Philosophy for the common people
9 views
Skip to first unread message
Lucy
Apr 9, 2009, 3:47:37 PM4/9/09
to AskPhilosophers
Does exist a philosophy for the common people? Or is this an Illusion?
Prem Das
Apr 9, 2009, 9:01:30 PM4/9/09
to julia...@bluewin.ch, askphil...@googlegroups.com
Philosophy ? Whats that ?
These are the questions one should be asking. If we all had our rathers, wouldn't we all choose to be rich like Bill Gates or smart like Einstein or beautiful like a supermodel ? But in life, do we not settle for the things that are within our grasp ? Are we not the product of our enviroment which in turn influence the choices we make ?
This is the lot of the 'common people' and the lot of every people for that matter.
Philosophy implies conscious choice. Pre-conceptions, the enviromental effect of our birth, shape the choices we make, the people we become. It is an illusion that we have the luxury of choice. If there is no choice then there is only fate.
> Date: Thu, 9 Apr 2009 12:47:37 -0700
> Subject: [AskPhilosophers] Philosophy for the common people
> From: julia...@bluewin.ch
> To: AskPhil...@googlegroups.com
These are the questions one should be asking. If we all had our rathers, wouldn't we all choose to be rich like Bill Gates or smart like Einstein or beautiful like a supermodel ? But in life, do we not settle for the things that are within our grasp ? Are we not the product of our enviroment which in turn influence the choices we make ?
This is the lot of the 'common people' and the lot of every people for that matter.
Philosophy implies conscious choice. Pre-conceptions, the enviromental effect of our birth, shape the choices we make, the people we become. It is an illusion that we have the luxury of choice. If there is no choice then there is only fate.
> Date: Thu, 9 Apr 2009 12:47:37 -0700
> Subject: [AskPhilosophers] Philosophy for the common people
> From: julia...@bluewin.ch
> To: AskPhil...@googlegroups.com
Rob
May 13, 2009, 7:48:40 PM5/13/09
to AskPhilosophers
Philosophy does not necessarily imply conscious choice. Philosophy
only implies an attempt to understand the world by means of reason.
Many people, namely determinists, don't believe in the strict idea of
"conscious choice", and yet they can still philosophize.
As for the original question, of course philosophy can exist for the
common people. One does not have to be an expert to philosophize.
One needs only an awareness of the world and a desire to understand
and ask questions. Also, much of ancient and modern philosophy was
written in plain language, and can be read by common people. Now, it
may be more difficult for a common person to reach the depths of
insight that an expert in philosophy can, but that does not mean the
common person isn't philosophizing. One of the beauties of this field
of human thought is that it can be accessed to some extent by anyone
interested in asking questions.
-Rob
On Apr 9, 8:01 pm, Prem Das <dasp...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Philosophy ? Whats that ?
>
> These are the questions one should be asking. If we all had our rathers, wouldn't we all choose to be rich like Bill Gates or smart like Einstein or beautiful like a supermodel ? But in life, do we not settle for the things that are within our grasp ? Are we not the product of our enviroment which in turn influence the choices we make ?
>
> This is the lot of the 'common people' and the lot of every people for that matter.
>
> Philosophy implies conscious choice. Pre-conceptions, the enviromental effect of our birth, shape the choices we make, the people we become. It is an illusion that we have the luxury of choice. If there is no choice then there is only fate.
>
> > Date: Thu, 9 Apr 2009 12:47:37 -0700
> > Subject: [AskPhilosophers] Philosophy for the common people
> > From: juliaho...@bluewin.ch
> Join the Fantasy Football club and win cash prizes here!http://fantasyfootball.malaysia.msn.com
only implies an attempt to understand the world by means of reason.
Many people, namely determinists, don't believe in the strict idea of
"conscious choice", and yet they can still philosophize.
As for the original question, of course philosophy can exist for the
common people. One does not have to be an expert to philosophize.
One needs only an awareness of the world and a desire to understand
and ask questions. Also, much of ancient and modern philosophy was
written in plain language, and can be read by common people. Now, it
may be more difficult for a common person to reach the depths of
insight that an expert in philosophy can, but that does not mean the
common person isn't philosophizing. One of the beauties of this field
of human thought is that it can be accessed to some extent by anyone
interested in asking questions.
-Rob
On Apr 9, 8:01 pm, Prem Das <dasp...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Philosophy ? Whats that ?
