Friday, January 14, 2011

Why look into philosophy

Its really funny to see people moving about like mindless creatures and they really don't know what they really want. They do not even bother to investigate. Its like, they might say, you know what I really want is a girlfriend or car etc. How exactly will that satisfy them? Hmm, I don't think they care, they are more interested in the dream or pursuit and so confident in the reward. How can an intelligent person miss this? and trust society's beliefs so much and barely question them? Its Baffling. It doesn't even take some extremely complex questioning, just look at all the billionaires around. Are they the most fulfilled with ultimate happiness and no more needs. Its obvious they are not. Its not to discount their accomplishment but to look at it from a higher perspective. And people retort with "Ohh...we have more important things to worry about". LOL, what can be more important. They are living in a sort of dream and they don't care and have this false sense that they are after "more important" things. I feel like screaming "IGNORANCE". Its unbelievable. Hope some circumstance/future event wakes them up before death comes.

Ayn Rand has written an excellent article on the same question: http://www.tracyfineart.com/usmc/philosophy_who_needs_it.htm

Here is another great one: http://30sleeps.com/blog/2009/01/04/why-you-should-study-philosophy/
http://www.uri.edu/personal/szunjic/philos/whystudy.htm

I think philosophy needs a lot of rare skills like:
1. A good level of detachment from your beliefs, thinking and reasoning so that you can look at it objectively
2. Ability to handle ambiguity, paradoxes, hold unanswered questions. Leonardo Da Vinci mentions these as qualities possessed by gifted individuals
3. Abilities possessed by free thinkers
4. A desire to know what is REALLY true, a desire for integration
5. A great deal of courage to venture into the unknown to the depths of the mind
6. Higher value in seeking understanding vs practical knowledge

No comments:

Post a Comment

Qualities of a diamond mapped to experience

The ideal +ve experience is where the mind is like an infinitely large diamond that is clear, does not hold anything but yet, reflects/refr...