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How Relevant is Philosophy To Actions?

Does philosphy often matter to real world actions?


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    14

BlackDog

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Is philosophy relevant to actions?

I love a nice long philosophical thread as much as the next guy.

However, I've often wondered about the interaction between philosophical ideas and real world actions.

For a while I took the position that there is no interaction. Needless to say, I got refuted. Clearly there can be interaction, and sometimes very important real world consequences occur as a result of philosophy.

However, how common is this in the judgment of this forum's readers? I tend to think it is minimal, but I'm basing that off of my personal experience. It would be useful to know what others think.
 

Pionart

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I guess it would depend on what you mean by philosophy, and what it means to be relevant to actions. They're both pretty vague.

I mean to me, philosophy dictates that I make healthy life choices. I've decided healthy is good, so when I say, eat right, that can stem from philosophical notions. Or say, MBTI. If I let psychological types influence what I say, or who I say it to, I would say that has stemmed from philosophical notions, insofar as typology is a philosophical attitude.

I mean, philosophy of ethics is all about what actions we should take. Logic is all about how we reason, and reason is behind action.

I would say that, generally speaking, philosophy can and does have a very real impact on actions. Of course you can act without philosophical consideration, and you can philosophise without really putting it into action, but a lot of philosophy can be acted out.
 

indra

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Looking for a pedestal that I can put you on, then I'm on my way... Philosophy is a confirmation of will.

At times though... every so often... we find a greater stream.
 

Tennessee Jed

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[...]I mean to me, philosophy dictates that I make healthy life choices. I've decided healthy is good, so when I say, eat right, that can stem from philosophical notions. [...]

I agree with this. Where philosophy provides a framework or system for rational living, then it's a positive.

OTOH, philosophy becomes a negative when it veers off into aery-faery abstract ramblings. At those times, one tends to flee to pragmatism for resolution and salvation. See a post on that subject here: http://www.typologycentral.com/foru...ue-meaning-pragmatism-please.html#post2343371

Thus, putting together these two viewpoints:

Philosophy tends to be longer-term and provide a framework for understanding. The opposite would be pragmatism which provides shorter-term ad-hoc solutions. When looked at in terms of that dichotomy: Sometimes you need the latter, and sometimes you need the former. It just depends on what kind of problem or context you're dealing with when you apply those two tools.
 

Qlip

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Define actions please. ;)
 

ygolo

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A philosophy devoid of use is not one I consider a philosophy. A useful philosophy makes distinctions that aid making decisions in life. A useless one, defines words for convenience and redefines for convenience, and allows us complete freedom. This sort of philosophy is one in name only.

I try to find or form a philosophy that provides me discipline. It corrects me when I am wrong, it guides me when I am lost, and lets me know when I am on the right path because it makes distinctions and provides boundaries. Ultimately, my aim is to master myself.

I may have more internal turmoil to sort through than the average person, I may not. But mastery is difficult, and I have a long way to go. An ideal philosophy would provide not only a love of wisdom but provide the wisdom itself. However, my investigations so far make me believe the wisdom lies in religion.

I resist pat answers, and distrust organized religions. Still, I have explored most of the worlds major religions, and I find a common spiritual thread among them. Words, symbols, pictures, and any description are quite inadequate to capture this commonality. We have only pointers.

So how does that square with a philosophy that makes distinctions? Philosophy is practical and worldly for me. But I think it needs to build in an openness to the spiritual and creative. It's like a skeleton that keeps the other mushy stuff in place as a working system.

My current philosophy is a mix of the basic tenets of Hinduism and Buddhism for mastery of myself, the teachings of Christianity regarding interactions with others, and the Rational Empiricism of science regarding dealing with the corporeal.
 

Mole

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Most of our actions are guided by philosophy. But the catch is that most of us are unaware of the philosophy that guides us.

We have the illusion that what we see is what there is - after all seeing is believing.

Philosophers seek to dispel this illusion. But almost none of us want to dispel our illusions, so we get rid of the philosopher, just as we got rid of our first Ancient Greek philosopher, Socrates.

So if we want to be popular, be an ideologue; and if we want to be unpopular, be a philospher.
 
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Beliefs without action= Dead Weight.

And probably an annoying know-it-all you want to slap hug.
 

Mole

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A philosophy devoid of use is not one I consider a philosophy. A useful philosophy makes distinctions that aid making decisions in life. A useless one, defines words for convenience and redefines for convenience, and allows us complete freedom. This sort of philosophy is one in name only.

I try to find or form a philosophy that provides me discipline. It corrects me when I am wrong, it guides me when I am lost, and lets me know when I am on the right path because it makes distinctions and provides boundaries. Ultimately, my aim is to master myself.

King Arthur was an ideologue. Arthur put his ideas, such as the Round Table, into practice.

And Arthur is the ideologue for you, because we first need to be mastered before we can master ourself.

