Why people like philosophy ?

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Stavrogin_

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#51 Stavrogin_
Member since 2011 • 804 Posts

Alright, maybe I'm taking the wrong conclusions away from Schopenhauer.

I think there's a difference between being unconcerned with material wealth and not having material wealth as your primary goal. I also think that sometimes it's not so much about material wealth per se, but about material consequences. There have been philosophers that very much want to create material results, ones that don't result in their own personal accumulation of wealth, but as I said can not find a way to reconcile society's methods of accumulating wealth with their own philosophies. I think that having wealth accumulation as a primary goal creates a sort of single-mindedness that precludes an individual from "becoming a great mind," I just don't think that becoming a great mind means going to the other extreme. I think that becoming completely disconnected from material gain also creates some disconnect from affecting change and creates the possibility of philosphy simply being a hedonistic pursuit. As one philospher put it, "philosphers, up to this point, have only interpreted the world in different ways, the point is to change it."theone86

I think we're pretty much in agreement. Of course becoming a great mind doesn't mean going to the other extreme. Perhaps it's a matter of bad choice of words on my part. What i meant is that the primary concern of great minds is not material gain, doesn't mean they are entirely unconcerned with material wealth though. When they express themselves while writing a book their first and main concern isn't "will i make money out of this" and that's the difference between them and smart minds who have instrumentalized their mind in achieving success and the sole focus of practical gain. That's why i think that people whose primary goal is practical and not knowledge itself never become great minds.

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theone86

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#52 theone86
Member since 2003 • 22669 Posts

[QUOTE="theone86"]Alright, maybe I'm taking the wrong conclusions away from Schopenhauer.

I think there's a difference between being unconcerned with material wealth and not having material wealth as your primary goal. I also think that sometimes it's not so much about material wealth per se, but about material consequences. There have been philosophers that very much want to create material results, ones that don't result in their own personal accumulation of wealth, but as I said can not find a way to reconcile society's methods of accumulating wealth with their own philosophies. I think that having wealth accumulation as a primary goal creates a sort of single-mindedness that precludes an individual from "becoming a great mind," I just don't think that becoming a great mind means going to the other extreme. I think that becoming completely disconnected from material gain also creates some disconnect from affecting change and creates the possibility of philosphy simply being a hedonistic pursuit. As one philospher put it, "philosphers, up to this point, have only interpreted the world in different ways, the point is to change it."Stavrogin_

I think we're pretty much in agreement. Of course becoming a great mind doesn't mean going to the other extreme. Perhaps it's a matter of bad choice of words on my part. What i meant is that the primary concern of great minds is not material gain, doesn't mean they are entirely unconcerned with material wealth though. When they express themselves while writing a book their first and main concern isn't "will i make money out of this" and that's the difference between them and smart minds who have instrumentalized their mind in achieving success and the sole focus of practical gain. That's why i think that people whose primary goal is practical and not knowledge itself never become great minds.

Yeah, agreed.

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CHOASXIII

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#53 CHOASXIII
Member since 2009 • 14716 Posts

Because everyone has an opinion and some people like them and some don't but in the long run opinions are like buttholes everyone has one.

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butteman12

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#54 butteman12
Member since 2005 • 2726 Posts

It makes you think critically about the world sorrounding you. I find it incredibly interesting actually.

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mindstorm

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#55 mindstorm
Member since 2003 • 15255 Posts
If you believe it useless then give me a rational explanation as to why philosophy is useless without the use of philosophy and reason. However, if your argument lacks reason then there is little use listening to what you have to say.
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GazaAli

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#56 GazaAli
Member since 2007 • 25216 Posts
Good question. I don't know.
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GazaAli

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#58 GazaAli
Member since 2007 • 25216 Posts
[QUOTE="dreDREb13"]To all the people in this thread:

:lol: even me?
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Planeforger

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#59 Planeforger
Member since 2004 • 20166 Posts

2. I read quite a lot of books, mostly Eastern religions/philosophies such as [Zen] Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Hinduism, I Ching ... because they're are beneficial.Zensword

So you agree that philosophy is "beneficial", and your problem is that you disagree with several schools of philosophy?

I'm starting to think that you missed an /thread at the end of your own post.

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DeX2010

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#60 DeX2010
Member since 2010 • 3989 Posts
Philosophy is a set of beliefs by a person and the study of the thought process.
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PsychoLemons

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#61 PsychoLemons
Member since 2011 • 3183 Posts

It makes you think for once.

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freek666

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#62 freek666
Member since 2007 • 22312 Posts

Because it provides the unfortunately stupid a forum for them to discuss "the important questions in life" that they often ask themselves and as a result they tend to feel intelligent because they just discussed philosophy. The reality is that once they're faced with proper philosophy, not just "what happens after death" and "does god/free will/whatever exist", they're shrug it off as "stupid" and ask why people would bother "wasting their time on this".

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sthadji

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#63 sthadji
Member since 2004 • 4682 Posts
It whets their intellectual appetite.