by George Goking
Doctor Garcia opened a discussion regarding the potentially life changing aspect of Philosophy on the human being. I thought about what he said, but there wasn’t enough time for me to bring up my reflection during class. But what I wanted to mention was that, I think most of, if not all, concepts we discuss in philosophy are things that the human reflect on every day. These ideas that possibly circulate in our thoughts are coded in a language beyond words and gestures.
Do you ever get that feeling when you come in to eye-to-eye contact with a random stranger from a distance, you almost instantly pick up a message, and carry out that calling before even being able to put that message into words in your head? Students that have taken up Scott Peck’s article, Love, might be able to understand what I am trying to explain.
There are several things that we reflect upon but do not have words to discuss them openly. But when there is literature that exists and explains such phenomena in a language that is manageable (i.e. English, Tagalog, etc.) then the person will be drawn out from this uneasiness, knowing that there is a such thing and that it was not just him/her over thinking.
I believe that many people do not act out on what they truly desire because of the absence of a venue to discuss or exercise such ideas and practices. Through our discussion of Philosophy, this creates an environment where fellow students can discuss certain phenomena and not sound crazy or out of this world. Such ideas would most likely be labelled as products of over thinking for those who have not formally encountered Philosophy.
This environment enables students to enrich their understanding and appreciation of Philosophy to levels that exceed just the mind which allows the person to act out in his environment, knowing that he is not alone, and that this is not just some overthought imagination.
Our society has labelled so many characteristics under being weird and other negative categories. I believe that those who are less exposed to Philosophical literature feel that way towards people who reflect on existence and being. I think the Philosophy breaks that barrier and sprinkles confidence on people that share the same amusement towards such things, which allows them to live it up with less hesitation and more motivation.
This reminds of something that Bertrand Russell said in his book The Problems of Philosophy. It goes, "Philosophy, if it cannot answer so many questions as we could wish, has at least the power of asking questions which increase the interest of the world, and show the strangeness and wonder lying just below the surface even in the commonest things of daily life." Philosophy properly so-called doesn't start with dogma that is removed from reality, it builds on pre-philosophical experiences and shows the complexities that are already there. Doing philosophy allows us to be more reflective and better appreciate our experiences, among other things.
ReplyDelete- Veronica Jereza PH 102 C
I like when you said "Philosophy breaks that barrier and sprinkles confidence on people that share the same amusement towards such things, which allows them to live it up with less hesitation and more motivation." as sometimes people really are afraid to do what they feel like doing because of how society might label them or see them as. They are afraid to be judged by their actions especially when the norm is otherwise. For example, i would like to relate this to the philosophy of Levinas when it comes to infinite responsibility and doing good. Sometimes, even though we perfectly know that we shouldn't do the wrong thing, we refuse to do what is right because we are afraid to be seen as "goody-goody" and such but I think this is what Philosophy precisely teaches us to be. To be a person who isn't afraid to do good, to be responsible. Someone who sees things differently like "It's okay not to have the favor or good thing returned to us but as long as i have done something good for you, that's good enough for me." like you said "To live it up with less hesitation and more motivation".
ReplyDeleteFrenchi Baluyot Ph 102 A
I love your perspective on what Philosophy allows us to do. It always amazed me how fruitful the reflections in class were even if we didn't know each other personally. In that 30-45 minute span of reflection Doc G usually encourages during the end of the discussion, everyone can put aside their respective differences and really give beautiful insights. This reminds me of the time Doc G told us that Philosophy reminds us of the most basic things that we've forgotten or ignored because of the busy and selfish lives we've chosen for ourselves.
ReplyDelete-Genica Lim (C)
It is true that people who have taken Philosophy classes are lucky to have an avenue to share ones thoughts and not sound crazy. And I don't think that people who did not have the chance to study Philosophy are less capable of understanding "human beings." We are in no way superior than them. In a way, reflections are brought about by traumatisms. So for as long as you have experiences and dreams, you can reflect. However, it is true, also, that literature brings more than what human experiences can ever reach. In your reflection, you can share your processed outputs/universal solutions to other people, too.
ReplyDeleteKate Bonamy
Ph102A
I don't think that it's only Philosophy class that gives us this freedom to think out of the box. Classes in school generally gives us a perspective in life that isn't limited by common knowledge, ideals, or thoughts. It's only in school that we get to further develop ourselves as we connect with our friends and professors.
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