Problems from Philosophy - Essay Example

Philosophy Many people assume that the popular field of philosophy revolves around academic disciplines that involve arguments and obscure forms of reasoning. This is not the case however, according to what is known as ancient philosophy. Renowned scholars such as Pierre Hadot argued that originally philosophy was meant to be like a “way of life”. To many, this is not a shocker as ethics is among the major fields of philosophy and ethics has to be implemented at all cost. Most of the people who study philosophy think the notion that studying philosophy gives a new “way of life” is definitely apparent. Philosophy can change a person’s life and there is a strange ideology surrounding the aspect of learning philosophy about its reasoning and morality(James 90). Many people think philosophers major in just developing moral progress and being more reasonable. The primary purpose of this essay is to explain how studying philosophy has changed my life. Before I joined college, I enjoyed pondering and reading classic books. I had not decided what I would major in but still I found classic books very intriguing to read especially those that were philosophical. I really wanted to know more about Marx Weber, Karl Max, John Locke and other famous renowned philosophers I had read about. I also wanted to acquire the skill of being ethical and reasonable when tackling a problem that I had read many philosophers possessed. Before taking philosophy my perception of the world was just one sided and did not realize anything unique about my everyday life experiences. According to James, a person’s everyday experience improves their level of making decisions (160). My communication, analysis and interpretation skills were also a bit poor before taking philosophy. According to James a philosopher has unique standards when making decisions. Ethically, I was not living according to the societal standards of morality. Surprisingly, when my advisor suggested a philosophy course I was immediately hooked. The ideas being discussed and read were challenging, but at the same time very exciting in my point of view. My excitement for the major still continued as I progressed on. Through studying philosophy, I continuously discovered new and unique ways of viewing the world and the environment around me in addition to discovering richness in everyday life’sexperience. As a result, I developed multifaceted skills in communication, reflection, analysis and interpretation that up to now serve me appropriately in just about every aspect of life. Philosophy is indeed critical in the human life, as I have come to realize. This is because it has equipped me with skills and a better understanding of the world. I studied philosophy only because its allure drew me in, but not because I had planned to study it as a career. After just taking one lesson in the course, I was captivated by the field’s breadth, depth and scope of its topics. James argues that most people enjoy reading philosophy because it has characterized by wide range of topics and content (100). The approaches and methods used were very different from what I had seen prior which could allow new and thrilling methods of approaching familiar subjects. All through the course of this program, I have realized that my views on society, art, religion and life have been examined and challenged in fascinatingways. This automatically changed what and how I thought and perceived these topics and at the same time changed my life experiences. Studying philosophy boosted the development of ideas and possibilities that I had not thought of before. This also helped me to become more open minded and a deeper thinker. My first interest in philosophy grew when I needed to undergo a critical thinking class when taking Liberal studies at a degree level. I realized that philosophy was a very important subject that was at many instances overlooked; this aspect is one of the greatest drivers that motivated me to explore the subject of philosophy further. What intrigued me was the fact that most of the aspects I learnt in the classroom began collaborating with my real life situations out of class. This is supported by James’ assertion that philosophy is critical in solving the problems that face human beings in the society (101). The definition of philosophy in itself reveals that philosophy is about solving common problems that face human beings. When I met my professor, I had a lot of doubts about my decision since I was just a Liberal studies student. However, he easily eased away my concerns and I spontaneously detected just how passionate he was about philosophy. Philosophy lessons have undoubtedly taught me how to be a critical thinker, how to be an open minded person and have offered a comprehensive educational experience. All these aspects that I have learnt are like resources, which I will use in order to become an effective and successful future educator. I desire to offer my future students the opportunity to become successful citizens. Philosophy is a course that can undoubtedly improve a person’s decision making capability therefore making them successful in their various fields (199). I aspire to be a philosophy lecturer and I will use the skills I have learnt to assist my students to make the world a better place. I intend to transmit the skills and knowledge of philosophy to the next generations because I have considered its crucial nature and contribution to the society’s wellbeing. Dan Eldon, a famous philosopher, states that “The journey is the destination”. This is among the most famous statements I have ever heard in the scope of the philosophical sojourn. While other disciplines concentrate mostly on achieving a specific goal or reaching a specific destination, philosophy as the lover of wisdom, on the other hand, concentrates on unfolding something passionate and beautiful. The philosopher strives not totally to dominate, fetter and grasp but, instead embark on a grand journey towards a deeper relationship and understanding with what is beloved (James 40). Philosophy is blossoming both asa process and also as a deed. Just like many good things in life, my voyage with philosophy began in an unassuming and a quiet way. After switching majors in order to examine the philosophy program, I also realized that philosophy just like life is most enjoyed or best done within the community. The community believes in philosophy as the one of the fundamental machinery for defining life and its domains. Majoring in philosophy has given me the ability to view things from a different point of view, engage in a wide range of conversations varying from topic to topic with different types of people globally. Group discussions characterized most of the philosophy classes and were useful as they helped me acquire skills in argumentation and conversation that are currently very precious. My knowledge on ethics drastically changed also due to my path in philosophy. According to James, ethics constitutes one of the branches of philosophy, which involves systematizing, defending and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct (110). I can now utilize my insights to learn and make decisions about new notions each and every day. To me it is a vital aspect as it not only shapes up my perception of the world but also my personality. The course demands people to read and grasp ideologies from different thinkers in order to develop and learn the skills of written and verbal communication (James 56). Philosophy focuses on transmitting ideologies from generation to generation. Jim Tuedio, a famous head of the philosophy department in State University in California was once quoted saying, “I hope you are not looking for answers because in philosophy you are not going to find any” (James 109). I suppose my defiant young brain full of curiosity was in fora shock since in my mind I needed the answers to many big questions. Among these questions were: Does God exist? Are human beings evil or good? Who is the right person to marry? Which is the most marketable career? These were some of the questions ringing in my mind that needed answers. In the natural world, human beings are faced with a myriad of questions characterized by scarcity of answers. Jim, as usual was right and I will always be thankful to my professor for advising me to pursue philosophy. The skills I have acquired during my study are highly invaluable. I have learned to write better, dissect urgings and discuss their flaws or merits and read complicated texts. A person without philosophical knowledge may face problems in writing, making valid arguments, and ensuring discussion based on logic. The points surrounding the importance of philosophy might be infinite, but the main point is that philosophy has really transformed my life. I have highlighted some of the most influentialindividuals and philosophers who made me choose philosophy and the many benefits surrounding studying philosophy. I might not be a perfect example of an ethical person and a philosopher because I am human and hence bound to make a mistake like any other person.Nevertheless, the main difference between a normal person and a philosopher is that a philosopher tries a lot to be ethical and reasonable using the vital information available unlike those who are not philosophers. The information is usually from philosophical research, science and personal experience. Works Cited James, Rachels. Problems from philosophy.New York, Manhattan: Humanities & Social Science, 2011. Print. Read More