Printable View
Is this true? Is philisophy a load of esoteric nonsense, a mere word game played by people sitting in ivory towers with absolutely no application to real life?Quote:
Originally Posted by Wally Pip
Philosophers are nutters
Or do we (in general) not spend enough time thinking about the bigger questions in life? Is it not important to consider one's philisophical standpoint (and not just daily trivialities) to give one's life meaning and direction?
Give me a moment to consult my dictionary...
Sometimes I really have my doubts about you simon :)
define philosophy :)Quote:
Originally posted by simonm
Is this true? Is philisophy a load of asoteric nonsense, a mere word game played by people sitting in ivory towers with absolutely no application to real life?
Or do we (in general) not spend enough time thinking about the bigger questions in life? Is it not important to consider one's philisophical standpoint (and not just daily trivialities) to give one's life meaning and direction?
Without philosophy, diversity in the mindset of individuals is reduced to only a few people. Everyone philosophizes to a certain extent and without it, we'd be leading one drab existence.Quote:
Originally posted by simonm
Is this true? Is philisophy a load of asoteric nonsense, a mere word game played by people sitting in ivory towers with absolutely no application to real life?
Or do we (in general) not spend enough time thinking about the bigger questions in life? Is it not important to consider one's philisophical standpoint (and not just daily trivialities) to give one's life meaning and direction?
:eek: Even Keds is back from TT... now Wally and Mr C wont have all the chicks to themselves :o
*cue Wally banging head against wall*Quote:
Originally posted by kedaman
define philosophy :)
By the way : what is wrong with a dull existence ? :)
Kedaman
:rolleyes:Quote:
Define philosophy
Well, some describe it as merely the contemplation of life.
Here is another description of philosophy taken from http://www.otago.ac.nz/philosophy/fr...l~top.bot.main
Quote:
As a university subject, philosophy is in a unique position. Its subject matter is not clearly marked out, as it is for physics or mathematics or history. The position is rather that, however far you persevere with any of these other subjects, there are philosophical questions about them which remain unanswered Ñ questions about the nature of the world and our place in it, about moral standards, methods of reasoning, and so on. Philosophy is the serious and systematic attempt to investigate such questions. Philosophy is therefore of central intellectual importance, both as a subject in its own right and as an indispensable foundation to studies in other areas.
Philosophy asks questions such as these: Is there really an external world, or could be our experience be just ÒvirtualÓ? Could we ever know? If so, how? What exactly is a person? Do persons have to be humans? What is the relation between mind and body? Can we know what is in the minds of others, or even if they have minds? What is justice? Is there a single set of correct moral standards? If so, what is it? Or, if there are multiple acceptable moralities, where do they come from, and how do we decide which to adopt? What exactly is science? Is it infallible? How should scientific theories affect our lives? What is truth? Meaning? Is there any meaning to life? If so, what might it be? What is a good life?
I'm having a tear of reminiscence... where is j4u :)
Why don't you bring him out then ? :)
Substituted.
He suddenly is very quiet I must say :)
Simon
Well if you werent merely asking for something specific then its hard to say. To me all philosophy can be put in two boxes, realist philosophy, and non-realist philosophy
Funny ...
I have 2 categories too : Possibly Useful and Utter Bollocks.
There are many ways to devide philosophy into opposing schools of thought. For instance, Existentialism and Rationalism. Reductionism and Holism. The list goes on.
sounds like u need some enlightment from Mendhak...Quote:
By the way : what is wrong with a dull existence ?
Uh ...
F.e. my parents : set in their ways, non-adventurous, quiet sheltered life, everything paid, everything owned by them, they don't think about important matters, they don't do extensive soul searching, they don't fear death etc... They prefer this life, they have worked for it. They don't want anything else.
What's wrong with that then ? Why must man always be in search of something better, bigger, brighter ? Why can't you content yourself with what you have ?
What indeed is wrong with a dull existence ?
coz its dull...Quote:
Originally posted by Wally Pipp
Uh ...
F.e. my parents : set in their ways, non-adventurous, quiet sheltered life, everything paid, everything owned by them, they don't think about important matters, they don't do extensive soul searching, they don't fear death etc... They prefer this life, they have worked for it. They don't want anything else.
What's wrong with that then ? Why must man always be in search of something better, bigger, brighter ? Why can't you content yourself with what you have ?
What indeed is wrong with a dull existence ?
Dull <> Bright
if Life = dull then
life = sucks
apparently i haven't made any point
Ask them if it was a dull existence. They'll probably say no.
Oh they admit that it is a rather unadventurous dull and drab life but they like it that way (I've asked them once or twice) :)
Their actual comment was : we've got all we can reasonably hope for. If it is regarded dull then so be it, we like it.
