A Brief Introduction To Philosophy

Philosophy is the act of questioning everything through critical thinking and logic. The concept is pretty straightforward.

What is it for? To have a better grasp of reality, nature, and truth. The possibilities are limitless, and the pursuit of this act is endless.

It helps us to learn more about ethics, human nature, science, politics, and almost every aspect of human life. Philosophy has been the backbone of civilization.

The Birth Of Philosophy And Its Branches

The different types of philosophy are often labeled as ancient philosophy, modern philosophy, and post-modern philosophy, simply put. For some, it’s Eastern Philosophy and Western Philosophy.

Western Philosophy

Ancient Greece philosophy is started as the mean to question mythology and led to the uprising of most of the greatest philosophers of all time, Socrates, Thales, Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, Democritus and many more. They set the foundations of Western Philosophy.

Eastern Philosophy

India and China went on a deeper and spiritual route. Confucius, Laozi, Siddhartha Gautama sought out enlightenment and deeper purpose of life throughout their lifetime. Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism were the fruits of their work, which later played huge roles in building Eastern Philosophy.

The most common branches of philosophy lie in these aspects:

• Metaphysics
• Epistemology
• Ethics
• Logic
• Aesthetics
• Political Philosophy

The Evolution, Revolution, And Future Of Philosophy

The impact of philosophy isn’t evident in the modern society. So, here’s my take.

The Evolution

Philosophers had one job, to think the unthinkable. They thought what people didn’t dare to think. They were among the most respected individuals in society and the true builders of civilization.

Having such thoughts wasn’t all good times. That’s highlighted throughout history as many died for having such dangerous ideas that went against the ideology of that time. They brought the truth to people. But the people weren’t ready for it.

But that fire was inside many who devoted their lives to this play of discovering the unknown. That fire got the people thinking. Even those who never dared to think.

The Revolution

This is perhaps the biggest gift of philosophy to humankind. It has set us free in many aspects. Here are a few revolutionary shifts:

• Uprise of rational thinking over fear of the unknown.
• Social and political shifts for the development of civilization.
• Helped people understand the meaning of some of the unknown.
• Gave a tremendous upper hand to science.
• Brought the rise of individualism, which fueled revelations throughout the history of mankind.

The Future

One of the core principles of postmodern philosophy is that truth is relative and there’s no single objective reality. We are at the the stage of postmodern philosophy. The philosophers from past stages have left their legacies, their unfinished work to us. It’s our job now to keep the wheel spinning.

So, we keep questioning. We keep refining. We keep discovering. That’s the future of philosophy. Not too flashy, but as important as ever. It helped build the civilization, and it’s still at work.

The Faces Of Philosophy

A few of the greatest philosophers of all time.

Socrates

Considered as the father of Greek philosophy. Pretty knowledgeable guy. But loved to question everybody, which led to his demise eventually. Plato and Aristotle were two of his famous students. He didn’t document his ideas. He was executed and left strong his legacy. His famous quote was: True knowledge is knowing that you know nothing.

Plato

One of Socrates’ students, known as the Idealist, Plato is one of the most influential philosophers of all time. His work is the perfect entry point for anyone interested in learning philosophy. His famous quote: Philosophy begins in wonder.

Aristotle

He is the student of Socrates and the teacher of Alexander The Great. His approach to philosophy is logical thinking and he has provided many foundational pieces for politics. Famous quote: “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”

Friedrich Nietzsche

As I studied him the most, I can write about him for hours without an end. His most famous work revolves around god. Most people don’t understand his work. And his philosophy has gained massive popularity over the years. He left many groundbreaking pieces such as “Beyond Good And Evil”, “The Gay Science”, Thus Spake Zarathustra, and so much more. Although he is more dynamic and romantic compared to almost all other philosophers, he is not for starters. Extremely complex work.

Karl Marx

The most influential philosopher to revolutionize politics and was criticized heavily for his work. A similar satirical sentence gives an idea “Time was invented by the clock manufacturing company to sell clocks. His philosophy revolves around the class struggle theory in society and caused a lot of chaos thought history. If you want, learn about Marxism but know it’s a massively failed attempt at solving world problems.

My Philosophical Studies

I am writing all of it from what I learned over the past few years. I haven’t had the opportunity to study a lot of philosophers. What I learned, was through the deep desire to understand everything a little more.

To me, philosophy is the antidote for chaos. I got into philosophy after I found an answer to something that bothered me for years. It was the act of growing old. After reading my first book in philosophy, “Republic” by Plato, I found relief. Then I just added more and more.

I put most of my hours into studying Nietzsche. The aggressive approach to thinking really resonated with me. I can write pages and pages about Nietzche's philosophy. But it taught me to question whether my thoughts are my own or not.

He has a lot of unfinished work, and his life work was unfinished as well. He proposed the values don’t mean anything. Rather, we should set our own values and live by them. Most philosophers disagree with his approach and it’s considered as a weak philosophical take. Even if he was unsuccessful creating the Übermensch (Superman: A new, self-determined human beyond societal constraints), his journy I admire.

Who Is It For? And Who Should Avoid It?

Philosophy is the realm of the abstract. I don’t recommend philosophy to anybody. If you think you are a deep thinker with critical thinking ability, you can do it. There’s another way, that fits my description more, those who are seeking deeper meaning. If you don’t have a strong urge for that, don’t consider it. Here’s what’ll happen if you force yourself to do it.

• You’ll start to overthink and cause unnecessary stress on yourself.
• The abstract knowledge is enough to drive you off track.
• Social conflicts and arguments will be way more common for you.
• Life will become less enjoyable and you’ll lose the spark.
• If you start to get it a bit, you’ll think you know more than you do.
• Might develop internal suffering if you already don’t have it.

There are better ways to achieve perspectives, wisdom, and creativity. Go for literature. Read Dostoevsky, Shakespeare, and Kafka, or go read fiction. Philosophy, that I don’t recommend.

How To Get Into Philosophy

If you want to start, start with Plato. The republic should be what you start with. Then move on to his dialogues. Read Areostile, read Albert Camus, read Immanuel Kant. Don’t touch Hegel. Read Nietzsche when you feel you’re ready. Do these, then you’re already more experienced than me.