Philosophy as defined by Websters is “ theory or analysis of the principles underlying conduct, thought, knowledge, and the nature of the universe.” Philosophy is easily explained as a single persons belief and ideals. Everyone has their own thought process and system of ideals based on their background, such as race, religion, social class, political party, etc. Nowadays it is the “politically correct” way to describe someones beliefs, educated or not. Often the word is taken too seriously and people think that their philosophy has to be some complicated and extensive system of logical beliefs, when in reality it is basically an opinion.
The following is my system of beliefs. I was raised in a bi-racial, Christian, middle class, Republican family. Each of these things highly influences my thought process and opinions. As far as race, my father is African- American and my mother a Caucasian. First of all, almost all politically correct terms annoy me, so my dad is black and my mom is white. My dad is from Alabama and Yonkers, NY, and my mom is from East Kilbride, Scotland. This union has brought me influences from two very different cultures. I got my first name from my mom, and my middle and last name from my dad. I got my athletic ability and height from my dad, and my intelligence from my mom. I got my quiet reserved nature from my dad and my sensitive spirit from my mom. I got chitlins, pork rinds, fried chicken and collard greens with hot sauce from my dad, and haggis, fish and chips, blood pudding, and tea and biscuits from my mom. And I got my good looks from both of them. This cross cultural background is the basis on which I form my opinions on racial issues, such as affirmative action. “Religion” has always been at the center of my life. My dad was raised in the Baptist church, and my mom the Catholic church. I, however was raised in a nondenominational church in Gambrills, MD. I was saved at the age of four. I don’t like to call it religion, because religion is what causes a lot of problems as far as who is right about rituals and things. I prefer to describe it as a personal relationship with my creator, savior, and heavenly father. Unfortunately I am not as outspoken about my faith unless it comes to a debate or bible study, something of that nature. With this “religious” background, I establish my opinions about abortion, evolution, and other religions.
Philosophy is vague enough to allow everybody to be right in his own opinion. I don’t like that. It allows for all types of fallacies and errors to be accepted as correct. In my opinion, its black or white with extremely little room for gray. Terence in the second act of Phormio writes, “ Quot hominess tot sentential” which translated means “So many men, so many minds.” With all six billion people in the world, and everyone having their own opinion of right and wrong it is impossible for everyone’s opinion to be correct. For example, on September 11, 2001, a group of terrorists thought that it was a noble and honorable thing to fly several planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Now in their opinion it was the right thing to do, but they were obviously wrong. Therefore not everyone’s opinions can be right. Even if an opinion is largely accepted doesn’t make it right. In saying that, philosophy and the belief system of the individual need protective boundaries and limits. When an opinion or belief becomes detrimental to someone’s health, well being, or mental state it needs to looked at and not immediately accepted as right just because it was someone opinion and it is right in a certain person eyes.
Myself as a philosopher. Descartes, in his Principles of Philosophy said, “Cogito, ergo sum.” “I think, therefore I am“. Philosophy is nothing more than being able to think about something or nothing at all, and having an opinion about that thought. But it is in that thinking where an opinion becomes right or wrong. Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet that, “There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.” In that statement, he says that no thought is wrong or right it is how we act on that thought that uplifts or condemns us. Just as the Bible tells us it is man’s free will that pulls him away from or steers him toward the truth. However, I don’t believe that to be one hundred percent true, because even those who don’t accept any form of religion know when they have an evil or bad thought.
True philosophy is the practice of thinking, and nothing more. Aristotle said, “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” Forming an opinion about, accepting or rejecting an idea is all upon the listener. The true philosopher like Socrates was portrayed in Plato’s The Trial and Death of Socrates takes no responsibility for his thoughts. The blame or praise lies upon the philosophers listeners, and how or how not they act upon what they have heard. As I often do I see this analogy concurrent with the Bible. The Gospel message is a belief or opinion held true by many but does not mean anything to an individual unless he or she acts upon it.
In general, I think philosophy is just a simple thing that was complicated and made to seem a superior ability, by those who think more highly of themselves than they ought. Everybody does it, with or without knowing it, no matter what the call it. The study of philosophy is just a look into the past to observe how people thought and reacted to those thoughts, in order to provoke us to assess the routines of our life in the modern era.
In conclusion, I feel it is ridiculous to call someone a philosopher, as if that makes them different from anyone else. There can be no wholly complete philosopher, because there is no wholly complete definition of philosophy. You can’t call someone a basketball player, unless you know or understand what basketball is. Philosophy has become what it preaches. It isn’t right or wrong, because everyone has there own opinion about it, and they are all correct unto themselves, thus the need for universal constants, which is a different topic in its entirety. Finally, I think the best definition of philosophy or a philosopher is the quote by Descartes I alluded to earlier. “I think, therefore I am.”
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