Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

Philosophy Reflection Paper

Good Essays
715 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Philosophy Reflection Paper
The Oxford English Dictionary defines philosophy as “Knowledge, learning, scholarship; a body of knowledge; spec. advanced knowledge or learning.” By this definition we can gather that philosophy is, essentially, the pursuit of knowledge or understanding on a much higher level than usual. In the following paper I will present my views on philosophy as a whole by examining what I believe philosophy is supposed to do, as well as how it can benefit the life of any individual willing to invest time in it and the societies that promote such thoughts. Ever since its very beginnings in 6th century BCE, philosophy has been used as a tool to help better understand complex questions regarding logic, knowledge, truth, and even human existence itself. I have long considered philosophy to be a method of deeper understanding when it comes to the human life. Why is this? Perhaps it is because a large part of philosophy is focused on argument, debate, and overall interaction with fellow humans, as opposed to other methods that do not focus on these aspects. It is my belief that if we were to attempt to answer by ourselves the difficult questions life poses, then our lives would be very dull and difficult to properly question. Allow me to expand on what I briefly mentioned at the end of the previous paragraph. Each and every one of us is, in my opinion, a prisoner of our respective perception. From birth our minds are plagued by outside influences that shape our mind regardless of how much we try to avoid it. These influences can take on many different forms such as: media, parents, teachers, etc. What ideologies these influences plant in our minds also depends on a number of variables such: nationality, class, race, etc. This, in turn, leads to bias and prevents anyone from being 100% subjective in any matter. We cannot know any one thing or pass off one of our perceptions as absolute truth. In fact, what you are currently reading is only my interpretation of what I have perceived. Therefore, the only way to truly gain an improved understanding of our life and the world we live in is to explore our different perceptions by sharing and challenging these views with others in debate and/or argument. As Socrates once said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” In other words, if you are not going to break out of your own prison of perception, then your life will be bland and very difficult. Approaching matters in a philosophical fashion is great for people as individuals, but it is also extremely important in societies as a whole. When members of a particular society strive to be thoughtful of their own views instead of just bashing the views of others, then there is an increase of tolerance and open-mindedness. Through this tolerance the society can then obtain a higher sense of fraternity and respect for one another. Societies that promote debate and an open-minded outlook tend to be more democratic and infringe on the rights of the people less. Take Ancient Greece for example, Ancient Greece is where philosophy was born and just also happened to be unlike any other society at the time. Slavery did exist and the women were not considered true citizens, but when compared to other, much more tribal cultures at the time, the Greek people experienced a freedom unheard of in any other part of the world. Modern countries would do well to incorporate philosophy in areas such as: government/politics, education, etc., and thankfully many do. Given the topics discussed in this paper, I find it hard to believe that the introduction of philosophy into one’s life would not be beneficial in many ways. Analysis and consideration of all views, the careful contemplation of oneself and the environment around them, and the intellectual freedom and open-mindedness that such a practice lends to the societies it is promoted within. I can say with confidence that I believe philosophy is an integral part of human life and should be promoted on an international scale in order for countries to work together to logically solve global problems.

“Philosophy is the highest music.”
- Plato
“Philosophy.” Def 1. Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. Draft Revision Sep. 2010

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    PHIL 201 Lesson 2

    • 950 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Philosophy is the critical examination of our foundational beliefs concerning the nature of reality, knowledge, and truth, and our moral and social values.…

    • 950 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Philosophy is defined as the study of the basic principles and concepts of a particular branch of knowledge; embracing and seeking wisdom through reason and the logical presentation of ideas. This concept, I believe, is to strip an idea down to its fundamental basis or theory, analyzing cause rather than effect, then through investigation and exercise, begin to find understanding. When this concept is applied to an existing practice, all parties benefit from an equal and larger pool of knowledge. As a nurse, I see firsthand how philosophy applies to my profession.…

    • 2588 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Philosophy is the rational analysis of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct; the pursuit of happiness. The greek translation for Philosophy means the love of wisdom. The love of wisdom, as discussed in class, is best modelled after a quote by Pope Benedict XVI: “The world can offer you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.” It is pushing and venturing outside of your comfort zone in search for the knowledge and understanding that wisdom offers. There are many concepts often misconstrued in philosophy that we discussed in class. For example, it is a misconception when people come to the conclusion that there are no correct answers in Philosophy. It is a fact that there are indeed correct answers…

    • 1030 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Socrates Dialogue Crito

    • 1864 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Philosophy is a growing and advancing subject as it deals with the love of wisdom. Furthermore, philosophy expresses the search for self-understanding and asking questions about basic concepts one may encounter on a daily base. Philosophy is a field of interest as it brings forth a different way of thinking. Constantly, we inquire about specific aspects of daily life. For example, one may question whether their profession will make them happy or not?…

