Is philosophy a creative subject?

[run]

I'm awfully creative, but I love philosophy. Even knowing its an absorption subject, I still love it.

I think its a creative subject, and I think its because there are multiple ways to approach a problem, and we exercise these different approaches when we study philosophy.

But philosophy? Its so dry. What do you think?

 

[simulatedworld]

Well, I'm Jaguar and I don't see any hard evidence that there's any real use for philosophy, so screw it.

 

[Sniffles]

Here, I present to you some of the meditations of one of my personal favorite philosophers on this issue:
Nikolai Berdyaev - On Creativity

Hope this is of some help, especially the top quote:

"Philosophy ... is the creative perception by the spirit of the meaning of human existence."

 

[The Ü™]

Philosophy as in studying other philosophers, no.

Philosophy as in having your own philosophy, maybe.

 

[Mole]

I'm awfully creative, but I love philosophy. Even knowing its an absorption subject, I still love it.

I think its a creative subject, and I think its because there are multiple ways to approach a problem, and we exercise these different approaches when we study philosophy.

But philosophy? Its so dry. What do you think?

We were driving to the Philosophy Camp on the banks of the Hawkesbury River from Sydney University. The road was long and narrow with lots of traffic, but I saw on a bike, pedaling furiously, with his hair and gown flying, my philosophy professor.

He was riding all the way from the University to the river because he believed in the bicycle and his philosophy was against the motor car.

He was passionate about his philosophy and he was demonstrating his philosophy and his passion to his students in a dramatic way. And we all liked and respected him.

And during the camp, during a crucial moment, he gave me a simple nod of approval. And that nod meant more to me than honours.

It also helped that, like Charley Brown, I feel madly in love a little red headed girl, a fellow student, at that camp.

Also I listened to a fellow student dispute the Law of the Excluded Middle in terms of trees and tree sprites.

So I had the nod of my professor, tree sprites, and the love of a lovely girl.

Philosophy has given me more than I deserve.

And for three thousand years, since the Ancient Greeks, philosophy has nourished our minds, our imaginations and our hearts.

How can we be grateful enough?

 

[Queen Kat]

It's a very creative subject with our philosophy teacher! She lets us think for ourselves as well. Last time we could all design our own ideal society and compare it to a famous philosopher's society. That was really awesome. I based my ideal society on the Smurfs and then I compared it to Marx's ideas (I have to write a giant paper about Karl Marx next year, so that's why I chose Marx).

 

[Mole]

She lets us think for ourselves...

How nice of her to let you think for yourself.

Perhaps you should think of undermining her and opposing her every thought.

Just remember, she is repressed and repressive and it you she is repressing in letting you think.

For what she can let you do, she can stop you from doing. Simply, what she can give, she can take away.

Power can't be given, it must be taken - including the power of thought.

You are going to have to take your power from her - and she won't let go nicely.

Or alternatively, you could be just as nice as your teacher, and she will be just as nice as you.

 

[Fluffywolf]

Philosophers are among the most positively influencial people ever to have existed.

Philosophy leads to change, change has lead us to where we are today. If it wasn't for philosophy, we would still be occupying caves and remove each others ticks.

Philosophy dares to go where no man has gone before.

 

[Mole]

Philosophers are among the most positively influencial people ever to have existed.

Philosophy leads to change, change has lead us to where we are today. If it wasn't for philosophy, we would still be occupying caves and remove each others ticks.

Philosophy dares to go where no man has gone before.

And Ancient Greek philosophy is one of the three pillars of Western Civilization.

 

[Fluffywolf]

And Ancient Greek philosophy is one of the three pillars of Western Civilization.

Most definatly!

So, philosophy is creative per definition. Without creativity, there would be no philosophy.

 

[Moiety]

Inherently it's neither creative nor just data, imo. It's how you look at it that makes a difference.

I don't see a point in it when it's just the regurgitation of what other people said. The creative aspect is what draws me to it.

 

[Fluffywolf]

Are we talking about philosophy or learning about philosophers and their work in the past?

Even though they are not mutually exclusive.

 

[Mole]

Most definatly!
So, philosophy is creative per definition. Without creativity, there would be no philosophy.

It's created us, mate.

Without Ancient Greek philosophy we wouldn't exist.

The Ancient Greeks are our parents. The spoke and wrote a beautiful language and gave us not only our deepest and profoundest thoughts but our very way of thinking, imagining, loving and fighting.

Not to know Ancient Greek is not to know our parents.

And what parents they were. And what children are we!

Children of Athena. Children of Athens. And here we are in our very own Atheneum.

 

[Owl]

There've been some very good replies to the OP, and my reply will echo some of them, but I hope to add some additional food for thought.

Some have mentioned studying the work of other philosophers, and how that isn't creative. This is true in a sense. These philosophers have broken the ground, so to speak, and by merely studying them you add nothing new to their thought.

However, there is a sense in which studying the work of other philosophers is creative, and this is the sense in which all thought is creative. We are born ignorant. We don't come out of the womb knowing what a point or a straight line is, neither do we know the nature of a Kantian category. We have to work to discover and form concepts, judgments, and arguments. We have to work to create our own understanding of geometry, of Kantian transcendental idealism, of anything that we can come to know. And so when we study the work of other philosophers, we create our understanding of what they said and why, even if they got there first.

Philosophy is not dry. Philosophers are.

 

[run]

There've been some very good replies to the OP

Indeed.

 

[Kangol]

I think it's far better to assume there are no creative subjects, only creative people. Some subjects may attract the creative types, but there are many who are attracted to them while not being particularly creative themselves.

Einstein was ridiculously creative, and what was he? A patents-office worker with an interest in physics? Yea.

Go into something you have a passion for and your potential for creativity can be optimally harnessed.

 

[Galusha]

how exactly are you defining creativity here?

 

[hommefatal]

I would say it is. You often have to think of situations and things like that.