Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Philosophy?
So lately all of my classes have been overlapping....Political Theory and Rhetoric are the two that seem to be taught off of the same syllabus. But something that has really been making me scratch my head are the thoughts of the early Orators and philosophers. We are supposed to be thinking outside of the box. Not conforming to society and coming up with our own ideas. What is real? What is happiness?
For example, there is a big difference between the Sophists and the Philosophers. Despite the many differences between the two I will hit on one of the big ones. The Sophists believe that you should learn something that you can actually use such as math. They also where traveling philosophers more or less and taught for money. But Philosophers like Socrates believed that you should teach all that there is to know whether you will end up using it or not and he never cut a profit.
Now here is where my questions begin. As I was driving in my car back from dropping off a friend I realized that I did not know what happiness was. I know what happiness feels like, or do I? Do you think that happiness is just defined but what society we are in? For there is not one blanket definition of happiness. I know that I feel good when I eat a chocolate brownie but for some people there might not be any happiness in that. Maybe you are allergic to chocolate and you break out in hives. Hell I don't know. But besides all that the Philosophers then try to define happiness for me. But isn't that just the opposite of what they are suppose to do. Are they not suppose to let me define it for myself.
Next question. While all of this discovering my true self, learning new things and thinking outside the box is all well and good. What is the ultimate purpose of this? I do not mean to be a Sophist but what are my limits. Is not our whole basic purpose in the world to be born, make babies and die. Is there more to life than that? In the end do you not serve a real purpose if you do not make an invention that carries down and even then is not the man who made the skateboard forgotten? Or what about the man who made the VHS player. Is it not a matter of time until you are forgotten?
For example, there is a big difference between the Sophists and the Philosophers. Despite the many differences between the two I will hit on one of the big ones. The Sophists believe that you should learn something that you can actually use such as math. They also where traveling philosophers more or less and taught for money. But Philosophers like Socrates believed that you should teach all that there is to know whether you will end up using it or not and he never cut a profit.
Now here is where my questions begin. As I was driving in my car back from dropping off a friend I realized that I did not know what happiness was. I know what happiness feels like, or do I? Do you think that happiness is just defined but what society we are in? For there is not one blanket definition of happiness. I know that I feel good when I eat a chocolate brownie but for some people there might not be any happiness in that. Maybe you are allergic to chocolate and you break out in hives. Hell I don't know. But besides all that the Philosophers then try to define happiness for me. But isn't that just the opposite of what they are suppose to do. Are they not suppose to let me define it for myself.
Next question. While all of this discovering my true self, learning new things and thinking outside the box is all well and good. What is the ultimate purpose of this? I do not mean to be a Sophist but what are my limits. Is not our whole basic purpose in the world to be born, make babies and die. Is there more to life than that? In the end do you not serve a real purpose if you do not make an invention that carries down and even then is not the man who made the skateboard forgotten? Or what about the man who made the VHS player. Is it not a matter of time until you are forgotten?
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