Philosophy Now Forum

Philosophy is a vehicle to truth.
Truth is found in body, voice, and mind.
Once there, no need to leave.
No more need for the limo or scooter.
Store it or sell it.

To continue …

Philosophy can be a way of understanding
There's always more truth

Do you think it’s possible for philosophy to be something for our hearts (emotions, dreaming) as well, besides our minds (truth, reasoning)? Maybe there’a a reason why you wrote in verses, like a poem.

Angelo Cannata wrote: ↑Thu Jun 10, 2021 9:05 pm Do you think it’s possible for philosophy to be something for our hearts (emotions, dreaming) as well, besides our minds (truth, reasoning)? Maybe there’a a reason why you wrote in verses, like a poem.

It is a wonder. I currently have an earworm stuck in my head. It’s in this link, a guitar solo riff and finish that begins at 3:00 minutes into the video. You know it when you hear it, it makes me move and maybe you too. That earworm is ticklin’ something, an emotion, a feeling, some thoughts, it causes a pause to note something tenuous and undefined, but enough for here to know that there is a persistent memory of that riff, an earworm that non-conceptually catalyzes associations from sound, associations of seemly unrelated phenomena, which if focused upon consistently, perpetually, would likely clarify into a philosophy, perhaps a philosophy of the beauty way. Plus, everyone has had at least one earworm, haven’t they?

Walker wrote: ↑Thu Jun 10, 2021 11:14 pm

Angelo Cannata wrote: ↑Thu Jun 10, 2021 9:05 pm Do you think it’s possible for philosophy to be something for our hearts (emotions, dreaming) as well, besides our minds (truth, reasoning)? Maybe there’a a reason why you wrote in verses, like a poem.

It is a wonder. I currently have an earworm stuck in my head. It’s in this link, a guitar solo riff and finish that begins at 3:00 minutes into the video. You know it when you hear it, it makes me move and maybe you too. That earworm is ticklin’ something, an emotion, a feeling, some thoughts, it causes a pause to note something tenuous and undefined, but enough for here to know that there is a persistent memory of that riff, an earworm that non-conceptually catalyzes associations from sound, associations of seemly unrelated phenomena, which if focused upon consistently, perpetually, would likely clarify into a philosophy, perhaps a philosophy of the beauty way. Plus, everyone has had at least one earworm, haven’t they?

Music definitely stirs or touches something within living beings. When I hear music I feel attuned to, it's almost impossible not to dance. It feels like a celebration of connection and flow. And drum beats!!.. omg... they seem to be calling to something deep within or from long ago. All of it is like dancing with the divine. There's no separation.

I used to have llamas that would come over to the fence when I played beats on my Ashiko drum. Last week, my baby goats completely stopped crying when I played chill music for them during a drive to town. And when my man plays guitar, the cats come out and stroll around. We don't need to verbally speak the same languages!

Seems to me, whatever it takes to replace the mental noise with connection and flow, is a good tonic for philosophical expansion/consideration. Music, emotions, dreams... can break through barriers on a different frequency, perhaps.

My idea is that doing philosophy, exploring ideas, reasoning, exploring philosophers, can be itself something able to be a whole life, a spiritual life, a nourishment, a way to connect to others, to things, to life. An interesting reference to this perspective is the research of Pierre Hadot on philosophy that for Greek philosophers was not just reasoning, thinking, but a spiritual exercise.

Angelo Cannata wrote: ↑Fri Jun 11, 2021 5:53 am My idea is that doing philosophy, exploring ideas, reasoning, exploring philosophers, can be itself something able to be a whole life, a spiritual life, a nourishment, a way to connect to others, to things, to life. An interesting reference to this perspective is the research of Pierre Hadot on philosophy that for Greek philosophers was not just reasoning, thinking, but a spiritual exercise.

To Piere Hadot, philosophy is a Way of Life via theory and practical.
But what is that 'way'?

