My philosophies essay - God wrote it.
Ok man... this is my philosophies essay.. the answer itself is 1592 words, without the questions and footnotes.... juz try finish it... sorry for the length!!
Question: “Philosophy is to be studied, not for the sake of any definite answers to its questions, since no definite answers can, as a rule, known to be true, but rather for the sake of the questions themselves.”
Bertrand Russell, Problem of philosophy pp 93-94
I support Bertrand, on this statement of philosophy. The basis of philosophy is criticism and critical thinking. For if there is a set of answers, there would not be philosophy. Philosophy is surely not to be studied for the sake of finding answers. However, I cannot agree to studying philosophy as a subject in schools too far.
The essence of philosophy is best expressed in the ethical issues affecting a country. Abortion, as mentioned below from a source, is one of the most raging ethical issues today. There will come to no point, neither time nor agreement, where these could be settled. There is always 2 parties convincing each other.
“You'd think the fight was over. Instead, there are mass rallies, bombings and intimidation, murders of workers at abortion clinics, arrests, intense lobbying, legislative drama, Congressional hearings, Supreme Court decisions, major political parties almost defining themselves on the issue, and clerics threatening politicians with perdition.”1
Abortion is one of the examples that is happening throughout the world. Though they may have been done with, but it isn’t. Although there is no death sentence for abortion, it had remained a sensitive issue all these while. They think the fight is over, but where did it show? It is still happening today! Even laws are established to condense the situation.
“In Britain, abortions are unlawful after the 24th week of gestation except in a few exceptional circumstances defined in law” 2
Philosophy should be able to bring it to some point of unity and agreement, when they could agree to a certain statement. Because philosophy focuses on the questions and not the answers, so it is more like criticizing to get better solutions. Therefore, solutions will always be dynamic. But since questioning can change the solution, I feel that, questioning by different groups of people could make the solution more suitable for them, more suitable for more people.
It is said that “you cannot please everyone”. True enough, you think it is over, it isn’t. There will always be more to argue. There will always be the “refined” or “better” state.
FOOTNOTES: From
http://www.2think.org/abortion.shtml, first paragraph, part one.
From
http://www.prochoiceforum.org.uk/aad4.asp second paragraph.
What sets philosophy different from science is criticism. The more a country’s government suppresses critics and suggestions, the more the country will not proceed. It will always remain static at the state it is in. There will be no improvements to the law, to the technology. The only ways, I think, to truly improve is to question quickly, and criticize. For example, if Edison were to invent the bulb, but no one were to criticize it, or question for the ways to improve his invention, would there be tungsten bulbs now?
Not the way it may work, it is sometimes, not possible to study philosophy as a subject in schools. The sake of philosophy is to gain new knowledge. To establish a point of unity, to reach a point of critical and deep thinking, to eliminate the most possible amount of doubts, and disagreement, and to try shake the basis of a person’s foundation, so to make him stronger. The nature of questioning to fix his doubts would be, no way weaker than any other sort of confirmation.
For example, Socrates’ “what is justice” question, though appearing so basic, but it could set a person thinking for hours. As I had mentioned, ‘questioning to fix his doubts, would be, no way weaker than any other sort of confirmation’.
From that statement, I must elaborate, the distance of my establishments of doubts. It had caused me to doubt, to tumble, and to finally see the light, to find the answer, to confirm my doubts.
As an “adventurous” Christian, who is doing Christian projects, who is singing and listening to Christian songs, and who is reading Christian books, who is thinking “Christianly”, who is trying to be Christ-like, who wants to evangelize, who wants to wants to make a Christian difference, who loves to do Christian research regarding Satanism and Occult, who regards Christ the largest part of his life, in this school, it is like the ultimate testing ground. Not only do I suffer bombardments from internet and books regarding Satanism, New age thinking, the Occult, this school, is another place for bombardment. There are many who think deeply. It is philosophy that sharpened their ideas. There are many who have their own strong belief, not of other religions, but of their own ideas. And they could reason it so well! These bombardments question and shake my foundations as a Christian.
