Why Bother
You might ask, "Why bother?" with regards to this whole page. It is an entirely valid question. The answer I will give is the one that satisfies myself, and not necessarily everyone or anyone else. Philosophy definitely lacks the support and utility, that say, a television has. Why? Because philosophy requires a great deal more complexity and effort than anything else, and lacks a universal applicability or even majority applicability simply because it is too simple.
Simplicity has become the most contemptible and misunderstood concept, when in fact it is the most true and pure characteristic that anything could ever aspire to have. Intelligence today is based off of the relative complexity of something. Complex mathematical equations seem to carry more weight and importance than anything else. The longer a paper is, the more intelligent it probably is. Bigger words mean greater intelligence. I'm guilty of using atrocious sesquipedalians too frequently. It's the side effect of using language and going through institutionalized education. I'm not complaining, I'm just stating. We've all seen it before. The more complex a device is, the more important it is. But shouldn't things be simple? After all, the most important things in the universe are simple.
In my opinion, philosophy is the attempt to rediscover the simplicity of reality that our minds and senses caused us to forget long ago. Philosophy is also an attempt by the mind to reconcile that which we don't understand and that which we think we understand in an effort to discern meaning from it all. Philosophy is more than anything else the personal endeavor of an individual to find that in life which they can call their own: their understanding of reality. I may write a page about philosophy that talks about my beliefs, but they are nothing more than my beliefs. I pray that they may be of use to someone, as other peoples' views have been of use to me, but I cannot really ask for much more. Few people set out in life to be a philosopher. Being a philosopher is not an occupation after all, but a way of life, a way of seeing things so long obscured by society and others.
I primarily write most of the stuff on the page because it gives me peace of mind to write. I find writing to be therapeutic, and when I write, I want to write about that which interests me. Sadly (from a societal standpoint), my biggest interest lies in the field of philosophy. I also write because I have this weird dream that one day I will be able to help people by using philosophy (definitely a weird and hopeless dream). I am human; I am entitled to my own insubstantial hopes, so long as I don't let them rule me. I may not be able to help others w/ philosophy, but I can definitely help myself. That is the best that I can hope for. If you all want to come along for the ride, please do so. If you don't, that's fine too.
My study of philosophy has led me to some startling discoveries. More than anything, it dehumanizes you I think. For someone who passionately pursues an understanding in metaphysics, you find yourself more removed from the reality which you exist in. It has caused me to question many things about my faith. It is a scary thing to challenge what you've been brought up on, and to some extent, I try to hold on to all of those things, but I am starting to think that I shouldn't. Tolkien once said in his novels, "It's a dangerous business stepping out your front door..." becuase you don't know where you may end up (I'm sorry, I could not remember the rest of the quote verbatim). It may be dangerous, it may seem scary, but I don't ever want to stop changing. Christina Baldwin, , said, "Change is the constant, the signal for rebirth, the egg of the phoenix." When I stop changing, I stop living. I always want to be improving my beliefs. I don't want my convictions to become Mill's described, "dead dogmas."
I study philosophy so that I'll change, and so that I can feel like I have some inkling, even if it's wrong, of how things work. If I am to be happy I must make myself happy. If you all feel like reading this, go right ahead. If you decide to stop reading it, that's fine too. I will benefit from writing this, and if you all challenge me or leave comments, I may benefit even more. At any rate, that's why I study this. I'll talk to you all later.
Simplicity has become the most contemptible and misunderstood concept, when in fact it is the most true and pure characteristic that anything could ever aspire to have. Intelligence today is based off of the relative complexity of something. Complex mathematical equations seem to carry more weight and importance than anything else. The longer a paper is, the more intelligent it probably is. Bigger words mean greater intelligence. I'm guilty of using atrocious sesquipedalians too frequently. It's the side effect of using language and going through institutionalized education. I'm not complaining, I'm just stating. We've all seen it before. The more complex a device is, the more important it is. But shouldn't things be simple? After all, the most important things in the universe are simple.
In my opinion, philosophy is the attempt to rediscover the simplicity of reality that our minds and senses caused us to forget long ago. Philosophy is also an attempt by the mind to reconcile that which we don't understand and that which we think we understand in an effort to discern meaning from it all. Philosophy is more than anything else the personal endeavor of an individual to find that in life which they can call their own: their understanding of reality. I may write a page about philosophy that talks about my beliefs, but they are nothing more than my beliefs. I pray that they may be of use to someone, as other peoples' views have been of use to me, but I cannot really ask for much more. Few people set out in life to be a philosopher. Being a philosopher is not an occupation after all, but a way of life, a way of seeing things so long obscured by society and others.
I primarily write most of the stuff on the page because it gives me peace of mind to write. I find writing to be therapeutic, and when I write, I want to write about that which interests me. Sadly (from a societal standpoint), my biggest interest lies in the field of philosophy. I also write because I have this weird dream that one day I will be able to help people by using philosophy (definitely a weird and hopeless dream). I am human; I am entitled to my own insubstantial hopes, so long as I don't let them rule me. I may not be able to help others w/ philosophy, but I can definitely help myself. That is the best that I can hope for. If you all want to come along for the ride, please do so. If you don't, that's fine too.
My study of philosophy has led me to some startling discoveries. More than anything, it dehumanizes you I think. For someone who passionately pursues an understanding in metaphysics, you find yourself more removed from the reality which you exist in. It has caused me to question many things about my faith. It is a scary thing to challenge what you've been brought up on, and to some extent, I try to hold on to all of those things, but I am starting to think that I shouldn't. Tolkien once said in his novels, "It's a dangerous business stepping out your front door..." becuase you don't know where you may end up (I'm sorry, I could not remember the rest of the quote verbatim). It may be dangerous, it may seem scary, but I don't ever want to stop changing. Christina Baldwin, , said, "Change is the constant, the signal for rebirth, the egg of the phoenix." When I stop changing, I stop living. I always want to be improving my beliefs. I don't want my convictions to become Mill's described, "dead dogmas."
I study philosophy so that I'll change, and so that I can feel like I have some inkling, even if it's wrong, of how things work. If I am to be happy I must make myself happy. If you all feel like reading this, go right ahead. If you decide to stop reading it, that's fine too. I will benefit from writing this, and if you all challenge me or leave comments, I may benefit even more. At any rate, that's why I study this. I'll talk to you all later.
posted by Andrew McKenna at 3:51 PM
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