Wally Pipp
Philosophy is not about self improvement. It is about understanding one's self and one's place in the cosmos.Quote:
Why must man always be in search of something better, bigger, brighter ? Why can't you content yourself with what you have ?
There is nothign wrong with that, if that's all you want.Quote:
What indeed is wrong with a dull existence ?
Many people are not content with the daily trivialities of life and do not find the challenge of daily life fulfilling enough to justify their own existance. Some people need to understand their place in the universe and therefore, for them, philosophy is a necessary pursuit.
There you said it : justify your existence. What if you don't need to ?
I know, but my current interest and obviously your interest, is practical philosophy.Quote:
Originally posted by simonm
There are many ways to devide philosophy into opposing schools of thought. For instance, Existentialism and Rationalism. Reductionism and Holism. The list goes on.
Wally Pip
Then so be it. It's entirely up to the individual.Quote:
There you said it : justify your existence. What if you don't need to ?
Kedaman
My interest in philosophy goes beyond the "practical".Quote:
I know, but my current interest and obviously your interest, is practical philosophy.
i aint one of u guys then... i am not gonna spend the rest of my life working 10 hours a day..
i need some adventure like Wally calling me a tit and RSingh calling me a dork....
btw... the username tit was already taken.... (by a tit i guess ;) )
Philosophy, like the tail of a peacock*, is a useful indicator of the health of a society - because any society that can afford to feed, clothe and house philosophers has spare capacity and sufficient cohesion to do so.
Philosophers, on the other hand, are not useful because if they were then point one above would be negated and we would need more performance artists, football pundits and politicians with which to measure our spare capacity.
If it's up to the individual then why is it important to have philosophy in your life.
It's like shoes : you choose the ones you want but you actually don't need them, do you ?
The reason (besides the joke you missed ;)) that I made that statement is exactly like you outlined : the more you spend thinking about the bigger things, the less you are connected to the real world :)
my philosophy: get divorced every 5 years.... thats enough of an adventure and should turn your dull life into a bright one
u missed the point..... the more u think about the big things... the more likely u are to be fired by your boss after calling him a bast*rd giving u plenty of adventure in your lifeQuote:
Originally posted by Wally Pipp
The reason (besides the joke you missed ;)) that I made that statement is exactly like you outlined : the more you spend thinking about the bigger things, the less you are connected to the real world :)
I meant in this thread ;)Quote:
Originally posted by simonm
Kedaman
My interest in philosophy goes beyond the "practical". [/B]
Wally Pipp
No, I don't actually need philosophy and it is a luxury that I have time to think about philosophy attall as opposed to spending all my energy on survival.Quote:
If it's up to the individual then why is it important to have philosophy in your life.
It's like shoes : you choose the ones you want but you actually don't need them, do you ?
It seems to me that the less time and effort one has to spend on mere survival, the more one's mind turns to the bigger questions. It is then that one begins to ponder the nature of one's own existance. Why are we here? Where are we going?
I'm in the same situation, yet I don't question my existence.
Why am I here ? My parents decided to grant me life.
Where am I going ? Towards death of course. The great void. No conscience, no life, nothing.
Do I feel fine with that ? Yes, absolutely.
where did wally rip that fromQuote:
Originally posted by Wally Pipp
I'm in the same situation, yet I don't question my existence.
Why am I here ? My parents decided to grant me life.
Where am I going ? Towards death of course. The great void. No conscience, no life, nothing.
Do I feel fine with that ? Yes, absolutely.
Wally Pipp
So, what do you want me to say? You're just a little ignorant grunt who has not the wit to look for a reason why he toils day by day?Quote:
I'm in the same situation, yet I don't question my existence.
Why am I here ? My parents decided to grant me life.
Where am I going ? Towards death of course. The great void. No conscience, no life, nothing.
Do I feel fine with that ? Yes, absolutely.
Whatever turns you on.
There you go again simon. Someone disagrees and you haughtily puts him down because you can't accept the possible fact that that someone doesn't give a toss about you or your opinions. It is possible for people to disagree with you in a way you don't like, you know ...
I always thought you were a bright lad. Don't be such an arrogant ***** :rolleyes:
Wally Pipp
Yeah right. :rolleyes:Quote:
There you go again simon. Someone disagrees and you haughtily puts him down because you can't accept the possible fact that that someone doesn't give a toss about you or your opinions.
You were looking for an argument and I was agreeing with you saying that you don't need to be philisophical and there's nothing wrong with you if you're not interested.
Not content with that you were fishing for a contrary statement so I gave you one. You were pushing me into saying something derogatory about those who aren't interested in philosophy so I said something.
