Take undeniably true statements. Use them as a means to discriminate between different philosophies.
— creativesoul
How do you know what statements are undeniably true? Isn’t that a philosophical question?... — Pfhorrest
Seems kind of circular to then base your means of discerning truth on something you discern to be true based on... what means exactly?
Are you denying that there are true statements? — creativesoul
I'm denying that we can know for certain, especially prior to any philosophizing, which statements are the true ones and which are the false ones. — Pfhorrest
A good philosophy gives you a way to tell which statements are the true ones and which are the false ones. — Pfhorrest
An understanding of what sorts of things can be true and what makes them so gives you a way to tell which statements are the true ones and which are the false ones.
There is no need for philosophy here. Five year olds have such an understanding. — creativesoul
I consider that general philosophical view to be a naively uncontroversial, common-sense kind of view, from which various other philosophical schools of thought deviate in different ways; and I aim to shore up and refine that common-sense view into a more rigorous form that can better withstand the temptation of such deviation. — The Codex Quaerentis: Introduction
An understanding of what sorts of things can be true and what makes them so is a kind of philosophy. — Pfhorrest
I agree that five year olds often have a pretty good intuition for that kind of thing...
OK, well what makes a good dance? — A Seagull
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258 — Pussycat
That said, the essence of philosophy is, in true Socratic spirit, a journey of discovery of not wisdom but of our own abject ignorance. The philosopher then is the quintessential tragic hero, lured by the promise of wisdom to begin a quest to become a sage but sadly betrayed to none other than himself and his pathetic ignorance. — TheMadFool
Well I have to say I like the metaphor of philosophy as a dance. Extending the metaphor Life is a dance.
Some dances are more enjoyable than others, some lives are more enjoyable than others. A good philosophy is then one that enables one to have an enjoyable life. Ultimately a philosophy is personal, it has very little to do with truth or statements, they are only useful if one wants to communicate one's philosophy. — A Seagull
Is this a true statement? If not, then how would it be useful to you or anyone else? If so, then philosophy wouldn't be personal because the truth in the statement would be useful to everyone that shares the same world.Ultimately a philosophy is personal, it has very little to do with truth or statements — A Seagull
They're only communicated if the communicator believes that it's "personal" insights would be useful to others, thereby making it an objective (applicable to others) philosophy, not personal or subjective.they are only useful if one wants to communicate one's philosophy. — A Seagull
I say the purpose of philosophical discourse is to cultivate an integrative worldview suitable to inform, guide, and promote harmonious action in individuals and whole communities. Accordingly, philosophical discourse is just a special exercise of a more general sort of philosophical activity that belongs to our nature and that is ceaseless in creatures like us.There are a variety of approaches to philosophy: realism, idealism, theiem, existentialism and so on.
Is there an over-riding means of evaluating which is better than the others?
Are they distinct or do they share a commonality which suggests they are all just minor variations of a common philosophy?
What makes for a good philosophy? — A Seagull
Well, of course anything that is true must be in concordance with facts, but it’s not necessarily correct the other way around. A philosophy can be in concordance with mere facts without being true. Facts are basic true observations about the world whereas a philosophy is a logical derivation of facts. All philosophical systems worthy of the name would start by stating facts that everyone can agree on. From there they will go in different directions and reach conclusions that contradict each other. The facts remain the same, though, and so in a sense they will all depend on those facts.Presumably then, a true philosophy is one that is in concordance with the facts. — A Seagull
A good philosophy acts as a force multiplier to thought; it forges connections between the disparate, as elaboration on world and word. A good philosophy constantly surprises, pulls one along a forceful current of throught that propels a mind from one element to the next, and leaves one hungry for more. It inspires creation in thought and serves as a launchpad to thinking otherwise, always. It refers one constantly to an elsewhere and an outside that cannot be captured within that philosophy but on which it always draws upon, augments, and edifies. — StreetlightX
↪A Seagull There's nothing subjective about it. Or objective for that matter (a silly distinction of limited use, everywhere misapplied). — StreetlightX
Conclusions in moral philosophy, although they may be true, can’t really be called facts. — Congau
There definitely are truths in moral philosophy, and we all implicitly think there are, or else we wouldn’t argue so vehemently over moral issues. When I say I believe that capital punishment is wrong, I’m saying that I believe it’s the truth that capital punishment is wrong. Sure, I can’t refer to it as a fact that other people could simply check on to know if it’s true. It’s not the same as saying “I believe it’s true that Paris is the capital of France”, but there’s no reason to assign the notion of truth exclusively to plain facts. Facts can be checked by simply taking a look, but something can be true even if that’s not possible.perhaps there are no truths in moral philosophy. — A Seagull
And a 'force multiplier to thought' is meaningful??? — A Seagull
Do you know the term “force multiplier” in general? — Pfhorrest
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