Practical?

[robertlc53]

is philosophy practical? or is it an endless wrestle with your own mind to stimulate confusion and cause you to go crazy?

[billyjack]

i have yet to find any philosophy that can't be applied to everyday living so i guess i would say that philosophy is at root practical

[grotto]

Yes to both of your questions.

[qspeechc]

Philosophy is not always practical. What about those people who wonder whether we "discover" or "invent" mathematics? Well, you can just say that isn't philosophy, and then you may as well define philosophy as being practical. It's the so-called philosophy of science. There are plenty other practical-less philosophies, like the categories of the mind or what not.

But yes, most philosophy is practical I suppose.

[skib]

I say, if you can grasp it and utilize it, more power to you. You will forever be cursed with trying to explain it to philosophical dunces like me.

[mono]

is philosophy practical? or is it an endless wrestle with your own mind to stimulate confusion and cause you to go crazy?
I think the answer depends on the context - who you ask, and of what branch of philosophy. I think it safe to say that all philosophy strives for one end - truth. The problem: different people have different perceptions of truth, even if they utilize the precise same logic - even the scientific method, for example.
In political philosophy, anyone and everyone has seen clear results, for better or worse; hence, yes, this seems practical. In religious philosophy (including mysticism), yes, it tends to create a result, but I think the results end up more like a wrestling match with too many rules, and even amateurs end up as referees - enough said on that subject :rolleyes:. In moral and ethical philosophy, I think even Aristotle covered a lot of ground in his Nicomachean Ethics, and this ended up with astounding results. In aesthetics, this has little use, but it certainly creates a lot of amusement. In epistemology and metaphysics (including ontology and cosmology), I believe they have little to no use, except in applications solely for philosophers and thinkers.

[robertlc53]

thank you all for your input. i love hearing peoples ideas.


Yes to both of your questions.

hilarious :)

question: how can i set this up so that whenever someone replies to a thread i posted i will get an email alert. it would help so i dont have to search for the post to check if someone had something to say. thanks!

[robertlc53]

in light of the topic...

what is the point of pondering ethics? as C.S. Lewis writes in 'mere christianity' "everyone seems to be at least vaguely aware of a thing called morality, or doing something that accomplishes one's own goals in a way that does not displace the goals of others." i believe this to be true. however i think that even though people seem to innately know what is 'not bad or wrong' they will do it anyways if it satisfies them in some way and they don't have to experience repercussions in their own lives. like telling an ex theres a chance to still be with them in the future even though deep down you dont believe that. but you say it anyway just to get them in your bed for the night. you feel a little guilt about lying and messing with someone's emotions but hey, you got layed right? so you quickly rationalize.

so i think ethics are useless to ponder. integrity is doing the right thing even when nobody knows it. so good people do good anyways, they dont have to read a book about whats good first. a selfish person doesnt care about ethics, they just want something and the cost doesnt bother them as long as someone else has to pay it. if you gave that person a book about ethics they would scoff and call you an idiot for placing value on it because THEY get by just fine!

i believe everything is relative to every individual. we all just wanna live another day to experience life and what it has to offer that we love. we wanna love and be loved. some selfish people wanna be loved without loving but they are not worth mentioning. graphic yes but this is the world from my eyes