When I started as a Christian at August 2004, I am still new. I have not undergone any form of questioning; it is not until 2005, when I start to take bombardments. I was living a rather “peaceful” Christian life in the whole of 2005. Then in March, I decide to do something as a Christian. I started research. Then, bombardments. I started to learn about the Socratic way of questioning. From the first bombardments I receive from internet, the results are tremendous. It questioned my faith in Christ. “Is God real or not? What am I praying to?” asked the questions in my mind.
These critics moved my foundations. I asked myself how the questions can be branched out, I questioned myself other questions like “How had God been real? Why am I still praying although I am doubting him now? Why do I doubt him?” I questioned my conscience, my belief, and the doubt again. Soon later, I got everything confirmed. I emerged from this, stronger, as a Christian, having my foundations gone stronger.
Then around July, I started heavy research on the new age. There came the theories on dinosaurs, and evolution, and supernatural powers. These had prompted me, and shaken the foundations, it had questioned my beliefs, which had appeared to be ever so sure to me. They are like questioning me “Did God really exist? Did he really create the earth in seven days? Did he really create man in his image?” Theory of evolution disproves the third question, the theory of dinosaurs disproves the second, and the theory of supernatural powers disproves the first. These three questions once again, questioned my faith. Although my faith is questioned, but I still held on, that is what I believed. As again, I emerged from the situation, after so much questionings, I emerged from the situation stronger than before, my bond with Christ was greatly strengthened. I had found answer after answer, overcame the barriers that surely will come, after I journeyed with Christ. As said “it is never easy to be a Christian”. This is true. So many questions came to bombard me. I answered them by questioning the basic of the questions.
The way I fix problems, is to face them. As said ‘The nature of questioning to fix his doubts would be, no way weaker than any other sort of confirmation’. There is no specific method to solve the questions and doubts I had in mind, through my experience. But philosophy had helped me so (and hit me also). It had strengthened my bonds with Christ. It had strengthened my very foundations of my Christianity.
However, as I have mentioned that it’s difficult to study it in schools as a subject. I feel it can lead to destructive consequences. If I had not the faith in my God. I don’t think I can hold on to my belief. As what my POD teacher says that “what I believe is the truth can withstand all criticisms”. Indeed I found that right. What it the truth is the truth. God is my truth. I believe it. Because my faith and belief is strong. But what will happen, if a child were to learn philosophy in schools, and only to question of his existence? Sometimes, it sets them to depression more than thinking. They feel lost. I know of many who feel lost. This subject could well cause suicide! Although it could mean good, but it would inevitably cause damage, because, philosophy can make one question of his reality. He feels lost, and loses his aim in life. He could take his own life.
Of course it is good to be sure of one’s topic. Sometimes, philosophy could be helpful and build a person. Sometimes it well destroys him. He starts to question his loved ones, and start to find little purpose. For everything is science, everything, he is unsure of. So what is he sure of? He cannot even be sure of himself!
Questioning is indeed the strongest way to confirm, and to doubt. That is good, and comes with a huge cost sometimes. Philosophy had damaged me before. And by questioning one’s reality, is bad enough to cause the breaking of relationships, ending of lives.
This is why philosophy should not be studied as a subject, or to too much an extent in schools. It can be a destructive factor, instead of a constructive one.
As what every Christian will do, I thank God for writing this essay with me. I believe it. Philosophically, there would be questions. I had thought of a lot of criticisms that would come after I credited God. I believe that God wrote this essay with me, and that a lot of my words in this passage are from him. There will be critics “Is it lady luck, or really God?” But I had thought through that. I tell you, if I had not studied philosophy, I could not have answered that question above, because of the lack of criticism and questioning ability.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTShttp://ethics.acusd.edu/http://www.prochoiceforum.org.uk/aad4.asphttp://www.2think.org/abortion.shtmlGod, co-writer of this essay, who gave me one big idea when I am running out of ideas. That idea completed 900 words of this essay.
Dr. Phillip Tieh, who gave me his help, and a personal comments and views, to help me on this.
Edmund Cheong, made me feel the same way as him.
Steven Neoh, for indirectly giving my some advice.
