What Is The Purpose Of Life? - Is Philosophy Ridiculous!
Friday, October 30th, 2009Philosophy is defined as the use of logic and argument in looking for truth and knowledge of reality, especially of the causes and nature of things and of the ideology governing life, the material universe, awareness of corporeal phenomena and human behaviour. Also, search of comprehension for its own sake, love of wisdom, an integrated view of existence.
In researching key philosophers through 2,600 years of history, several patterns can be observed, particularly one of astounding physical progress of the natural sciences, but an offsetting decay of the human soul, or psychological “misfitting” with the world around us.
In the 20th century, the leading viewpoint has been existentialism, in which the anxious, death and time-haunted person is cajoled to have faith in himself, take on the world, and become an authentic human being, despite his conviction that the universe and human existence is absurd.
Are these philosophers befuddled! Talk about inconsistent opinions!
Accomplished, reflective minds have grappled all sorts of peculiar questions such as, why are we here, what’s it all about and what is reality. Can we know that anything exists outside the human intellect? Here are some extra philosophers’ views on why we are here and what to do about it.
Socrates thought that we all have knowledge of absolute truth inside. Plato urged us to abstain from bodily pleasures. Aristotle believed that we could be thoroughly contented in this life. Epicurus held garden parties and advised us to go after the greatest amount of earthly enjoyment, whilst avoiding pain. Zeno promoted a life of intelligence, and to stay away from physical comforts. The sceptics were sceptical about everything, including whether happiness was possible.
St. Augustine went even further, and preached that contentment was impossible in this world, since we were conscious of impending mortality – better to wait for the next one. Galileo affirmed that the universe is an open book, but that it is written in almost unintelligible mathematical code. Descartes distrusted his own body, the exterior world, and even his own brainpower, until he ultimately recognized that something was going on. Hobbes thought that we must be selfish, if only to stay alive. Spinoza was acutely into faith and science and persuaded that if we treasured both we would lead a pleasing life.
Hume gave in to the appetites, and believed we are slaves of experience. Rousseau hungered to become a primitive again, and his ideas motivated the bloody French Revolution. Kant stated we were developing satisfactorily towards becoming a sensible culture. Hegel held up the philosophical knowledge and the State as excellent examples of rational, intelligent mind. Shopenhauer blamed the unreasonable will for our difficulties, and somehow believed we could use reason to conquer this issue, although he was cynical regarding our odds.
Comte said God was dead long before Nietzsche, and formed sociology to save humanity from itself. Mill supported freedom and contentment for the utmost number of people, without defining what happiness meant. Kierkegaard made a leap of faith away from oblivion and into a pious life, to avoid the misery that comes with human existence. Marx jumped on the Hegel bandwagon, and stirred up the working caste to answer to their oppressors with insurgency, although there would be an intervening phase of dictatorship to be navigated before Utopia arrived.
Nietzsche encouraged us to become soldiers and rage against the cosmos, until we died, then pick ourselves up and fume some more. Husserl noticed something strange concerning his consciousness – it actually homed in on things in the outside world. Rand had the nerve to say that man is a rational creature!
If the greatest philosophers who have ever lived can’t concur on what truth is, or answer the key question of existence – why are we here? - then what are we being taught in school? Who is educated enough or wise enough to coach anybody else how to live? Reflecting on this, why would anyone follow anyone else, or be in wonder of anybody else?
Be bold and dare yourself to change your life and build your own original life of remarkable adventure and achievements without following anyone else – particularly not the philosophers!
Gary Hipworth is a life planning consultant who believes that all people are capable of being their own life coach. For this purpose he created Superlife Life Planning Software to help you discover how to change your life
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