Within the diversity of life since the first living cells emerged, what is most enduring and constant are changes for the better, i.e. there is an essence of 'continuous improvement' for the well-being of the entities and in a limited way, the species.

What is sustaining the effectively of such changes for the better in the future is, Philosophy as a tool or instrument in its various forms [knowledge, wisdom, critical thinking, actions, the 'good,' etc.] to optimize [net pros over cons] the well being of the entities.

Walker wrote: ↑Thu Jun 10, 2021 1:18 pmPhilosophy is a vehicle to truth.

It depends on what you mean by truth. Philosophy is basically story telling. You start with a few premises, stitch them together with a bit of logic and see if the results suit you. It's less about truth and more about coherence. The important philosophers are nearly all coherent, but they can't all be right.

Philosophy is not a truth machine.
It is a methodology to demonstrate the coherence of truths, and their possible consequences.
It is a collection of systems of looking. It does not itself reveal.
It does not offer certainty, only possibility and assessment.

Veritas Aequitas wrote: ↑Fri Jun 11, 2021 8:06 am

Angelo Cannata wrote: ↑Fri Jun 11, 2021 5:53 am My idea is that doing philosophy, exploring ideas, reasoning, exploring philosophers, can be itself something able to be a whole life, a spiritual life, a nourishment, a way to connect to others, to things, to life. An interesting reference to this perspective is the research of Pierre Hadot on philosophy that for Greek philosophers was not just reasoning, thinking, but a spiritual exercise.

To Piere Hadot, philosophy is a Way of Life via theory and practical.
But what is that 'way'?

Within the diversity of life since the first living cells emerged, what is most enduring and constant are changes for the better, i.e. there is an essence of 'continuous improvement' for the well-being of the entities and in a limited way, the species.

What is sustaining the effectively of such changes for the better in the future is, Philosophy as a tool or instrument in its various forms [knowledge, wisdom, critical thinking, actions, the 'good,' etc.] to optimize [net pros over cons] the well being of the entities.

I think that an idea and experience of "way of life" can be found precisely in the research about what "the better", what "well being" is, what criterions are better to find it. This research opens, obviously, a lot of debate, but now we can realize that this debate itself, this research itself, can be considered a way for the better and for well being. This perspective suggests that research and debate can be appreciated as experiences of philosophical spirituality, rather than just instruments aimed at finding some truth, with the consequence that they have no value until some truth is not found. Instead, they can be considered valuable experiences, because the main purpose can be not the objective to reach, but the experience of looking for it. This should be considered not just a sterile debating, that is, debating to debate, but debating because we have discovered the debating itself is able to build a valuable spiritual philosophical and practical experience between humans.

Lacewing wrote: ↑Fri Jun 11, 2021 1:16 am

Walker wrote: ↑Thu Jun 10, 2021 11:14 pm

Angelo Cannata wrote: ↑Thu Jun 10, 2021 9:05 pm Do you think it’s possible for philosophy to be something for our hearts (emotions, dreaming) as well, besides our minds (truth, reasoning)? Maybe there’a a reason why you wrote in verses, like a poem.

It is a wonder. I currently have an earworm stuck in my head. It’s in this link, a guitar solo riff and finish that begins at 3:00 minutes into the video. You know it when you hear it, it makes me move and maybe you too. That earworm is ticklin’ something, an emotion, a feeling, some thoughts, it causes a pause to note something tenuous and undefined, but enough for here to know that there is a persistent memory of that riff, an earworm that non-conceptually catalyzes associations from sound, associations of seemly unrelated phenomena, which if focused upon consistently, perpetually, would likely clarify into a philosophy, perhaps a philosophy of the beauty way. Plus, everyone has had at least one earworm, haven’t they?

Music definitely stirs or touches something within living beings. When I hear music I feel attuned to, it's almost impossible not to dance. It feels like a celebration of connection and flow. And drum beats!!.. omg... they seem to be calling to something deep within or from long ago. All of it is like dancing with the divine. There's no separation.

