Introduction to Philosophy for Everyone

By Thomas Swanson


The idea of 'philosophy' contains a number of diverse connotations, and in the following intro to philosophy write-up I am going to shortly set these out in order to give you a solid comprehension of what philosophy is, exactly how you may be aware of it, and also how to start to develop your personal proficiency of thinking philosophically.

Were you aware that everybody is a philosopher-even you? The only question for you is if you're a really good one or a bad one! The majority don't realize they have a philosophy. Philosophy is among one of those handful of areas where we will be hugely affected by it without having truly recognizing it. It is very similar to culture in that it is similar to the environment all of us breathe-we are taking it in constantly while not thinking about it.

The philosophy of our own culture combines with our personal opinions, in the end creating our very own personal philosophies. And here , philosophy remains for many individuals, but individuals who want to make absolutely sure their own particular philosophy is right and beneficial for their own lives choose to examine their particular philosophy. Socrates, one of the most popular as well as earliest philosophers famously claimed "The unexamined life is not worth living." He recommends that we examine and also think about our ideas concerning the deepest inquiries of existence so we might become much more sure that we're living well.

Unexpectedly the inspiration and "spirit" of philosophy is best observed in a kind of human being we might not really be expecting: children! Why a child? Aristotle, another well known philosopher, asserted "philosophy begins in wonder." A young child is a natural wonderer. A child ask question after question: why? why? why? They don't inquire this specific question because they want to learn how to do something, but because they only desire to know, to understand. Why's the sky blue? Exactly why can planes fly? Why do dogs bark? They're seeking for the reasons or causes of these matters. And this is precisely what philosophy is!

Philosophy derives from a pair of Greek phrases: philos, which means love, as well as sophia, meaning wisdom. Philosophy is a love for wisdom. However what exactly is wisdom? The Greek understanding of wisdom simply suggests "the understanding of causes or reasons." So to be a philosopher is just to love understanding the causes or reasons behind things. This is the 1st and most significant purpose of the phrase 'philosophy.'

'Philosophy' carries a subsequent meaning, which is the more widespread usage of the phrase, which is simply the answers that individuals have come to as these people ask "why?" concerning all kinds of things and search for the causes and / or reasons for all of them. These could possibly be huge, important stuff like: What is the explanation for happiness? Of the world? Of life? Of love? However it additionally could be more unique like: What are the causes or factors that cause excellent music? Great art? Good food? And so forth. You can grow a philosophy of anything by inquiring various forms of the question "why" about everything else you have an interest in, and searching for their essential features and causes.

One of the better and most entertaining methods to develop your skill to think philosophically and understand the philosophies that have an impact on your current culture as well as your personal viewpoints would be to examine alongside the best philosophers through history as they show us ways to ask why and as they arrive to their own answers to essential questions.




About the Author: