2. The Value of Doing Philosophy
Doing philosophy means...
...engaging oneself to consider philosophical activities particularly in the use of holistic perspective, asking questions, and reflection.
Reflection is...
...the ability to think and learn about an action and experience, respectively.
The practical values of doing philosophy in our lives are:
1. It helps us develop our critical and analytical thinking skills. 2. It helps us present organized concepts and ideas. 3. It helps us find our essence or purpose. 4. It helps us become a good person necessary for self-development. 5. It helps us understand others and their way of thinking. 6. It helps us understand God better.
6. It helps us understand God better.
Doing philosophy helps us know not only ourselves but most importantly the very nature and attributes of God. Philosophy offers various arguments on the existence and non-existence of God. This may help us strengthen our faith and disregard invalid arguments.
1. It helps us develop our critical and analytical thinking skills.
Ideas and information are validated in philosophy. We do not immediately believe on any information, messages, news etc. unless they are verified. It can be done through a series of analysis and scrutiny with the aid of human reason supported with different perspectives and any scientific evidences. In effect, it allows us to become a good decision maker in life. Thus, actions may always undergo a process of thought.
5. It helps us understand others and their way of thinking.
Ideas of different people manifest the way they think. It usually serves as the foundation of where that person is coming from. Doing philosophy in this manner can dig deep on the background of any intellectual masterpiece. It is because philosophy introduces different school of thoughts and contrasting ideas from different times or era.
3. It helps us find our essence or purpose.
Our rationality is always attached to our purpose. Having a holistic perspective and reflective thinking play an important role in attaining humanity's purpose. Without thinking is a failure to achieve this purpose since our rationality sets us apart from other beings or existence. According to Aristotle, we as humans should serve our purpose to think. If we go against this purpose, we suffer the consequences of erroneous ideas, poor health and an unhappy life.
2. It helps us present organized concepts and ideas.
Philosophy can be both theoretical and practical in its approach. It is therefore unlimited in its scope of study and because of that, it enables us to know essentials from non-essentials and holistic from partial. Doing philosophy takes a big part in debate and argumentation. In fact, philosophy is one of the recommended pre-courses for law studies.
4. It helps us become a good person necessary for self-development.
This can be realized through the practical uses of ethical theories that philosophy offers. Also, it can help us judge a particular situation where all circumstances are considered including the agent of an act, the means or process of an act, and the end or motives of an act. However, one of the ancient philosophers in the name of Socrates claimed that the way to live an excellent life is to do only that which we know to be right regardless of external consequences. It also tries to examine the ultimate causes and all other involved circumstances of situations. This is the reason why it helped us to be fair and objective in handling different situations in life.