However if you meet a philosopher, she might tell you No God, no master. Then where would you be without someone to master you, you would be unable to master yourself.

So an ideologue will master you, you will internalise your servility and be able to master yourself; or a philosopher will set you free.
 

PocketFullOf

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BlackDog

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King Arthur was an ideologue. Arthur put his ideas, such as the Round Table, into practice.

And Arthur is the ideologue for you, because we first need to be mastered before we can master ourself.

However if you meet a philosopher, she might tell you No God, no master. Then where would you be without someone to master you, you would be unable to master yourself.

So an ideologue will master you, you will internalise your servility and be able to master yourself; or a philosopher will set you free.

King Arthur to me represents all that is good in humanity. If the philosopher is the enemy of King Arthur, then the philosopher must die or be silenced because the world needs the Round Table more than anything else.
 

Cellmold

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I think this might be circular logic, but I was thinking that a philosophy, no matter how grand or mundane, informs the actions and if it didn't, then it wasn't a philosophy to that person in the first place.
 

ygolo

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King Arthur was an ideologue. Arthur put his ideas, such as the Round Table, into practice.

And Arthur is the ideologue for you, because we first need to be mastered before we can master ourself.

However if you meet a philosopher, she might tell you No God, no master. Then where would you be without someone to master you, you would be unable to master yourself.

So an ideologue will master you, you will internalise your servility and be able to master yourself; or a philosopher will set you free.

I believe in freedom from despotism, freedom to feel think, talk and assemble as I please, freedom from the tyranny of others, and even freedom from the tyranny of myself.

If I choose to be servile, to humanity, to my friends, family, and those that rely on me, to a great purpose, to mastery of a mind on the brink of madness, that will be my choice.

Total Freedom is an illusion, or a sign of madness. Total Freedom from the care of your fellow people is psychopathy. Total Freedom from reality is psychosis. Total Freedom from humility is narcissism. Total Freedom from self control is Borderline.

To make a choice and not be constrained by that choice is an illusion of having chosen.
 

ygolo

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I think this might be circular logic, but I was thinking that a philosophy, no matter how grand or mundane, informs the actions and if it didn't, then it wasn't a philosophy to that person in the first place.

Definitions are, by their nature, circular.
 

Mole

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King Arthur to me represents all that is good in humanity. If the philosopher is the enemy of King Arthur, then the philosopher must die or be silenced because the world needs the Round Table more than anything else.

Quite so.

And the followers of King Arthur are following in the footsteps of the good people of Athens who put our first philosopher, Socrates, to death.

And this is our tragedy, as the best of Western culture stems from Socrates.
 

ygolo

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Then philosophy is not for you. And you join the servile of Athens three thousand years ago, and you find your home among the servile today.

That was a masterful removal of context.

It's at times like this, that I feel like asking, "What do you mean by 'philosophy'?" and such things.

I find it confusing that you say that Socrates is antithetical to what Arthur preached. Of course, it is unlikely that the two were in complete agreement (as it is unlikely that any two people will be). But in what substantive ways are they opposed?

How does a group of select Athenians prompting Socrates to take his own life have to do with the Round Table and those ideas?

There are iconoclastic philosophers, and there were philosophers accepted in their time.

Other than a declaration by you that being rejected and marginalized is a requirement for being a philosopher, what basis do we have for such dichotomies?

To be clear, I am genuinely confused by your statements. I am not trying to trap you into anything?

Which of these were philosophers in your scheme?

Plato
Aristotle
Kant
Hume
Galileo
Mach
Einstein
Nietzsche
Derrida
Foucault
Hitchens
 
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I think this might be circular logic, but I was thinking that a philosophy, no matter how grand or mundane, informs the actions and if it didn't, then it wasn't a philosophy to that person in the first place.

Nah. Pretty sure the standard definition of philosophy is sitting around talking/thinking about shit.

Acting on it would be ideal, but I don't think it's inherent in the idea.

One reason why Philosophy majors can have very deep thoughts about being unemployed.
 

Cellmold

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Nah. Pretty sure the standard definition of philosophy is sitting around talking/thinking about shit.

Acting on it would be ideal, but I don't think it's inherent in the idea.

One reason why Philosophy majors can have very deep thoughts about being unemployed.

I suppose I was thinking of the idea that everyone is, at some level, a philsopher.
 

Mole

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Nah. Pretty sure the standard definition of philosophy is sitting around talking/thinking about shit.

Acting on it would be ideal, but I don't think it's inherent in the idea.

One reason why Philosophy majors can have very deep thoughts about being unemployed.

Philosophy frees us from the taken for granted. Philosophy frees us from our unconscious assumptions. Philosophy does not tell us what to do. Philosophy does not show us the good life.

If these things are true, philosophy is not for most of us.

In fact most of us are deeply and trenchantly opposed to philosophy. We prefer the shared fantasies of religion or popular culture to the delight of freeing ourselves.
 
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