Friday, July 4, 2008
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Friday, July 04, 2008
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College days came back to me when my officemates inadvertently brought up philosophy subject to lunch a while ago. I remember my own adventure in the world of nothing-can-come-out-of-nothing stuff. It was both funny and draining. Funny because you wouldn't know whether what you and your philosophy professor are talking about makes sense. Draining because all those seemingly stupid questions would tire you out and you would still not come up with convincing answers. What is life? Does god exist? Is mankind morally good? What is a priori?
It's not that I really don't care to really find out the answers to all these questions. My opinion is that life, which I want to enjoy, is too short to be used and spent to answer questions that may remain unanswerable forever.
This is not to say that philosophy doesn't have value. It does have value. And admit it or not, we learned from this philosophy. In fact, many of us have some sort of philosophy in the sense of a personal outlook on life, as we all know it. Even a man who claims that contemplating on philosophic questions is a waste of time is actually expressing what is important or worthwhile. Hating philosophy is STILL a philosophy.
Through studying philosophy, I discovered that not all truths are truths, and not all lies are lies. In philosophy, I learned to think critically and logically. Through it I discover the ways to expand what I can think of. By "philosophizing," I learned to prove or disprove things by arguing. I jumped from the "quagmire of ignorance" to the hills of knowledge, so to speak (although I must say I sometimes wish I were still ignorant on some matters like religion). As philosophers say, every institution of society is based on philosophic ideas, whether that institution is the law, government, religion, the family, marriage, industry, business, or education. What you are today is a product of some philosophical ideas surrounding you.
Talk about this philosophy makes me really miss my college days. I almost made a "treatise" about the value/existence of free will! That's how serious I was.
So much for philosophy. It's been a while since I last saw my professor. I wonder how would he tell the students that the "chair" really doesn't exist...
-------------------------------------
Here is an old philosophy joke that made me really laugh. I still find a lot of this kind in many discussions and forums:
Two freshman philosophy students see the following bulletin posted on the wall of their lecture hall:
CRASH COURSE IN LOGICAL ASSUMPTIONS
Saturday, September 26, 1998, All Day
Neither of them knows what it means and they are both curious. The pair decide to find the professor and ask some questions. When they locate the professor's office, the bolder of the two enter the building while the other remains outside.
Student: "Uh...Sir..What does Crash Course in Logical Assumptions mean?"
Professor: "Well, it involves taking information that you have, forming assumptions using logic, and then creating new information. Let me try to answer your question by asking you a question. Do you own a car?"
Student: "Uh...Yes, I do."
Professor: "Well, then I can now logically assume that you drive."
Student: "Yes, I drive. "
Professor: "Then I can logically assume that you drive on weekends."
Student: "Yeah, I drive on weekends, I go out on dates."
Professor: "Then I can logically assume that you have date partners."
Student: "Well, yes, I have a girlfriend."
Professor: "Then I can logically assume that you are heterosexual."
Student: "Uh...hell yes! OK, I think I understand what this course is about now. Thanks a lot for your time."
Once back outside, his friend asks him: "So, what's it all about?"
"Its about using information and stuff...Let me answer your question by asking you a question. Do you own a car?"
"No."
"Uh...Then you're homosexual, dude!"
LOL.
It's not that I really don't care to really find out the answers to all these questions. My opinion is that life, which I want to enjoy, is too short to be used and spent to answer questions that may remain unanswerable forever.
This is not to say that philosophy doesn't have value. It does have value. And admit it or not, we learned from this philosophy. In fact, many of us have some sort of philosophy in the sense of a personal outlook on life, as we all know it. Even a man who claims that contemplating on philosophic questions is a waste of time is actually expressing what is important or worthwhile. Hating philosophy is STILL a philosophy.
Through studying philosophy, I discovered that not all truths are truths, and not all lies are lies. In philosophy, I learned to think critically and logically. Through it I discover the ways to expand what I can think of. By "philosophizing," I learned to prove or disprove things by arguing. I jumped from the "quagmire of ignorance" to the hills of knowledge, so to speak (although I must say I sometimes wish I were still ignorant on some matters like religion). As philosophers say, every institution of society is based on philosophic ideas, whether that institution is the law, government, religion, the family, marriage, industry, business, or education. What you are today is a product of some philosophical ideas surrounding you.
Talk about this philosophy makes me really miss my college days. I almost made a "treatise" about the value/existence of free will! That's how serious I was.
So much for philosophy. It's been a while since I last saw my professor. I wonder how would he tell the students that the "chair" really doesn't exist...
-------------------------------------
Here is an old philosophy joke that made me really laugh. I still find a lot of this kind in many discussions and forums:
Two freshman philosophy students see the following bulletin posted on the wall of their lecture hall:
CRASH COURSE IN LOGICAL ASSUMPTIONS
Saturday, September 26, 1998, All Day
Neither of them knows what it means and they are both curious. The pair decide to find the professor and ask some questions. When they locate the professor's office, the bolder of the two enter the building while the other remains outside.
Student: "Uh...Sir..What does Crash Course in Logical Assumptions mean?"
Professor: "Well, it involves taking information that you have, forming assumptions using logic, and then creating new information. Let me try to answer your question by asking you a question. Do you own a car?"
Student: "Uh...Yes, I do."
Professor: "Well, then I can now logically assume that you drive."
Student: "Yes, I drive. "
Professor: "Then I can logically assume that you drive on weekends."
Student: "Yeah, I drive on weekends, I go out on dates."
Professor: "Then I can logically assume that you have date partners."
Student: "Well, yes, I have a girlfriend."
Professor: "Then I can logically assume that you are heterosexual."
Student: "Uh...hell yes! OK, I think I understand what this course is about now. Thanks a lot for your time."
Once back outside, his friend asks him: "So, what's it all about?"
"Its about using information and stuff...Let me answer your question by asking you a question. Do you own a car?"
"No."
"Uh...Then you're homosexual, dude!"
LOL.
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Nutty Boy
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