Preview

What good is philosophy for me?

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
398 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
What good is philosophy for me?
What good is philosophy for me?

Philosophy had never been of my interest, until my first semester in college, which was fall of 2013. It was in my SMC course of self where I discovered the true meaning of philosophy. It was amazing how after every class meeting I would try to find a more deep perspective of life. At first philosophy seemed so difficult to me, as if it was just making things harder for me to understand. It took me a while to actually make philosophy a part of my life. Once I learned and understood the meaning of philosophy I had a different view of the world. Philosophy means the love and pursuit of wisdom. This is a straightforward definition, but there is so much meaning behind it. Philosophy for me is good in the way that it has cultivated my vision in how I see the world. Now I am able to see different perspectives of the world that I am in. Also, the appreciation I have for the world has expanded ever since philosophy became part of my life. One main reason why philosophy has been good for me is that it has helped me think critically. I am one of those persons that has difficulties is expanding her thoughts, but philosophy has been able to help me seek different explanations and ideas of the thoughts I have. I am able to have critical thinking when it comes to answering discussion questions or so. It is hard to give an actual definition of what philosophy is, but in reality we all see it different and that’s the whole point; to be able to give philosophy our own meaning depending in how strong it relates to our own world we live in. I can’t say philosophy has become such a huge part of my life, and that every time I say or think something I am able to think critically, because I haven’t finish learning of how philosophy can relate to the different events of my life. For sure philosophy has helped realize that it is possible to see the world differently than others. To make my own meaning of my own world and to even be able to compare

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Philosophy is defined as the study of the basic principles and concepts of a particular branch of knowledge; embracing and seeking wisdom through reason and the logical presentation of ideas. This concept, I believe, is to strip an idea down to its fundamental basis or theory, analyzing cause rather than effect, then through investigation and exercise, begin to find understanding. When this concept is applied to an existing practice, all parties benefit from an equal and larger pool of knowledge. As a nurse, I see firsthand how philosophy applies to my profession.…

    • 2588 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Philosophy is of a Greek origin piling meaning “to love” and Sophia meaning “knowledge” or “wisdom”. Philosophy is the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence.…

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Phil 201 Study Guide

    • 2451 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Read and take notes from chapter 2 of Philosophy: Critically Thinking about Foundational Beliefs, “Why is Philosophy Important?” As you read, make sure you understand the following points and questions:…

    • 2451 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Philosophy is the rational analysis of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct; the pursuit of happiness. The greek translation for Philosophy means the love of wisdom. The love of wisdom, as discussed in class, is best modelled after a quote by Pope Benedict XVI: “The world can offer you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.” It is pushing and venturing outside of your comfort zone in search for the knowledge and understanding that wisdom offers. There are many concepts often misconstrued in philosophy that we discussed in class. For example, it is a misconception when people come to the conclusion that there are no correct answers in Philosophy. It is a fact that there are indeed correct answers…

    • 1030 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Philosophy at its very core refers to wisdom, learning, and the “study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline” (Merriam-Webster). Philosophies are values that we live by and create as we go throughout our lives. We can create them ourselves, adopt old ones, and modify them all the time. Chances are that if you asked someone their philosophy on life, they wouldn’t really know what to say. There are certain types of philosophy and within that are even more branches. With each branch comes more and more depth into a philosophy. Philosophies apply to our every day life, whether we think about it or not. They are a huge part of our value system and how we make decisions.…

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    and knowledge in order to pursue it; the explication of the concept of justice, and its…

    • 325 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Questions on Socrates

    • 1149 Words
    • 4 Pages

    What is philosophy? Philosophy is the pursuit of the truth. Philosophy is interested in obtaining the truth and objective about important concepts, human beings and the world. The objective knowledge has two set ideas about philosophy; they are timeless and changeless. Asking questions does obtaining objective knowledge and gaining an understanding. Questions are asked through guided reason and language.…

    • 1149 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The original idea of the word 'philosophy ' was a 'love of wisdom ' (Cowan 2). Philosophy is meant to explore the 'big questions ' and try to find answers as best we can in the time we have been given. One of the areas of study in philosophy is metaphysics, which deals in the ideas of the nature of reality. "We look at the world, and we assume that it is the way it appears to be. It is not." (Carreira 7). There is much to reality that can be discussed, debated, and disagreed upon. Within metaphysics is the realm of ontology, which poses the question 'what is there? ' (Cowan 146). Two of the major views in ontology are Dualism and Materialism, both of which deal with the nature of the world. Between the two ontological arguments, Dualism and Materialism, Dualism is the superior view as it explains many aspects of our world that materialism does not. Metaphysics is a very complex area of study and requires a bit of a background to fully understand the ontological arguments being presented.…

    • 2086 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Open-Book Philosophy Quiz

