Phil8659 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 31, 2025 8:24 am
Applied Philosophy has various names covered by various places of employment, where you actually work for a living.
As Plato noted, Philosophy is not only over all the Sciences, but over all of human behavior.
A Philosophy forum is there fore not a chat room, not a place where you talk politics, or display your particular brand of stupidity.
It is where you learn Philosophy, as Plato noted, how to do your own work as a mind. It has nothing to do with any particular area of application other than by way of example.
All a mind can do is information processing, using binary. And if you ae too stupid to understand a binary distinction like good and bad, cold and hot6, limit and unlimited, finite and infinite, and how those ideas are managed as a binary. Then, you learn it. Philosophy is, as Plato noted is a school of those who are self educated. WE are self educated because the majority of humanity is too stupid to dedicate themselves to learning how to do their own work.
Information processing applied to personal behavior. The definition of a Mind. On this forum, I have not found one person intelligent enough to even want to learn.
This Forum is not even set up correctly to use the name Philosophy. \
Your philosophical database is very shallow, narrow and worst dogmatic. Unfortunately it is difficult for old dogs to learn new things [tricks].
What is Philosophy to Plato?
AI wrote:To understand Plato's view of philosophy, it's essential to grasp some of his core ideas. Here's a breakdown:
The Theory of Forms:
At the heart of Plato's philosophy is the belief in "Forms" or "Ideas." These are perfect, eternal, and unchanging realities that exist beyond the physical world.
The physical world we perceive is merely a shadow or imperfect reflection of these Forms. For example, there are many "beautiful" things, but they all participate in the perfect Form of "Beauty."
Philosophy, for Plato, is the pursuit of knowledge of these Forms. It's about transcending the limitations of sensory perception to grasp true reality.
The Pursuit of Knowledge and Truth:
Plato believed that true knowledge is not derived from sensory experience, which is unreliable and constantly changing. Instead, it comes from reason and intellectual contemplation.
Philosophy is the method by which we use reason to uncover these truths. He heavily utilized the "dialectic method" which is a form of discussion that works to get closer to the truth through questioning and answering.
Ethics and the Good:
Plato's philosophy is deeply concerned with ethics and the nature of "the Good." He believed that understanding the Form of the Good is essential for living a virtuous and fulfilling life.
He argued that knowledge of the Good leads to virtuous behavior, and that wrongdoing stems from ignorance.
The Role of the Philosopher:
Plato believed that philosophers are uniquely qualified to govern society because they possess the knowledge of the Forms and the Good.
In his ideal state, as described in "The Republic," philosopher-kings would rule with wisdom and justice.
The Soul:
Plato had strong theories about the soul, and its immortal nature. He believed the soul had knowledge of the forms prior to being born into a body, and that learning was in fact remembering those prior knowledges.
In essence, for Plato, philosophy is a quest for ultimate truth and knowledge, a way to transcend the limitations of the physical world and attain a deeper understanding of reality, ethics, and the Good.
I don't agree with Plato's view of 'what is philosophy' as it is merely a very fringe part of human nature.
Unfortunately, what represent 'what is philosophy' had been hijacked and bastardized by academic philosophy in the West.
What is philosophy [proper] had been explored and practiced by SOME in the East since 10,000 years ago, e.g. in the Vedas, etc.
I've done extensive search of all definitions of 'what is philosophy' within the internet, the general point, what is philosophy is as many variations as the number of people who offer its definition.
To find out what is 'philosophy-proper' we need to research into all human activities from the present to since the origin of general evolution and human evolution to find what is the common factor that represent 'what is philosophy'.
One distinct and common human activity is the striving for opportunities and countering against threats to humanity so as to progress gradually and optimally to promote greater well-being and flourishing of the human species.
To achieve the above, the fundamental common function is philosophy which include gaining knowledge [internal and external], skills, tools, intellect capacity, logic, ethics which the essence is wisdom, the optimal capacity to apply theories to practice.
From the above, Plato's reliance on rationality and knowledge is insufficient.
Philosophy as defined originally, i.e. the love of wisdom, i.e. its acquisition and application is the most relevant to define what is philosophy.
Thus my definition of what is philosophy would be;
Philosophy is the internal drive in striving for opportunities and countering against threats to humanity; which include gaining knowledge [internal and external], skills, tools, intellect capacity, logic, ethics which the essence is wisdom, the optimal capacity to apply theories to practice; so as to progress gradually and optimally to promote greater well-being and flourishing of the human species.
A philosophy forum like here provide the opportunity to contribute the above striving, albeit in a small measure.
(and me)