What is everyone's view on philosophy ?- I have always thought of philosophy trying figure out the "grey area" in life. The things that are not clearly black and white. Now I don't know if this is correct or not but it seems to me philosophy is always addressing the questions and problems with no clear solution. The different types of philosophy comes from a certian "grey area" question.
posted by Sage at 1:43 PM
4 Comments:
I think that's why philosophy can be so threatening to many people. It seems like people in general (and American Christians in particular) are often very uncomfortable even admitting that there are "grey areas." We like to be right. It's difficult to know the relative merit of any one specific point of view, if there is the possibility of an unanswerable question.
And yet, doesn't the Bible teach us that there are things that cannot be understood? (His ways are not our ways, His wisdom is unsearchable, etc. etc.) With that in mind, philosophy--using your definition of trying to define the grey areas--may be man's attempt to draw nearer to the mind of God; to somehow become on intimate terms with mystery, and to understand that understanding may be impossible--and to be okay with that.
Wow, Lindsay. That was really good! I really like that point you made about the grey areas. When you mentioned things that we can't understand and drawing nearer to God through trying to understand more it made me think of something sort of off topic, but I thought I'd throw it in. Do you think it's important to have our motives right when studying philosophy or any other area of learning? Because a lot of problems came out of Eve just wanting the knowledge of God, so why is the search for wisdom okay? Do you think the difference is that when we learn, we do it for God's glory and to get to know Him better, whereas some people might try to learn only to make themselves look better and to kind of replace God? Or maybe it's a difference between knowledge and wisdom. I'm sorry if this comes out really random and doesn't make sense. I was just typing whatever came to me in the moment.
Well, the Bible certainly extols the search for wisdom. I wonder if seeking wisdom for the wrong reasons is even possible. Or perhaps fruitful is a better word than possible. I mean, if there is really a God, and you're seeking wisdom to supplant Him, isn't that already foolish and futile? Wisdom and knowledge are instead supposed to create an even better understanding of the nature of God as well as the nature of ourselves--and consequently, our need for Him.
Rachel- Our motives for gaining knowledge is connected to what we do with that knowledge. For example, can go into learning more about chemistry because you wish to be a chemistry teacher, but instead you end up using that knowledge to build a bomb of some kind to cause mass destruction.
I believe you want to have good motives when learning more about a particular subject, but the thing is to not let that motive change into something dangerous.
Plus the reason we search for wisdom to go with our knowledge is to apply that knowledge correctly. I don't know that makes any sense but there you go.
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