    • 1864 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    philosophy paper

    • 3532 Words
    • 15 Pages

    I believe that the best practices in early childhood education include children’s ideas, parent’s values and teacher’s suggestions. All of these will benefit children’s learning as well as give them a good understanding of the environment around them. Teachers should be flexible with the daily schedule and open to different learning opportunities. This way, children will have less structured time and more opportunities to explore and learn. As I observe in some of the childcare centers, children do not have enough time to play or finish their investigation and projects. They are hurried to be putting their toys away, and this does not benefit their learning. Teachers should encourage children to explore and investigate the topic further. The center’s policies should exclude time outs, as it does not improve children’s behavior, but rather stimulates him to get more attention. Teachers should encourage children to solve problems, and help them out if they see that serious issue occurs. Also, the physical environment has a big impact on best practices too. It should be filled with warm colors and feel like home to children. If the children will feel like at home, they will feel safe, which will benefit their learning.…

    • 3532 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Philosophy is defined as, “The experience of asking and seeking to answer such grand questions about life, about what we know, about what we ought to do or believe in” (Solomon and Higgins, 2014, p. 28). Solomon and Higgins in their definition of Physiology further stated, “It is the process of getting to the bottom of things, questioning ideas, that most of the time, we simply take for granted and probably never put into words” (p. 28).…

    • 1619 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    my eyes. Philosophy offers many positive aspects to life. It challenges us as humans to…

    • 1368 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Philosophy Term Paper

    • 1565 Words
    • 7 Pages

    In philosophy, value is a property of objects, including physical objects as well as abstract objects, or actions, representing their degree of importance to an individual. An object with philosophic value may be termed an ethic or philosophic good. As Wikipedia says about values, “personal and cultural value is a relative ethic value, an assumption on which implementation can be extrapolated. A value system is a set of consistent values and measures. A principle value is a foundation upon which other values and measures of integrity are based.” No matter what your socio-economic background, I believe that our values shape who we are, and how we live our lives. Once we get to a certain age, we are capable of self-reflection, and although it may be difficult, we all have the strength within us to make change happen. If some of your adult values are different than those you grew up with, then that will at some point cause conflict with those in your family. I believe that part of being an adult means making tough decisions about what’s right for you, and then having the courage to stick with…

    • 1565 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Philosophy Response Paper

    • 1264 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The existence of God has been a huge issue for many, many centuries. In H. J. McCloskey's article "On being an Atheist" he said that the cosmological and teleological arguments are false and that we need to forget the idea of God completely because there is no definitive proof. McCloskey's main issue with the idea of God is the presence of evil in the world. ca…

    • 1264 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Philosophy is the search for wisdom and truth. Philosophy is the study of examining and thinking about the knowledge, nature, truth, and meaning of life. Philosophy makes you utilize your sense of logic and reason to help you understand reality. It helps you to be able to have thought-provoking, meaningful conversations about knowledge, life, human nature, and morality. Philosophers try to approach questions by examining their own personal beliefs and then they start to doubt the validity of their own beliefs. One prominent philosopher is Plato. Plato is one of the world’s most widely read and known philosophers. Plato was a student of Socrates and the teacher of Aristotle. Plato made a great impact on the Western thought’s development, on our understanding of nature and reality, and he made a great impact on the knowledge we can have. Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave” is one of the best known writings in Philosophy that attempted to answer questions such as “why are we here?” and “what is reality?”. In…

    • 1232 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Contributors

    • 255 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Philosophy contributes by providing orientation to problem solving over content acquisition. Philosophy helps reach a common goal. The quest for knowledge seems similar.…

    • 255 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Philosophy is defines as the study of the principles underlying conduct thought, and the nature of the universe. A simple explanation of philosophy is that it entails a search for meaning in a universe” (Chitty, & Black, 2007, p. 318).…

    • 559 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Conservatism In America

    • 3135 Words
    • 13 Pages

    A philosophy is a complicated detailed system of ideas about human nature and the reality of the world which the humans have inhibited. Philosophy provides guidelines for living and discusses basic issues. Philosophy raises the deepest and widest questions in human mind. "There…

    • 3135 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Philosophy Paper

    • 845 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In Apology written by Plato, Socrates is accused and charged with exploiting the youth and leading them into doubting the Gods recognized by the people of Athens. In Socrates’ speech, he is actually defending and speaking for himself. Although the modern understanding of the world Apology is to feel bad and admit to a wrongdoing, the word Apology in the title refers back to the Greek word Apologia, which means defense or justification of a belief. When Socrates is called upon the court, he respectfully asks if he can represent himself and if he could use his own strategy, which is elenchus to debate in court. The judge approves and in effect, Socrates asks questions to defend himself. Socrates claims that he knows almost nothing, but there are also things he claims to know. To my belief, Socrates does contradict himself but who doesn’t ever contradict themselves? I conclude that it is conventional for Socrates to contradict himself because no matter who we are, we are bound to say a few things that contradict each other.…

    • 845 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Questions on Socrates

    • 1149 Words
    • 4 Pages

    What is philosophy? Philosophy is the pursuit of the truth. Philosophy is interested in obtaining the truth and objective about important concepts, human beings and the world. The objective knowledge has two set ideas about philosophy; they are timeless and changeless. Asking questions does obtaining objective knowledge and gaining an understanding. Questions are asked through guided reason and language.…

    • 1149 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays