PHILOSOPHY DEMYSTIFIED

Philosophy.

The very mention of the word would no doubt conjure up images of dusty old Greek men lounging around in togas, for some. There is a stigma about philosophy as a subject – that it is merely a dry academic subject, containing the musings of countless pompous intellectuals. 

The term "philosophy" is derived from the Greek 'philosophia', which literally means ‘a love of wisdom’. But to properly define “philosophy” and all that it encompasses… well, this is no easy feat! One of the reasons why there is not a universally accepted definition is that philosophy has no particular subject matter, so it cannot be defined in regard to an individual topic.

However, in a broad sense, philosophy as an academic subject is a study of abstract questions, which are unanswerable by science. These problems are concerned with the nature of existence, knowledge, morality, reason and human purpose. For example, the question of existence – where did the universe come from? Of course, many physicists would cite the Big Bang theory. The philosophical question would be: why was there a Big Bang? The simple answer, explained by quantum mechanics, is that something is more stable that nothing. But why is this the case?

This example, the ultimate question of existence, has too eluded philosophers for centuries. Another reason why “philosophy” is challenging to define is that philosophy is often more concerned with questions than answers. The purpose of philosophy is not necessarily to give answers to pre-existing questions, but in fact to challenge and query existing ideas.

This ‘querying’ involves a logical method. Philosophical investigations often follow four main steps: clarifying the ideas used to express a question; hypothesizing what theories may help to answer the question; testing to see whether there are any counterexamples or hidden contradictions within the question; evaluating which theory seems to make most sense (having looked at all available evidence). In this way – philosophy takes an approach similar to that of science!

I’m certainly no expert, but I truly believe philosophy helps to sharpen one’s critical thinking skills. Philosophy uses and encourages critical thinking. Critical thinking is a tool by which one can reach reasoned conclusions, through a reasoned process. Through reading philosophy, we are not only digesting information, but being prompted to ask ourselves questions that stimulate thinking – this is crucial to the construction of knowledge.

However, it is not necessary to study philosophy academically in order to think philosophically. Let’s remind ourselves of the literal definition of philosophy: ‘a love of wisdom’. In this way, philosophy refers to a state of mind! As humans, we are innately curious beings, constantly questioning things in the hopes of understanding, and we seek to justify beliefs, thoughts and ideas. Therefore, I believe that we are all philosophers at heart!