    • 626 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Philosophy is the pursuit of knowledge or wisdom generally topic specific. Philosophers aim to answer three main questions which have become the three primary branches of technology. Metaphysics seeks to answer questions relating to being or existence. Epistemology seeks to answer questions relating to knowledge (criteria, sources, limits, ect.). The third branch of philosophy seeks to answer questions relating to values and has four sub groups: 1. Moral philosophy (moral judgments), .2. Social Philosophy (society and institutions), 3. Political philosophy (justification and ethically proper organizations). And 4. Aesthetics (art and value judgments about art).…

    • 626 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Philosophy 11 Exam

    • 1785 Words
    • 8 Pages

    2. Philosophy is the love of wisdom. The need to learn and really understand what is going on around you and in your life. It’s knowing who you are and realizing what’s really important. There is no way of avoiding philosophy, it’s in peoples everyday lives. Everyday, even if you don’t notice it you are making an ethical decision or spotting someone else doing something morally wrong and stepping in; or you could be thinking about your life and making some changes and thinking of what’s really important. Without philosophy, you would never truly know yourself.…

    • 1785 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Philosophy Prep

    • 519 Words
    • 3 Pages

    What do you think you can fruitfully learn from the study of philosophy? How can you apply philosophy to your life?…

    • 519 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Philosophy forces us to question what we know in order to truly find out if it is correct. You have to research, read, and take in outside new information and this will make us certain in what we know. I think this is most evident in logics. When you think about logic you have to think about what is ethical and makes sense so that all opportunity cost are accounted for and calculated. To make a decision without logic is possible, but it is more so a tool that is used to understand more or make a sound decision.…

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Notes on Sophies World

    • 3328 Words
    • 14 Pages

    Ideas: “It’s tragic that people have to get ill to appreciate life”, the possibility of something coming from nothing, we study philosophy because reading what others think can help us formulate our own ideas. We are aware that we are part of something mysterious. Philosophy started because myths could not be trusted.…

    • 3328 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Value of Philosophy

    • 2114 Words
    • 9 Pages

    In the introductory lecture notes to this course I stated that we would start with a working definition of philosophy as being the “love of wisdom.” I have found, though, that just about every other definition attempted has many shortcomings. No one definition seems adequate to define what it means to engage in philosophy. Consequently, I think it is best to think of the philosopher in the somewhat imprecise term of a lover of wisdom. Someone who is continually in search of the truth. Though he/she might be ridiculed for pursuing the unobtainable, this search for truth/ knowledge can yield enormous benefits. It provides the tools to critically evaluate the world around us and the information we are given about that world. This ability to critically evaluate ideas is especially important given the role that such knowledge affects and shapes our lives—as we saw in the sections on B.F. Skinner, Positive Freedoms, and the Philosophy of Science. Furthermore, the changes in our society necessitate that we re-examine fundamental questions periodically. For example, advances in medical science have posed new ethical questions. Ethical judgments concerning genetic engineering (engineering certain characteristics into or out of our genetic make-up) calls into question fundamental ideas concerning freedom and individuality. Without some understanding of these subjects how can we frame answers to such questions? Even if we examine these questions, is our approach critical, authentic? Or do we choose to accept the answers given to us by society? Are we not then acting in a kind of Sartrean “Bad Faith?” How much of our humanity and freedom are we abdicating by not engaging in some kind of philosophical activity? Though we pride ourselves on being “rational” people, how rational are our thoughts and actions even if they are “proven?” Or, do we live up to Soren Kierkegaard’s remark in The Journals, “There are many people who reach…

    • 2114 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Philosophy is an Academic discipline that exercises reason and logic in an attempt to understand reality and answer fundamental questions about knowledge, life, morality and human nature. Philosophy is the root of all knowledge. It is considered as mother of all sciences. Philosophy helps to coordinate the various activities of individual and the society. It helps to understand the significance of all human experiences. Philosophy develops a comprehensive system of thoughts about the universe and life as whole. Etymologically philosophy comes from Greek word called “FILOSOFIA” FILO means love, SOFIA means knowledge/wisdom. Therefore philosophy means love of knowledge/wisdom. Philosophy is just like a tree because it has different branches. For instance main areas of the study in philosophy include metaphysics it is the study of general features reality such as existence, time and relationship between mind and body, EPISTEMOLOGY concerned with the nature and extent of knowledge, LOGIC is the study of principles of correct reasoning, ETHICS is dealing with moral conduct, and AETHETICS dealing with beauty. There is also philosophy of mind, philosophy of law, social philosophy and philosophy of science. A person who studies philosophy is called PHILOSOPHER like SOCRATES, PLATO, and ARISTOTLE. Through the ages, philosophers have sought to answer such questions as, “What is meaning and purpose of life?”, “Does God exist?”, What does it mean to possess consciousness?”, and “What is the value of morals?”,.Philosophers attempt to answer such questions through the philosophical method. The methods usually begins when a philosopher examines his own beliefs and begins to doubt their validity. From his doubt, question emerge before answering a questions, the philophers thoroughly analyzes it to ensure it is clearly and properly defined. This helps to narrow the path to the most precise answer. Nexit, the philosopher propose reasoned arguments to support each one. Philosophy…

    • 2249 Words
    • 65 Pages
    Good Essays