Philosophy does not reside in an ivory tower. It is not a foreign language. It is not the unapproachable and lofty subject relegated only to those smart or crazy enough to pursue it. It can be found in professor's classroom but also in coffee shops, in backyard gatherings, and even on the playground. Men with white beards and multiple degrees do not hold monopoly over it because even little ones can be philosophers. The "why..." and "what..." questions that they incessantly ask fulfill one of the main criteria needed to be a philosopher, namely Wonder. Though this is the simplest of concepts, it is the hardest to grasp because you assume there must be more. But perhaps that is the beauty of philosophy: full of seeming contradictions and complexities, systems and theories, but it can clarify, make things so simple, make you understand. You begin with a simple question, explore and try to understand it until your head almost bursts with confusion, but then suddenly you may give birth to knowledge. It is both frustrating and endlessly rewarding.
Of course then under this meaning, absolutely anyone can be a philosopher. The man who asks why he got a speeding ticket could be considered philosophizing. But its the bigger questions that occupy our minds. The questions that encompass our life and equally the ones most puzzling. "How do we obtain knowledge." "Why is there life." "Is there right and wrong." All of these pervade our lives, whether we are a politician or working in a factory. They are questions that are applicable to most all of us, and make a difference. That is why philosophy is so important, and why it should be most accessible and not thought to reside in an ivory tower. Its questions that teach you how to live, how to think, how to wonder. And how to enjoy life. Because what is life without quality. But we do not understand quality unless we explore the facets of life. And Philosophy provides us that essential tool. It was born in wonder and in turn sparks our wonder.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
philosophizing about philosophy, wandering in a trance of wonder fueled by faith and doubt, simple yet profound mystery becomes sublime loss of self, when we were children the self was easily lost because our roots ran so shallow, as we grow we cling to our security of acquired knowledge, wonder sleeps while we are assimilated into the machine, philosophy is externalized faith that there must be more than mundane, the sense that a question is ultimately unanswerable stirs the wondering soul into frenzy, it is the journey of philosophy denying destination
ReplyDelete