However, I thought I made it clear that it was not my opinion but was just saying what I believed you wanted me to say. Obviously not clear enough.
Jesus Christ!
Will you kids play nice? Why does everything degenerate into whining and sniping?
What happened to discussing ideas and having opposing viewpoints in an adult manner?
It's clearly not possible on these forums is it...
Arbiter
This case is down to a complete misunderstanding of my previous remarks. I am hoping that Wally will realise this when he reads my last post (if I haven't now been put on his ignore list).
incorrect:Quote:
Originally posted by Wally Pipp
I'm in the same situation, yet I don't question my existence.
Why am I here ? My parents decided to grant me life.
Where am I going ? Towards death of course. The great void. No conscience, no life, nothing.
Do I feel fine with that ? Yes, absolutely.
Q) Why am I here?
A) Your parents made a mistake
Q) Where am I going?
A) To hell of of course
Q) Do I feel fine about it?
A) yeah, coz u are the biggest son of a b*tch alive
Where the hell did I fish for contrary statements then ?
I simply outlined what goes for me. I don't need to question my existence. I never fished for a contrary statement.
You started out with generalisations, I merely pointed out that some individuals do not need philosophy at all. There's nothing wrong with that. You agreed. I said that those who think about it the most tend to get entangled in their own thought. Your statement about having time to think followed (which is true incidentally). Then you said that it was (for you) necessary to understand your place in the greater scheme of things. I said that I do not need to know my place. You made derogatory comment.
That's how it went. Where did I fish for derogatory comments then ? Because I outlined a different view ? You mean to tell me that outlining a slightly different view (that agrees in general terms though) than yours is fishing for such comments ? Don't be daft.
BTW. I made the original statement as a piss take. Seems to have evaded you, hasn't it ?
Tell you what, you go on with your thread. I won't bother you no more. How's that sound ?
Am i being ignored?
Simon, there's no problem with you. It's your thread, debate it. Why do you need my opinions anyway ? Have you ever been swayed by my opinions then ? :)
I rarely ignore people. Only immature arrogant little *****s that deserve it
ahm... and who would that be?Quote:
Originally posted by Wally Pipp
I rarely ignore people. Only immature arrogant little *****s that deserve it
Wally Pip
Look, I have no problems whatsoever with contrary opinions. I do not even have a problem with being baited (and I know when I'm being baited).
Notice that my so-called derogatory comment was phrased as a question:
I was asking if you wanted me to say something like that to you.Quote:
So, what do you want me to say? You're just a little ignorant grunt who has not the wit to look for a reason why he toils day by day?
I didn't respond to your original comment. I repsonded when you went on to elaborate your original comment.Quote:
BTW. I made the original statement as a piss take. Seems to have evaded you, hasn't it ?
I asked, "Is philosophy important?".
You said, "What's wrong with not being philisophical?"
I said, "Nothing. Each to their own."
You asked, "If they don't need philosophy, why do you?"
I said, "I don't need it, I just find I have the luxury to be in a position to ask such questions."
You said, "I'm in your position and I don't need to ask such questions."
Obviously, at this point I am getting the impression that you want to polarise the debate. You want me to say that everyone should be interested in philosophy or everyone shouldn't.
I value everyone's opinions, including yours. In any debate, it is desireable to have the broadest range of opinions as possible.Quote:
Why do you need my opinions anyway ? Have you ever been swayed by my opinions then ?
Personally, I do not see the purpose of debate to be to either change yours or your oponent's opinions. I see it as an opportunity to explore a contentious subject. And yes, you have often provoked me into thinking about subjects in different ways. Take the freedom debate or the debate about drugs, even though I may not have given the impression at the time, I went away and "re-thinked" some of my ideas on the subject. I'm sure it was the same for you; that you now think about those subjects in a new light (even if your opinion remains the same).
And so, I hope it is now clear that I do value your opinions and that we have cleared up this little misunderstanding.
It's the last line where we went wrong :)
the "I'm in your position and I don't need to ask such questions" line. I actually meant that I was also in a position with freedom to think about my existence, that I had that luxury too. But I don't feel the need to really think about these things. I have a clear view about it and it does not worry me. It didn't mean I had you baited in saying that statement. That's what you misunderstood.
I merely wanted to show the other side.
But hey, no problem to me tho. I've reconsidered many things in my life. Everyone does. I'm merely conveying my point of view.
I doesn't make any difference though because you agree in general terms and thus adds little to the debate.
The other side scares me :eek:Quote:
I merely wanted to show the other side.
[dramatic voice]
You've just entered ... the twilight zone
[/dramatic voice