Philosophy is sometimes seen as an abstract discipline that can be mastered only through reading obscure and difficult-to-understand texts. But, philosophy can provide us with useful practical tools to improve our lives and addresses problems that arise. Here are some excellent examples of philosophical ideas that can improve your life by improving your thinking.
Questions: Philosophers ask questions. It’s what they do best. But, not every question is philosophical. A good philosophical question digs below the surface to examine underlying assumptions that are not often acknowledged. One of the best examples of such questioning was Socrates. He was fond of asking questions like, “What is beauty?” “What is justice?” His questions seem so easy to answer on the surface but as a dialogue with him would continue the questioning would soon reveal hidden assumptions and contradictions. One of the best uses of this kind of questioning is where there seems to be complete agreement. This may seem counter-intuitive but in many such cases, that agreement is masking an underlying lack of clarity which can be explored by some strategic Socratic questioning. Doubt: The 17th-century philosopher Rene Descartes famously began his philosophical investigation with doubt. He attempted to doubt everything to discover if there could be a foundation of knowledge that was indubitable. He found that foundation in the very act of doubting recognizing that if he was thinking he had to exist. That could not be doubted. This is what he meant by his famous pronouncement that “I think, therefore, I am.” The 18th-century British empiricist David Hume continued this tradition of doubt with his skeptical approach to knowledge. He advised that the wise person will “proportion his belief to the evidence.” If the evidence for a claim is weak we cannot be justified in holding a strong belief about it. In a world of “fake news” and numerous sources of information, this advice can come in very handy. We don’t have to doubt everything, but a healthy dose of skepticism is often warranted when presented with claims that seem too good or too outlandish to be true. Categories: The 18-century philosopher Immanuel Kant began his philosophical investigations by trying to address Hume’s skepticism. In doing so, he hit upon an insight that still influences psychology today. His idea was that our minds act as a filter through which we perceive sense experience. These filters he called the “categories of the mind.” They provide the structure for our knowledge of sense experience and include things like space, time, and causality. We impose an order on sense experience that may not really be there. In practical terms, we each bring our own unique perspective to whatever problem or situation we are facing. Remembering this can be very useful. We too often assume that people see the world just like we do and while there are some common elements in our perspectives as human beings, there are also important differences that must be addressed in order to ensure good communication. Wants and Needs: If you want something, does that mean you need it? For many people, the answer seems to be yes. What’s worse, is the all too common mentality that if I want something, I deserve it. The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus provided a useful antidote to this kind of thinking. For Epicurus, there are three categories of desires. The first is natural and necessary and includes the basics: food, clothing, shelter, as well as friendship, freedom, and thinking. We require these to be happy. And, for Epicurus, these are all that we require to be happy. But, there are also natural and unnecessary desires (wants that become confused with needs). These include many of the luxury items in our life; fancy food, clothing, big houses, fancy cars. All of which we desire but do not require to be happy. The problem occurs when we believe we need these things, purchase them, and then find that we have to work to afford them and in the process discover we are no happier as a result of acquiring them than we were without them. Third, Epicurus identifies the unnatural and unnecessary desires for power and fame. These may be at the root of our belief that natural but unnecessary desires are really needs. After all, if you strongly desire fame and power, you will deduce that you need those things that Epicurus classifies as natural but unnecessary. Attitude: The Greek and Roman Stoic philosophers were masters of cultivating a good attitude towards life, especially life’s problems. The Stoics recognized that it was important to distinguish between what you can control and what you cannot control. Surprisingly few things are in your direct control, chief among them is your attitude. You cannot control what other people think or do but you can control your attitude towards them and their actions. As Epictetus pointed out, “People are not disturbed by things, but by the views which they take of things.” The Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius echoed this sentiment saying, “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” The Stoics also offered useful advice for dealing with adversity. We must recognize that problems are an inevitable part of life. But, we can cultivate an attitude that meets these problems as challenges. If we can see problems as opportunities to cultivate a proper attitude and as tests of our virtue we can better cope with what difficulties arise in the course of our life. As you can see, philosophical ideas can be very insightful and practical. While some philosophers write abstract difficult-to-understand texts, many others specifically wrote and taught to help people improve their lives. As Epicurus once said, “Vain is the word of a philosopher which does not heal any suffering of man. For just as there is no profit in medicine if it does not expel the diseases of the body, so there is no profit in philosophy either, if it does not expel the suffering of the mind.”
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kevin j. brownePhilosopher | Educator Archives
July 2022
improve your thinking: The course |