What is Philosophy and who is a philosopher? The word “philosophy” literally means the “love” (Philo in Greek) of “wisdom” (Sophia). So, a philosopher is somebody who loves wisdom, simple as that. Understood even from the fact that philosophy is a word of Greek origin, it is accepted by scholars that the modern forms of philosophy have their roots in ancient Greece. During this time there are accounts of philosophical thought in the East as well. But from what I understand it seems at the time there must have not been a clear distinction between philosophy and religion or spirituality in those regions. But as the name suggests, the pursuit of wisdom should be as old as humanity itself.
What is religion?
Philosophy is fundamentally different from religion. Religion predominantly is a system of faith and worship or adherence to a set of practices. Different religions have more or less of these components; faith, worship, practices, values, and ethics. The existence of religion depends on a section of the population adhering to the components of that religion. It can be a combination of the above components to varying degrees. Another characteristic of religion is, if it is widespread in the world it is definitely institutionalized. Institutionalization of religion is mandatory in practicality for it to have a wide reach over the world. Why religions believe that they must have a wide reach over the world, I don’t know. It’s an interesting question.
What is Philosophy?
Philosophy is different from religion for it puts the individual in the center of the experience. You get to think what you want, you get to experience what you want. The definition is up to you. It is all about personal inquiry. So in essence philosophers only have their love for the pursuit of wisdom in common. Their individual values and practices don’t need to have similarities. But you might have heard about schools of thought in philosophy. Groups of philosophers were brought together by the similarities in their opinions regarding certain things. There are schools of thought like existentialism, nihilism, stoicism, etc. This may look divisive similar to religion but this is where the definition of philosophy comes to factor in. A philosopher is somebody who loves wisdom. So the broader definition has no discrimination against anyone who is in pursuit of wisdom. They can be male, female, gender-fluid, Asian, black, white. There is no discrimination. I think this is the most beautiful aspect of philosophy. It’s in essence universal.
When Philosophy meets Religion
Philosophy comes to crossroads with religion when they both try to answer similar questions. “What is the meaning of life”?, “What happens after you die” are the most popular two questions. So there is no denying that religion influences philosophical thought sooner or later. For me, this has been very fascinating because I’ve always looked at religions grounded by a philosophical foundation. So for me studying and experiencing any religion has been no problem at all.
Okay, buckle up because things are about to get wild. If you look at humans or any other animal from a biological standpoint you can see that conflicts between individuals and between groups are absolutely natural. Disagreements and division are inevitable. If you try to use religion or philosophy or whatever as a way of eradicating human conflict you’ve tasked yourself with the impossible. Because it can never be done. So how can philosophy help? The questions that bring philosophy and religion in close contact are very emotional questions for humans. These questions have the ability to influence strong actions and reactions. So approaching these questions in a fundamentally divisive manner can only tap into the conflict potential of human nature.
This is why religion has been able to knowingly or unknowingly promote perpetual violence in the world throughout known history. The questions religion concern itself with are fundamentally unanswerable. Though many religions claim that they have the absolute answer. No one can tell you what happens after death. Or what the meaning of life is. So when you feed religion into the divided masses the conflicts get a steroid boost. The questions are never answered but people are continuously fed with fuel for strong emotions. Thus perpetual conflict.
How can Philosophy help?
How can fundamental philosophy help? Well if you are a student of philosophy you will disregard the notion of absolute truth for the hoax it is. You will live every day curiously and observe the world around you. You’ll change your opinions, come back to old ideas, the possibilities are endless. This can be redeeming; for you can decide what your values are and what meaning you attribute to life. You can finally find your subjective truth; the only truth that can ever really be found.
A student of philosophy will see ethics and morality as the man-made constructs they actually are. They will have the courage to do good deeds without being bound by a sacred moral code but for the sake of being a good member of the society. They will have the ability to do these things without expecting any divine favor from the universe. Why do you need a divine or a sacred guideline to treat each other with kindness, treat animals with kindness?
The universe is in a constant flux between chaos and order. If you don’t have a proper framework for your existence, you could succumb to the strong forces of nature and be left out disoriented. There are many institutions that offer meaning for your existence. Religion, Science, Art, etc. It’s not wise to surrender to one specific value system and base your whole existance on it while neglecting everything else that opposes it.
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