On The Value of Philosophy
I think I must often astound people by my various interests...majoring in Spanish, yet completing pre-medical reqirements, travelling anywhere possible, yet living at home, and the list could go on... I know i have my strange quirks, but lately one thing that i never thought would bother people seems to be an issue for some.
"Philosophy? Why do you like philosophy? Liberals like philosophy."
"Tell me again...Why on earth do you want to take Medieval Philosophy next semester?"
"Why don't you just stick with your science classes?"
Oh, and the one that really ticks me off:
"You can't question too much now, just be content with what you've been taught..."
ARG! Yes, people really do ask me questions like this. (Can you tell I'm in a southern church...and family...with lots of super-conservatives?)
Not that I hold a grudge against them, but I find that quite a few Christians seem to have a dislike for "the love of wisdom". Of course, there are many ways that i could answer these questions, but in order to set it straight in my mind, i shall enter a brief discourse on the matter of the value of philos sophia.
Why should i, or anyone else for that matter, study philosophy? For me, i belive God has seen it fit to give me joy in using my mind and logic to arrive at conclusions based upon research, logic, and sometimes, leaps of faith (kierkiegaard has thoughts of interests on that one, but another time perhaps). Yet He has given each of us an intellect, and it, like all other gifts He has endowed to us through His unrequited grace, must be used for His glory. Would He have given us a mind if it was not meant to be used? Furthermore, would He have given us a mind if it did not have the potential to be used by Him for His glory? Of course, i can perhaps understand that the objections previously raised to philosophy may stem off of this one. If a mind, correctly used, can be used for God's glory, then cannot a mind improperly used be in rebellion against God? This may seem evident, but I think that some who have objected to an interest in philosophy could inadvertently be taking this to extreme, thinking that ANY use of the mind in the realm of philosophy must be rebellion against God. Perhaps they merely misunderstand my intentions...it is not to question insofar as it is to know more.
Perhaps they are worried about the tendency in philosophy(for example, dostoevsky) to elevate man, even in his nastiness, over God. Yet it is in humility that we find Him, for God does not despise a humble and contrite heart, but rather gives grace to the humble, and if any find themselves lacking in wisdom (and it takes humility to recognize that), we may ask it of God, just as Solomon did. And speaking of humility and philosophy, i cannot help but think of Augustine's Confessions.
"It was first your will to show me how you resist the proud and give grace to the humble, and how great is your mercy in showing men the way of humility, for the reason that "the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among" men. Therefore, by means of a certain man puffed up with most unnatural pride, You procured for me certain books of the Platonists that had been translated from Greek into Latin..." Augustine continues in this chapter to describe that the things he read there helped him his long journey of learning about God, and counts philosophy as one of the ways that God pursued him.
In conclusion of all these thoughts, I again turn to Augustine.
"Everywhere, O Truth, you give hearing to all who consult you, and at one and the same time you make answer to them all, even as they ask about varied things. You answer clearly, but all men do not hear you clearly. All men ask counsel about what they wish, but they do not all hear what they wish. Your best servant is he who looks not so much to hear from You what he wants to hear, but rather to want what he hears from You."
Perhaps this does not answer the question, and if i were to make a full argument i realize i would need to reasearch more, yet in this i find yet another thing that draws me to the discipline of discussion...there is always more to be found, said, discoverd, analysed, and discussed. It is an endless adventure, and knowing my taste for such, i cannot help but be drawn to philosophy.
(Thus end the present philosophical ramblings of a certain insomniac who realizes how little she truly knows about philosophy or Christ, and how much more she must learn to know a fraction of the wisdom she desires, and even more than that how much more she must rely on her merciful, gracious, and just God to see her through the perils of her life and mind so that His name may be glorified in her mind, words, actions, and life.)
posted by Carmen @ 11:00 PM
8 comments
As Jill, you are confident, respectful, and a little bit bossy! You have an acquired taste for adventure, and love any challenge that you have to face.
8 Comments:
Golly that's long. But does it make any sense at all?
Sure it does. "Improper use of the time as sin" is a grand topic for discussion! (Mostly stemming from what 'improper' means, as you pointed out!) Most people aren't so patient, nor as inquisitive as the rest of us, and what they don't understand, they'll berate/devalue. Or, as the CE guy at my Chicago church notes, they'll feel threatened by you, that you're going 'above and beyond' 'normal(their)' Christianity.
Ppl who think alot do have the option to trust their mind more than Christ, but that's why we ought take the lead from Anselm & Augustine, who do a good job uniting the two. And for most people, if you mention either of those two names, they won't have a clue. And that says more than they realize.
I admit: you'll have beaten me to a historical philosophy class! I missed out in my undergrad & they aren't offered til next fall here. I get "stuck" with symbolic logic next semester :)
No no, question away! That's a GOOD thing, because it's only by questioning our assumptions, our predispositions, and the things we always take for granted that we either again receive confirmation of all we hold dear, or we're given the opportunity to revise and better our understanding of the world and of truth. A book I'd recommend for you: 'Mission Mover,' by Thomas Bandy ... you may enjoy what you find in there.
when do you kids sleep?
Sleep?
By the way, i like Mark's idea that people are threatened by what they don't understand...that's a great reason behind what i hear from people. I suppose i just don't get why people aren't brave enough to investigate for themselves.
Sleep? what's that! I tried an allnighter for my paper, but alas, I fell weak.. Now I get to tonight! Oh, and I like waking to the sun, so in the winter that means sleeping in later, which means staying up later.
Why the lack of bravery(good word!)? We could spiritually blame it on people seeking comfort. But in general, the average joe finds no use in 'bursting his bubble'. Life works within his bubble, why would he wanna get outside?
Exactly. Stay up later and wake up later. Usually.
About the reasons behind lack of bravery...your explanation makes sense, so allow me to use this and turn the question from "the average joe" to the "not-so-average". Why do those of us who question, question? Is it discontentment? Is it desire to be uncomfortable? Maybe i can see why they think there's something wrong with us! What do you think?
Desire to be uncomfortable? naw.. I think it's rather the opposite.. we're not comfortable until we've pondered & understood. It's natural curiousity.. that just keeps going. It's how we're wired. Of the 4 personality types, there's only 1 that lends itself to asking 'why?' so in that sense we're the 'odd man out', but of course, everyone else is too, since there's only 1 personality type that lends itself to being a 'doer', another for 'making sure everyone feels ok', another for being a 'hyper-socialite'..
btw- check yer eml
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