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Monday, February 8, 2016

Opus 2016-40: The True Philosopher

Most people avoid philosophy.  They think it is obscure and boring.  They are just fooling themselves because everyone is a philosopher.  Everyone has a philosophy.  It is just that most people don’t think in those terms.  Any time you have a serious discussion you are talking philosophy.

The word comes from two Greek words.  The first if philios or the love that is regarded as brotherly love.  The second is sophia, which means wisdom.  Everyone has their own version of wisdom even if it is foolish. 

I came across this in Pascal’s Pensées,
“To make light of philosophy is to be a true philosopher.”
In a sense I think Pascal is saying that the guy sitting out on the porch talking about what is wrong with the world is more of a philosopher than the guy with a Ph.D. who uses big words and convoluted arguments to say the same thing.  One is trying to communicate.  The other might also be trying but often is more concerned with impressing other people with Ph.D.’s.

You are a philosopher and, according to Pascal, you might be a better one than the guy at the university.

Pascal's Pensées, a download from Project Gutenberg, Kindle location 300-301.

homo unius libri
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4 comments:

  1. Gorges SmytheFebruary 8, 2016 at 11:59 AM

    Yeah, and us folks on the porch are usually more correct than the guys with the multiple sheep skins.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PumiceFebruary 9, 2016 at 5:14 AM

      As the possessor of two such skins I would tend to agree with you.

      Grace and peace

      Delete
  2. chipmunkFebruary 9, 2016 at 4:20 PM

    There's a lot to be said for good, old-fashioned horse sense.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PumiceFebruary 10, 2016 at 5:19 AM

      Of course the donkeys and squirrels would not agree.

      Grace and peace.

      Delete

Comments are welcome. Feel free to agree or disagree but keep it clean, courteous and short. I heard some shorthand on a podcast: TLDR, Too long, didn't read.