Create a new account

It's simple, and free.

Philosophy: Love of Wisdom

If I were to explain philosophy to a friend who does not know about it, my first step would be to point out that the word philosophy comes from two Greek wordsùôphilo,ö which means love, and ôSophia,ö which means wisdom (ôPhilosophyö). The word philosophy, therefore, means ôlove of wisdomö (ôPhilosophyö). My friend would likely have heard of philosophy, but might be confused about what it represents. Many years ago, my original take on philosophy was that it was a science that would help me discover true reality. I have met other people who regard philosophy as more of a religion, following philosophical concepts with the same devoutness and commitment as people who are committed to a religious faith. Today, however, I understand philosophy in the context of the wordÆs meaningùlove of wisdom.

Philosophy is essentially the exercise of intellect to arrive at truth. Philosophers pursue wisdom in much the same way that scientists perform experiments. They develop a hypothesis, try it on for size, perform some intellectual experimentsùengaging in debates about it, usuallyùand then determine whether they can truly accept it as truth or not. There are philosophies concerning a complete range of human thought, from rationalism to existentialism, and many more.

If my friend were to think that philosophy is equivalent to absolute truth, however, I would have to point out that this is not the case. First of all, philosophies commonly conflict with other philosophies, and absolute truth isùas the term suggestsùabsolute; it cannot be equivocated. Philosophies are more or less the perspectives of certain philosophers and their followers, not hard, provable facts. There are as many philosophies are there are personal opinions, but there is only one truth. I could explain this to my friend by making an analogy between absolute truth and a light switch. The switch is either on or off; there is

...

Page 1 of 2 Next >

More on Philosophy: Love of Wisdom...

Loading...
APA     MLA     Chicago
Philosophy: Love of Wisdom. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 21:40, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1712449.html