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What do you think the purpose of philosophy or spirituality is?

Lark

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Are they mainly explanatory, such as cosmos, abstract theorising, or are they mainly about how we should live? Is it a sharp dichotomy between the two? Why?
 

Dopa

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I think everything is extrinsic except for the pleasure/pain axis, the only intrinsic reason anything can be good or bad. Without pleasure or pain, nothing could possibly matter.
 

Xander

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Questions and ideas to ruminate upon. Nothing more. If any answer is found by considering the questions they raise then the exercise is validated.
 

Qlip

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To teach how to live without certainty, and yet without being paralyzed by hesitation, is perhaps the chief thing that philosophy, in our age can still do for those who study it.

- Bertrand Russell
 

Pionart

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To transform the individual, inevitably leading to a transformation of society.

I think everything is extrinsic except for the pleasure/pain axis, the only intrinsic reason anything can be good or bad. Without pleasure or pain, nothing could possibly matter.

Pleasure and pain are an illusion. A biological mechanism that we derive meaning from. Or do you mean to say that experience itself is key, and that experience can be divided into good and bad? Is there anything though which is extrinsic to experience? Your experience is outside of my experience, so in that sense yes.

So, we have the problem of whether anything exists outside of experience, and this is a very real problem. Supposing it is, we would then need to demonstrate that some kind of experience is somehow better than another, while only referencing experience. Problem problem problem, which cannot be solved.
 

Julius_Van_Der_Beak

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To transform the individual, inevitably leading to a transformation of society.

We are made of excrement. We should change ourselves into gold. Only when that happens will social transformation be possible. Otherwise, any attempts at revolution or reform will just echo the old society.

Philosophy is a means for turning ourselves into gold. Philosophers should also not be held up as ideals, but examined within the context of their times. The parts that speak truth can be synthesized into a greater whole; the parts that do not can be discarded.
 

Oaky

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Philosophy is thought to be applied, and to be applied is to allow oneself to entertain and perhaps adopt the philosophical viewpoint. It is highly important. It is not simply enjoyment of thought, it is altering worldviews, altering attitudes by such perspectives and expanding one's view of understanding others' possible points of views. Not many understand the significance of philosophy upon the mental attitudes towards all things in the world, but a few do, and those are those who manage to alleviate from a more common physical perspective of things over others. The impact of optimism as a philosophy on an individual highly differs how the individual deals with the world, and emotional reactions to such things to a pessimist. A solipsist is able to lower fears of dealing with the social world because they would assume people may not exist as an external object beyond their minds. A realist takes the situation at hand and does not overextend thought over details or big picture aspects of a situation. An atheist takes that which they can perceive and trusts expansion over time and science without holding trust in that which is beyond that, as they perceive creativity in the human minds hold non-solid grounds to explain that which is not yet explained. This is also a philosophical undertaking. As an agnostic holds possibilities as possible, and does not tend to hold solid stance of belief in matters of the unknown or non-perceived. Theists, holds to past traditions, beliefs, and understand through things set and held, and many formulate multiple understandings of what was written from the past but hold belief in the unknown, 'unseen' or unclear, as something far more solid to the foundations of existence.


Philosophy is important because each and every individual has a unique philosophy they tend to lean to at one particular instance in time. To understand others' is to be able to start to notice things you wouldn't notice and therefore change one's way of dealing with the world.
 

kiddykat

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What is the purpose of philosophy or spirituality?

As long as humans live amongst a group of people, community, the environment and exist within the universe, why is philosophy needed? Philosophy helps us to understand the world around us, and helps us to question and re-examine the cultural constructs we live by. Through the process of questioning and re-examining, we're able to incorporate ethics in our daily conducts as a social more, a spoken or unspoken written rule based on values of fairness, equality, and reason.

Philosophy helps us to question science, the mind, all aspects of living.

Spirituality, what are its purposes? Some people chose to live spiritual lives, whether or not they believe in a God or multiple Gods, or no God because spirituality to them is essential, because spirituality gives meaning to everyday existence. You're able to transcend beyond philosophy and science, and actually apply it in every moment of your life. These are all of the subliminal questions wrapped up into one, and spirituality is the art of living the way we choose to based on how we perceive our own realities and the way we conduct ourselves.
 

á´…eparted

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It personally feels like a bunch of pointless naval gazing to me. Though I do understand its purpose. I just keep away from it in most circumstances.
 

Zangetshumody

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Nov 19, 2009
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INTJ
to have a purpose that retains it's own esteem,

which is to say: having an immortal soul

which is to say: to be fruitful, and having the fruit remain.

(which is having no external locus of [moral] authority, so one can experience pure freedom (which is the real liberty of spirit; because you are able to discern the truth and know it for yourself.)
 

Passacaglia

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Dec 7, 2014
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Philosophy and spirituality both have lofty goals, like critical self-examination and answering questions like 'What does utopia look like?' But I like this stuff because it's fun and informative; I think it has value, but it's not a calling for me. More like an occasional hobby.

For example I took a course on Faith and Reason this semester, and I had a blast. One of the topics we talked about was the three classic arguments for the existence of God, and I finally found out what religious folks mean when they talk about 'the high degree of order in the universe.' I also learned that [LaSallian] Catholicism interprets like 99% of scripture metaphorically, and a bit about Manichaeism. I'm taking the final this Saturday, and I'm almost looking forward to it! :nerd:
 

Frosty

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An attempt to explain the unexplainable. Break down common human understanding and then build it back up differently. Questioning what is known and whether anything is known. Relating what could be to what is, and vice-versa. Trying to connect to something beyond you, belief.
 

draon9

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The purpose of philosophy and spirituality is to fill people with wisdom, to discover things that not even they know about themselves , to get people to listen to their own thoughts and feelings and to improve the world, snd to give lost souls a sense of purpose and reason to keep living and do better for themselves.
 

Mole

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Mar 20, 2008
Messages
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Fear and Trembling

The purpose of philosophy is to critique the taken for granted.

And the purpose of spirituality is to go deeper and deeper and deeper until we give up control and re-emerge born anew.

Critiquing the taken for granted is opposed by vested interests, and giving up control is an existential threat to our psyche.

So philosophy and spiritualiy are not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly; but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly, and in fear and trembling.
 
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