher would take the same question and try to solve it with logic and reason by attempting to see how the concept of a God could fit in with the realities and truths of life. For example, the seventeenth century philosopher René Descartes considered the idea of God along these lines, "…God is different, because it is the idea of a perfect being, and so it is the idea of something that must exist in reality. Why? Because not existing in reality is incompatible with being perfect. Therefore, God must exist" (Rachels, 2012, pg. 131). He then goes on to assert that if this is true then, "…God, if he is perfect, cannot be a deceiver. […] A perfect, truthful God would design our sense organs and intellect so that we would come to have true beliefs, not false beliefs" (Rachels, 2012, pg. 131). However, there are known problems with Descartes' theory, and it can easily be argued against. But, as a philosopher, he does try to prove his point with reasoning and not resort to opinions and biases. My Position My personal position on the idea of philosophy is that it lives in a realm between opinion and fact. Many of the most common questions asked in philosophy, such as "Does life have a meaning?" or "Is there an afterlife?", cannot be completely proven. Although a good philosopher would use facts and evidence to back up their theories and ideas, most philosophical questions do not have a single, 100% proven answer that can be called a "fact". But, at the same, they do not completely fall into the category of "opinion" either. Philosophy deals largely with abstract ideas and questions that have been pondered for hundreds of years with still no answer in sight. Yet,

WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY? there are people who have spent years trying to find the truth of the universe so that we as a species may come closer to understanding it. Conclusion To sum up, the phrase " My philosophy about that is…" is usually followed by some sort of opinion on a particular matter. However, true philosophy does not deal with opinions. A philosopher will take a question and create an argument based on reasoning, logic, and common knowledge in the hopes of one day being able to find an answer that could possibly change the way humans perceive themselves and the world around them. It is important to remember the differences between opinions and facts and that philosophy often falls between them in an objective and unbiased way.

WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY? References Harris, Harriet. A. (2011). God, Goodness, and Philosophy. Farnham, Surrey, England: Routledge. Retrieved from the online Shapiro Library. Rachels, James and Rachels, Stuart. (2012). Problems from Philosophy, 3rd ed, McGraw-Hill. Retrieved from VitalSource Bookshelf. Sinclair, Alistair. (2008). What Is Philosophy? : An Introduction. Edinburgh: Dunedin Academic Press Limited. Retrieved from the online Shapiro Library....