I used to have llamas that would come over to the fence when I played beats on my Ashiko drum. Last week, my baby goats completely stopped crying when I played chill music for them during a drive to town. And when my man plays guitar, the cats come out and stroll around. We don't need to verbally speak the same languages!

Seems to me, whatever it takes to replace the mental noise with connection and flow, is a good tonic for philosophical expansion/consideration.

You OBVIOUSLY do NOT YET KNOW what 'it' is EXACTLY that creates that "mental noise", within 'you', which is what is STOPPING and PREVENTING 'you' from being connected and flowing.

Just learn what is making that mental noise, within you, then you can PREVENT that noise from reoccurring again.

Lacewing wrote: ↑Fri Jun 11, 2021 1:16 am Music, emotions, dreams... can break through barriers on a different frequency, perhaps.

But if and when 'you' are attuned properly, then there are NO barriers that need to be broken through, like in your current situation.

uwot wrote: ↑Fri Jun 11, 2021 9:52 am

Walker wrote: ↑Thu Jun 10, 2021 1:18 pmPhilosophy is a vehicle to truth.

It depends on what you mean by truth. Philosophy is basically story telling.

It depends on what you mean by philosophy.

uwot wrote: ↑Fri Jun 11, 2021 9:52 am You start with a few premises, stitch them together with a bit of logic and see if the results suit you. It's less about truth and more about coherence. The important philosophers are nearly all coherent, but they can't all be right.

But NONE of them are ALL Right.

Here, by the way, is a PRIME EXAMPLE of one stitching a few "premises" together with a bit of "logic" that coheres them to and with their ALREADY HELD current BELIEFS.

A bit like how the ones who currently BELIEVE that the Universe began and is expanding, based this BELIEF on a few "premises", which have been stitched together, and this STORY told by "OTHERS", with an APPEARANCE of, so called, "logic".

As long as a STORY coheres to currently held BELIEFS and ASSUMPTIONS, these people WILL THEN BELIEVE 'that' story to be true, no matter how False, Wrong, or Incorrect that story REALLY is.

Age wrote: ↑Fri Jun 11, 2021 1:05 pm You OBVIOUSLY do NOT YET KNOW what 'it' is EXACTLY that creates that "mental noise", within 'you', which is what is STOPPING and PREVENTING 'you' from being connected and flowing.

How do you know this?

Age wrote: ↑Fri Jun 11, 2021 1:05 pm Just learn what is making that mental noise, within you, then you can PREVENT that noise from reoccurring again.

Are you assuming I don't know?

Age wrote: ↑Fri Jun 11, 2021 1:05 pm if and when 'you' are attuned properly, then there are NO barriers that need to be broken through, like in your current situation.

What "current situation"? You misunderstand... and appear to be imagining something.

Philosophy is (at least supposed to be) the love of (arguably also the pursuit of) wisdom. I mean, that's about as close to the essence of it as an answer can get. Anything more embellishing than that tends to get a little murky and debatable.

Before the Dark Ages, in a goddess culture, philosophy was about form and force, with mathematical principles underlying them, and personalized as gods and goddesses. Gradually leading Into the Dark Ages, and transitioning into a god culture of concepts and reasoning, force was not perceived as such until around the 1600s and was more fully understood, conceptually, at the dawn of the 20th century.

Now materialists; acknowledging force, refer to what is perceived as physical; as matter is force. What the principles of mathematics plus force means in concepts and reasoning may be a balance between the analytic (true by definition) and the synthetic (verifiable, at least in principle, in experience) and metaphysics; a consideration of abstract principles; ultimate causes, which Wittgenstein erroneously deemed meaningless.

Ultimately philosophy should be sapience; a wisdom where the ideas conceived in the mind lead to perception and comprehension, not just to endless reasoning.