>
> These are the questions one should be asking. If we all had our rathers, wouldn't we all choose to be rich like Bill Gates or smart like Einstein or beautiful like a supermodel ? But in life, do we not settle for the things that are within our grasp ? Are we not the product of our enviroment which in turn influence the choices we make ?
>
> This is the lot of the 'common people' and the lot of every people for that matter.
>
> Philosophy implies conscious choice. Pre-conceptions, the enviromental effect of our birth, shape the choices we make, the people we become. It is an illusion that we have the luxury of choice. If there is no choice then there is only fate.
>
> > Date: Thu, 9 Apr 2009 12:47:37 -0700
> > Subject: [AskPhilosophers] Philosophy for the common people
> > To: AskPhil...@googlegroups.com
>
> > Does exist a philosophy for the common people? Or is this an Illusion?
>
> _________________________________________________________________
>
> > Does exist a philosophy for the common people? Or is this an Illusion?
>
> Join the Fantasy Football club and win cash prizes here!http://fantasyfootball.malaysia.msn.com
fisher
May 14, 2009, 7:01:57 AM5/14/09
to AskPhilosophers
David Hume would argue that before we can try to understand the world,
we should try to understand ourselves.
When we define the limits that nature has imposed on our
understanding, we find that notions like cause and effect are simply
the outcome of social customs and personal experience and habit and
not really accurate descriptions of what is 'out there'. He suggests
that we can never know the hidden springs and levers that drive the
outside world, and so we are bojund always to be surprised by it.
Inductive reasoning can give us a hint about the probabilities of
events 'out there' but never any certainties. Deduction can provide us
with certain proofs of mathematics or logic, but we cannot accurately
relate these to the 'outside' world. As to choice, he argued that this
has little to do with reason - it is the emotions that drive us to
act.
Yes, philosophy is for the common people who put custom and habit to
good use in daily life. But Philosophy with a capital P is more of a
sport or entertainment for the leisured classes and can tell us no
more about the world than we experience through our own senses or what
we can glean from trusted witnesses. But who to trust?
we should try to understand ourselves.
When we define the limits that nature has imposed on our
understanding, we find that notions like cause and effect are simply
the outcome of social customs and personal experience and habit and
not really accurate descriptions of what is 'out there'. He suggests
that we can never know the hidden springs and levers that drive the
outside world, and so we are bojund always to be surprised by it.
Inductive reasoning can give us a hint about the probabilities of
events 'out there' but never any certainties. Deduction can provide us
with certain proofs of mathematics or logic, but we cannot accurately
relate these to the 'outside' world. As to choice, he argued that this
has little to do with reason - it is the emotions that drive us to
act.
Yes, philosophy is for the common people who put custom and habit to
good use in daily life. But Philosophy with a capital P is more of a
sport or entertainment for the leisured classes and can tell us no
more about the world than we experience through our own senses or what
we can glean from trusted witnesses. But who to trust?
Prem Das
May 14, 2009, 9:36:23 PM5/14/09
to f...@dsl.pipex.com, askphil...@googlegroups.com
In the matter of understanding ourselves and the Universe, other then deduction and surmise, there is the phenomenon of simply 'knowing'.
Example, the word 'love' in all its connotations, is so abstract in nature, that there is no way this word can be described by the power language. There are no words, in any language, that can convey, conceptualise, simply explain in its entirety, what this word means. Try it for yourselves.
Yet every human 'knows' the meaning of this word. Instinctively we realise the meaning of the word. We know.
> Date: Thu, 14 May 2009 04:01:57 -0700
> Subject: [AskPhilosophers] Re: Philosophy for the common people
> From: f...@dsl.pipex.com
> To: AskPhil...@googlegroups.com
Example, the word 'love' in all its connotations, is so abstract in nature, that there is no way this word can be described by the power language. There are no words, in any language, that can convey, conceptualise, simply explain in its entirety, what this word means. Try it for yourselves.
Yet every human 'knows' the meaning of this word. Instinctively we realise the meaning of the word. We know.
> Date: Thu, 14 May 2009 04:01:57 -0700
> Subject: [AskPhilosophers] Re: Philosophy for the common people
> From: f...@dsl.pipex.com
> To: AskPhil...@googlegroups.com
> More than mail–Windows Live™ goes way beyond your inbox.
More than messages
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages