Archaic. Elitist. Impractical. Circular.
Boring. Wordy. Indiscernible.
Presently irrelevant.
Dead.
Before I even continue, let me tell you this: I’ve always thought that Philosophy was a lot like Latin. That is, I’ve always thought it was this overly hyped subject not fit for the present time. It required a lot of work, a lot of understanding, and, if I were to be perfectly honest - yet terribly ignorant - a lot of time I could use for something else.
However, I’m not the only person who thinks this. In fact, a quick Google search yielded me these results:
Now, a few weeks into the end of my first ever Philosophy course, I’ve realized how painfully closed minded I have been.
Maybe it can be attributed to the fact that it has always been instilled in our immature minds that things have to have material return for it to be valuable. Sure, people are important, so you have to treat them well – but can they deliver? I think we’ve been taught – for the most part – to calculate people. To treat people like objects who we can use when we need, and mindlessly fling away when they’re no longer – or not yet – necessary. And no, I’m not saying that all of us do those; I’m just saying it’s how we sometimes view things external from us. And because of it, we’ve always regarded Philosophy as something that shouldn’t be given too much importance.
It’s a pessimistic view, yes. But it also has its truths.
This is why, over the semester, I came to one conclusion – that I truly know nothing yet, no matter how much I’d like to believe so. If I did, I would know this - Philosophy is about living in the world every single day. And making it count. And, whether or not we’re willing to accept it, Philosophy has value. And it’s here to stay.
Why? Simple. Because Philosophy isn’t just about ancient truths and dead people. It’s not just about Greek words. It’s about understanding understanding. It’s about knowing what there is to know. It’s about today.
And while that may sound like the most ideal definition of Philosophy ever, it’s what I understand from everyone whom we’ve tackled over the course of the semester. David Foster Wallace and Marcel said that it’s about realizing that we’re not alone in this world, that we are a culmination of people we’ve come across with. Fr. Ferriols focused on the importance of insight, as did Ricouer – and they talked about how Philosophy is relevant in all aspects of our lives. It’s about reflection. It’s about a perpetual search. It’s about transcending.
Philosophy taught me purpose – or at least the value of having one. It taught me to create something that will last far more than I will. It taught me that life is ephemeral, and if I don’t make my mark, if I don’t arrive at my truth, if I don’t create something that will live on before I leave, then I couldn’t say that I lived my life enough.
Before I end, I’d like to include a code we were tasked to memorize when I was still a cadet officer in training in the Ateneo ROTC. It’s something I hold dearly, and – in retrospect – it’s a conglomeration of everything I’ve learned this sem. It’s all the readings, all the insights, and all the metaphysical unease I’ve felt in but a few lines.
Desiderata
by Max Ehrmann
Go placidly amidst the noise and haste
And remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
Be in good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
And listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant.
They too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive people,
They are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself to others
You will become vain and bitter.
For always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your career, however humble;
It is a real possession in the changing fortune of times.
Exercise caution in your business affairs
For the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtues there is.
Many persons strive for high ideals,
And everywhere the world is full of heroism.
Be yourself, especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
For in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
It is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of years,
Gracefully surrendering to the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortunes.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
Be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
No less than the trees or the stars.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
No doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore, be at peace with God,
Whatever you conceive him to be.
And whatever your labor and aspirations,
In the noisy confusion of life,
Keep peace with your soul.
With all its shame, drudgery, and broken dreams,
It is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
I have no mandate to save the world.
But I have the mandate to save myself.
And since I am part of the world… then that should be enough.
Philosophy’s worth it after all.
That. Was. Beautiful. Good job, Joy! :)
ReplyDeleteNo matter how much we say that Philosophy is irrelevant to our lives, we have to realize that it will always be there. Every aspect of our lives has a bit of philosophy in it. Philosophy will never die nor will it be irrelevant. We just have to be more open-minded about it to really appreciate and understand. :)
I really liked your introduction, particularly the part where you show the google search (very witty). About your main insight, I like what you said that Philosophy is about the present, and not just about dead philosophers. Perhaps this is another thing that makes Philosophy so interesting: it is timeless. It involved people generations before us, and it is still relevant today. As long as human life with all its joys and pains exists, philosophy is here to stay.
ReplyDeletei love desiderata <3 good job joy :)
ReplyDeleteI really like your title and i honestly thought this would be a controversial piece but i feel like you've put into words what we were all thinking :) i've been thinking about what i've learned in Philosophy and you just took the words right out of my mouth.
You're right. Philosophy really is about "now". And I realized it's always there with us in life no matter what we're going through. I also like what you said in the last part about saving yourself. Sometimes it just gets in our head how we should be helping other people and be of service to them when there are times that we can't even help ourselves. So yeah, I guess we should go save ourselves first before we lend a hand since we can't give what we don't have. Even little things like thinking about ourselves does help the world, and if put that way, it doesn't sound selfish at all.
ReplyDelete"For always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself."
ReplyDeleteI particularly liked this line. :) Philosophy's been quite a humbling experience. We've been pushed to look beyond and outside of ourselves. We are not the center nor are we the source. We are but products of contingencies, of a web of encounters and experiences with other people who are also woven into this web of Being.
What I picked up most from Marcel is philosophy linked to reflection as conversion. It's easy to perceive people as less than ourselves and to judge them for it. Although it may be true that in a particular instance they were, we can't be so self-righteous to say that we've never been that way. I think the lesson here is to put our emotions in parenthesis and try to see the bigger picture. People may seem less than ourselves, but who are we to say we've never acted less than anybody else?
While reading this, it occurred to me how easy it can actually be for us to identify how useful Philosophy is in our everyday lives, and at the same time how difficult it is to live out the things we've been learning in class for the whole semester. This is because just like what DFW said in his speech, "IT TAKES WILL AND EFFORT, and if [we] are like [DFW], some days [we] actually won't be able to do it, or [we] just flat out won't want to."
ReplyDeleteBut subsequent to this thought, I also realized that being able to read blog posts like this is one of the ways I get to tell myself that "This is Water", and that even though living out Philosophy is a difficult thing to do, in the end the 'gain' is far greater than the 'pain'.
And with that, I think a big "THANK YOU!" (directed to the different writers of this blog, or to Sir Earl and Doc Leo, or to the Ateneo) is in order. :)
The title you gave is quite appropriate since most people believe that Philosophy is dead, useless. I, myself, thought the same about Philosophy when I heard we will be taking up this course in 3rd year. I was curious but at the same time bothered on why should we study such thing when we could focus more on our majors and the like. But going through the different philosophers and listening to the countless lectures, I came to understand the reason why there is a need to do philosophy and how it is very relevant in our lives. Through this course I have never looked at myself so deeply within and the interconnectedness of the world. That we are not the center of the universe and that we must go beyond oneself. So we could say that in learning a lot of things we still do not know. And I am glad to know that I do not know.
ReplyDeleteAnd GOOD JOB JOY!
Believe it or not, I entered the course not knowing what I signed myself up for... and it was only in my senior year that I have appreciated all that I have gone through. I hope all of you guys do so too, as early as now.
DeleteI really love your article, good job. I think most of us have their own doubts when we first found out that we are all required to take philosophy. For me, I was both curious and scared at the same time. I don't know, whenever I hear the word philosophy I would always assumed that it is some ancient study that is really hard to understand. I guess I was wrong. Throughout the semester, I learned to appreciate the class because it reminds us about the important life lessons that really helps us understand more about life.
ReplyDeleteKat Balonan
Ph 101 A