Wilhelm Peralta (2022)
(The paper
reflects the idea of the author, not the editor)
“Vain is the word of that
philosopher which does not heal any suffering of man." Epicurus
Abstract
Throughout history, various ideologies have
been passed down through the generations. Some of these include absolute
absurdism, existentialism, and various other forms of philosophy. Various
points go into analyzing these ideas, such as how we got here, who we are, and
what happens to us when we die.
The dominant image of
philosophy focuses on formality, fundamentality, widespread use of intuitions,
and showing the history of the discipline. Indeed, the practise of philosophy
is conditioned by forces outside the control of some philosophers.
Any philosophy is a
matter of achieving and striving how to apply the medium of critical thinking
and reflection of interpretation and weighing evidence, debate,
counter-arguments and also assessing critically and impartially the
fruitfulness of various approaches to a special set of circumstances out of the
universal of mankind. It seeks the integration of knowledge of the sciences and
with other fields to accomplish and consistent and coherent worldview. A
fragment of human knowledge, skills and experience, and reflection upon life as
a totality.
Keywords: Philosophy Reflection, Way of Life, 21st-century Philosophy, Philosophy as Therapy.
Introduction
In
the 21st century, Philosophy is observed through theoretical,
idealism, progressivism, constructivism, perennialism, and detached from life.
It was a way of life not just being thought in academe but it was considered as
a medium of living, practice from resilience and the self according to an ideal
of wisdom into transforming oneself. A conversion and reflection into the
process of living into exploring own of wisdom. Indeed, the exercises of
spiritual beliefs into self-transformation and their reflection into its
philosophy a way of life.
Great
Philosophers thought the generation of having concerns that go beyond the
everyday demands of life. They embrace the distance between their actions and
the sequence of ordinary life that hold it into fashion, tradition, and
conformity. The regular appeal, as a kind of disciplinary statement such as
commitment to the truth even one's claim to live from the bases of Socratic
belief. Others appreciate the working life as structured by
forces not directly responsive to reasoned argument and that these forces shape
the work they do. The practice of philosophy is conditioned by forces outside
the control of individual philosophers, (Doyle, 2014).
The
breakthrough of philosophy has achieved a complete disciplinary recognition and
with a pure inquiry into cares simply for truth. It is a discipline in the
sense of occupying a definable position in humanity and accounting for certain
of its features.
Dotson (2012) emphasizes primarily addressing the
coercive nature of the implicit norms of the discipline that tend to silence
what is potentially distinctive in the voices of female and minority
philosophers. But the mechanism she identifies is general: work that in any way
veers away from fundamental questions posed as universal and mostly formal can
be met with the demand for proof of identity: how is this philosophy? That this question is so often asked in this
rhetorical way suggests both that a) there is no explicit theoretical agreement
about what philosophy is and b) the background assumption that philosophy is
identical to the professional image is fairly widespread.
Campbell (2006) is one, a laudatory official
history of the American Philosophical Association (APA). It is a valuable work
of history, but it refrains from theorizing about causal relationships between
a professional organization and philosophical content and instead tries to
identify particular philosophical contributions that, for example, APA
addresses have made to the discipline. It is, that is, still a history of ideas
separated from material conditions. The very nature of philosophy is itself a
contested philosophical issue, and views about this issue are philosophically
controversial. Although the investigation of the proper aims and methods of
philosophy is nowadays known as metaphilosophy, it is not a distinct
higher-order discipline but an integral part of philosophy itself (Glock,
2008).
Philosophy as Stoic and Epicurean Therapy
The conceptualization of Philosophy is to treat and
relieve suffering and is viewed as analogous to medicine, and the philosopher
was seen as the physician of the soul who cured the irritation, irrational
fears, empty desires, and false beliefs. It emphasized the passions of emotion
as a source of emptinesses and sickness, without these, humanity is suffering
from worries, fears, anger, unworthy, unrecognized, disorder, and unrest in our
soul. Philosophy thus appears as a therapeutic of the
passions. Its therapeutic method is
linked to a profound
transformation of the individual’s mode of seeing and being (Sherefkin, 2017).
The Stoic sage is
apatheia, from the Greek meaning without feeling that the good life is
life without passion. Giving the importance to external and attached to what is
not under the control and set for upset and grief. The moral guide for living a
good life and focusing on the components of life which we can control
(Swift, 2021). Even though the Stoic belief in complete self-sufficiency is
false, there is something to be said for a person who is not enslaved to the
glitter of the world. Put in a positive light the Stoic can be described
as a self-commanding person-one who, rather than being the slave of fortune, is
truly free just because she doesn’t care for the things that fortune
controls. Commanding herself, she commands all that is important for
living well in a world in which most people value things-such as money that appears to offer
power but offers slavery the wise person is the only truly, free person. (Sherefkin, 2017).
