Introduction
Philosophy plays a significant role in society and an individual’s life as a theoretical basis for a worldview. By studying the works of ancient Greek philosophers, a person can comprehend their place in the world and their role in society. The significance and influence of the philosophical ideas presented in the course are the critical points on which the emphasis is placed in this paper.
Philosophical Thinking
Defining Philosophy
Philosophy is a unique human mental activity aimed at a comprehensive rational understanding of the world and human existence. Moreover, philosophy is understood as the historically developing totality of this activity’s results and the system of theoretical provisions within it. It is necessary to recognize that the origin of the term “philosophy” is connected with the ancient cultural tradition, which was defined as the knowledge and understanding of the root causes and principles of everything.
The Three Main Branches
In general, there are three main branches of philosophy covered in this class: epistemology, metaphysics, and axiology. Firstly, epistemology is a branch of knowledge in which the structure, forms, patterns of functioning, and evolution of knowledge are investigated. Secondly, metaphysics is the doctrine of principles and laws of being in general or of any being. In other words, metaphysics attempts to understand how existence works by studying the components of reality, the differences between mental and physical entities, and the fundamental issues of being and reality. Third, axiology is a branch of philosophy that studies the nature of values.
The Questions
Based on the information received in the class, the first question is most closely related to epistemology. Consequently, in answering the question of what reality is made of, one should turn to such a section of philosophy as metaphysics. Finally, appealing to axiology, one can try to answer the third question regarding the definition of the good life and how a person should live it.
The Differences
The contrasts between the three branches can be seen in the examples of how different philosophers answer the questions. To the question “What is knowledge?” Socrates would be likelier to respond that actual knowledge comes from God and leads to him; these are the conditions and limits of human cognition’s possible and permissible autonomy (Smith, 2021). The only right direction of individual efforts is comprehension and acting based on knowledge.
However, there is no clear answer to the question, “What is reality made of?”. For example, according to Aristotle, reality consists of matter, shape, substance, and structure (Gimbel, 2020). Consequently, in answering the question “what is the good life?” Epictetus would say that the meaning of life is to get pleasure (Westacott, 2020). In this case, a happy life should include many pleasant experiences and exclude suffering.
Reflection
Thinking Philosophically
According to the student, “to think philosophically” means to reason, logically, consistently, systematically, dialectically, deductively or inductively, creatively, deeply, thoroughly, correctly, constructively, open–mindedly, impartially, without being mistaken, for a long time. To consider through the prism of philosophy implies forming an opinion of the world, understanding its illogicality, and determining what is right or wrong for a particular person, situation, or phenomenon. It can be assumed that “thinking philosophically” is trying to know the whole world and apply this knowledge in everyday life.
Thinking Philosophically in My Own Life
Philosophical thinking helps me look at problems from the outside, trust myself, and be bolder. It also helps me grow spiritually by experiencing certain life moments through detachment from an event and an impartial view from the outside. Moreover, when making informed decisions due to philosophical thinking, I do not succumb to emotions but try to think objectively because feelings can seriously distort the picture of reality.
The Ideas of the Ancient Greek Philosophers
The ancient Greek philosophers tremendously influenced my views and judgments, laying the foundation for developing my personality and forming social qualities. Studying the works of Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, Pythagoras, and many other famous people gave me a unique opportunity to critically look at my worldview judgments in the context of realizing my “I” in the world of people and things. Furthermore, the ancient Greek philosophers helped me form a particular way of life, penetrate the universal human experience and traditions, and get acquainted with the system of values and cultural activities humanity developed.
What Is Knowledge?
Knowledge is a product of human consciousness, radically different from fantasies, inventions, and illusions. Knowledge is a judgment or the content of consciousness rationally justified and justified in critical analysis; it is always probabilistic, historical, and hypothetical. The evolution of knowledge leads to increased content, quality, explanatory power, and predictive power.
The purpose of knowledge is a person’s intellectual, moral, and spiritual growth. Based on the course’s information, knowledge belongs to the intelligible world of unchangeable and eternal entities. Opinion can be true or false; knowledge is always actual because things around a person move, change, grow, or die, and any valid statement can become incorrect in the next moment. Therefore, knowledge always remains true and can only be obtained through reason.
Conclusion
Philosophy is presented as a way to solve the problems of the recognizability of the world and the issues of human orientation in the world of culture and spiritual values. It has three main areas: epistemology, metaphysics, and axiology; each answers its questions regarding certain concepts. Accordingly, a person develops philosophical thinking in trying to answer them; its peculiarity is that philosophy tries to answer systematically all three questions presented and in the most generalized, abstract form.
References
Gimbel, S. (2020). Aristotle’s reality: how was it different from his teacher’s theory? The Teaching Company, LLC.
Smith, N.D. (2021). Socrates on self-improvement: Knowledge, virtue, and happiness. Cambridge University Press.
Westacott, E. (2020). What does it mean to live the good life? ThoughtCo.