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Hernandez, Mary Wincell O.

2008-26330 Thinking the Philosophical Way (A Reaction Paper on the Value of Philosophy)

June 24, 2011

I am born in a country characterized by rigid norms, customs, and prejudices. Majority of the people belonging in my generation do not spend their time pondering about facts or defying theories. They consider the said acts as mere waste of time. Nowadays, people no longer spend their time philosophizing things as society might regard them being weird. This way of thinking is extremely different from that of the people born at the time of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle where idleness equates thinking and exploration. Upon reading the fifth chapter of Bertrand Russells The Problem of Philosophy, I realized that I am spending too much of my time filling my brain with academic theories and principles. I also realized that maybe the reason why I am still immature is because I often fail to critically analyze problems, cases, and basic thoughts. In addition, I realized that, like students of physical sciences, maybe the reason why I am focusing too much on my Economic and Finance subjects is because of their potential usefulness in my targeted workplace - the corporate world. Consequently, I often fail to pause for a moment and think deeply if I am still happy with the person I am turning out to be. I am slowly becoming a practical man - only concerned with worldly, material things. I realized that I must not only feed my body but also my mind. Whenever I have problems to solve, I must not only focus on arriving at a clear solution. Rather, I must try to analyze all the angles of a problem and think of their possible causes. In that way, I get to develop my cognitive skills and slowly become a critical thinker. Bertrand Russell said, The value of philosophy is to be sought largely in its very uncertainty. Consequently, I realized that I still have a lot to learn regarding the value of philosophy since I usually prefer clear and definite answers to my questions and since uncertain things frighten me. Whenever I try to question the norms of society or the culture of our country, I eventually find myself giving up and accepting that the said norms and culture were already firmly established and lived by society. Thus, questioning them is of no essence already. With this line of thinking, I consider myself as a slave of habitual beliefs and common sense. I have my own line of thinking and reasoning but still fail to use them independently. Every body of knowledge is unique in its own terms. Despite the fact that philosophy will not lead me to a particular explanation or answer to my question, it will certainly help me explore possibilities that will enhance my thoughts and imagination. To this extent, I may consider philosophy, or thinking per se, as food for the mind. Still, even though many things exist as incontestable, I should still think of how the world might turn out to be if things were not the same as they are today. Given the fact that the value of philosophy is partly characterized by the freedom from narrow and personal aims resulting from the contemplation of great objects, I may say that philosophers make up good leaders of a society. Their interests lie not only on their social circles but also on the whole outside world. They accept the fact that the world is great and that sooner

or later their social circles will be destroyed or even be replaced. Besides being critical thinkers, they are at peace with themselves and find every possible explanation to the things happening around them. Like a philosopher, I accept the fact that nothing in this world is permanent. Whenever someone leaves me or hurts me, I just think of how big the world is and of how high the chance is of meeting new acquaintances. In order to acquire knowledge and enhance the Self, philosophic contemplation and not self-assertion is required. In relation to this, philosophic contemplation entails acceptance that only God is omniscient. In order to freely contemplate, one has to free his or her mind from all prejudices, habits, and desires. Philosophic contemplation merely entails free thinking and exploration. Unlike philosophic contemplation, self-assertion pays more importance to the Self than to the universe. People practicing self-assertion do not take into account that the Self primarily develops from the not-Self and that the Self learns not by its own but by the greatness of the universe. Moreover, the widespread philosophical tendency, which states that Man is the measure of all things, that truth is man-madeand that anything not created by the mind takes no account, restricts philosophic contemplation and thus serves as a barrier for the learning and development of the Self. In relation to this, I realized that in order to completely ponder upon things and analyze the angles of every situation, I must initially free my mind, and eventually let it wonder. At some point in time, my actions and emotions, similar to that of philosophers, will also be free and impartial. Still, if only our leaders think and act like philosophers, justice will prevail. No one will experience poverty and oppression as love and compassion will be shared by people from all walks of life. Perhaps if many people will think, act and feel like philosophers, the world will indeed be a better place.

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