Why have philosophy?

[DuB]

If I can't eat it, fuck it, or build shelter out of it, then what's it good for? That's obviously a joke, but let's get serious now. Is philosophy impractical? Are philosophers searching for unobtainable knowledge? Are philosophical discussions little more than intellectual masturbation? Please explain some practical reasons for studying philosophy beyond "I like it."

[Reality_is_a_Dream]

I think your post explains it all. Why do you need more than an, "i like it"?

[Xaqaria]

When does a fetus become its own person? Is cloning and genetic manipulation wrong? These are philosophical questions that don't have a clear cut scientific answer, and there are many more probably better examples. Philosophy can be used as a way to rationalize why we do the things we do, and what we should do in the future. It can help us to better understand who we are and what questions we should be asking in order to progress along a path that is beneficial for all.

[ClassyElf]

Without political philosophy we would not have the modern day democracy or republic. Hell, we'd probably be stuck in a perpetual despotism.

[Original Poster]

I remember trying to explain the "Philosophy of Cleaning" once on mushrooms. We were cleaning my house and I was talking about all the implications of the importance of tightiness, and my roommate was like, "Just clean." So I argued that people wouldn't clean if there wasn't a philosophy behind it to give it purpose. Reality always begins as imagination.

[Reality_is_a_Dream]

...I think you are still wearing the shrooms off...

[Original Poster]

why?

[Xei]

Why philosophy? Personally, because I want to know why reality is like this. It's easy for some to fall into a rut and just accept this world at face value; I suppose we are biologically designed to do that. But really, it is so bizzare, this place. I find that impossible to forget. That's why I have philosophy... Science will only work for this function up to a point (a theory of everything, which can only explain this universe). It's done wonders so far and answered some profound questions (such as where did life come from) and still has a lot to achieve (consciousness, perhaps), but after that we'll have only have logic, which is basically philosophy.

[gaia]

philosophy is quite pointless mostly. absolute truths are by definition outside of anything that can be contained in a form, feeling, idea or word, so a search for that is futile. Philosphy can point the way, and give guides of how to live, but it will never be able to show what it is. and philosophy that is not concerned with absolutes, but rather with phenomena, such as political philosophy and so forth, only has a meaning as far as such phenomena go. to put it in simple words: philosophy is another part of the world which is illusion, and therefore pointless along with it.

[Xei]

I think therefore I am? I'd say that's the archetypal absolute.

[Never]

Without philosophy, there would be no science. We would be stuck in a state of perpetual religious slavery. Without the science of logic and reasoning, there would be no way to adequately find truth. Philosophy is arguably the most important thing to the survival of freedom and truth. Without it, there can be no advancement at all. People often think of philosophy as only wild speculation. This is simply not the case. Science is a branch of philosophy, as is logic; the latter being even more set in stone than the first.

[Reality_is_a_Dream]

We wouldn't have religion either. Pwnd.

[Never]

Pwnd. Not really. Religion does not require reason. Nor do words like "pwnd".

[Reality_is_a_Dream]

Uber pwnd.

[Original Poster]

We wouldn't have the Kama Sutra.

[drewmandan]

Philosophy is the fundamental reasoning underlying all sciences. Without it, we wouldn't have fire, let alone computers. That being said, to study philosophy as a college major is ridiculous. You can't teach wisdom. To be a philosopher one should be well-educated and experienced in a given field. In fact, PhD stands for "doctor of philosophy". But now, to be a "philosopher" all it takes is a drunken ride through 3 years of college.

[Original Poster]

What is philosophy, and what is reason, and where is the line between? It used to be you didn't have a lot of the job titles you do today, it was all under philosophy. The reason is because such concepts were still too advanced to be integrated into our culture in a practical way. They were still being philosophized, they still resided in the abstract. Before anything is created, it has to be imagined. So yeah, philosophy and all associated with it are the building blocks of society itself.

[hungrymanz]

We wouldn't have religion either. Pwnd. stfu, immature twelve-year-old prick.

[Reality_is_a_Dream]

lol, you tell me to 'stfu' and accuse me of being a '12-year-old prick' in the same sentacne? Hippocrate.

[hungrymanz]

lol, you tell me to 'stfu' and accuse me of being a '12-year-old prick' in the same sentacne? Hippocrate. stfu and learn to spell "hippo crate"

[drewmandan]

stfu and learn to spell "hippo crate" Weren't there a lot of hippo crates in Donkey Kong Country?

[hungrymanz]

Weren't there a lot of hippo crates in Donkey Kong Country? No, there were rhino crates. Unnecessary smilies:

[drewmandan]

No, there were rhino crates. Unnecessary smilies: Now you're just being a rhinocrit.

[Shift]

Now you're just being a rhinocrit. Better that than a swordfishicrit!

[Original Poster]