Epicureanism
seeks peace of mind and removes the unhappiness and unrest, they call such desires hollow because they know no limit
and can never be satisfied. No amount of money will ever be
enough for those who pursue a life of wealth. These desires are
not natural but a consequence of false beliefs and a corrupt society.
Natural desires, on the other hand, have limits and are easily
satisfied. Simple food can satisfy our hunger as well as the most
expensive delicacies.
The greatest source of
misery and unhappiness, more than living an empty life, is our fear of death. The fear of death can
be so intense that it can drive a person to suicide. As Lucretius, a
Roman disciple of Epicurus wrote “fear of death, Induces hate of life
and light, and men are so depressed that they destroy themselves. Having
forgotten that this fear.” Epicurus calls such desires “hollow” because they know
no limit and can never be satisfied. No amount of money will ever be
enough for those who pursue a life of wealth. These desires are
not natural but a consequence of false beliefs and a corrupt society.
Natural desires, on the other hand, have limits and are easily
satisfied. Simple food can satisfy our hunger as well as the most
expensive delicacies. (Sherefkin, 2017).
Hobbes Approach to Balancing Liberty of Contract
The Philosopher Thomas Hobbes
with his approach to pushing authority contract and power of the state, in
which his treatment, properly appreciates authority’s source in individual
liberty. The social contract binds man
to civil society in establishing a legitimate government and subsuming all
agreements. Wherein Hobbes makes it clear that the state will intervene in
terms of the good of the people. While the sovereign power should exercise its
influence (Pope, 2011).
In America, the philosophy of liberal democratic
constitutionalism brought many heretofore overlooked as causes of faction are true
as sown like the man as affliction will not be lightly overcome. The traces of
its sources is through the diversity of passions and a difference in knowledge
among men.
The American Constitution in light of Hobbesian
principles touches the major parallels between our founding document and
Hobbesian philosophy as itself a social contract, whereby the people of the
several states divest themselves of certain powers and privileges for the sake
of commodious living. Taken together, the Preamble’s tenets, forming the
philosophic core of the new regime, coincide precisely with the contractual
motivations espoused by Thomas Hobbes (Nichols, 2011).
Attention to the Present, Death, and Views Above
Freedom
from choosing beliefs is to ensure spiritual progress toward the ideal state of
wisdom through self-control and meditation. According to Philosopher Pierre
Hadot, “man lives in the world without perceiving the world.” This kind of belief
is that we can only be in the present if free from the past and the future.
Enjoy the present moment, live freely not thinking between the past and future,
memory and expectation, regret and worry, and the process loses the present
moment.
According
to Pope (2011), the Stoics and the Epicureans explained the importance of being in
the present moment. But what this meant in practice for them was very
different. For the Stoic being in the present moment demanded constant tension
and effort. For the Epicurean being in the present meant learning how to relax
and have peace of mind. The difference Epicurean enjoys the present moment
while the Stoic wills it intensely; for the one, it is a
pleasure; for the other, a duty. Though they seem like opposites,
Stoicism and Epicureanism, like inhalation and exhalation, complement each
other the Roman emperor and
Stoic, Marcus Aurelius, believed we would be radically changed if we lived as
if each day were our last. The thought of imminent death transforms our way of
acting radically, by forcing us to become aware of the infinite value of each
instant. We must accomplish each of
life’s actions as if it were the last.
From the perspective of
the universal, our cares and concerns seem trivial and insignificant. The view from above changes
our value judgments on things: luxury, power, war…and the worries of
everyday life become ridiculous.
Conclusion:
The integrated view of the
world is through our philosophy as a basis of system beliefs into reality. A
foundation of knowledge, humankind, the role in the world, understanding of the
existence and provides premises through the discovery of truth and by views in
supporting life. From this point of view, this will test our character and
critically determined the reality of the truth for the sake of attaining
wisdom.
Philosophers
are critical and reflective to give a view of the whole life, the life, and the
world view, the discovery of knowledge, and other disciplines to achieve a wish
to see life. It also attempts to bring the functions of human inquiry,
religion, history, and science with the meaningful interpretation that may provide
information, skills and knowledge, and views for our lives.
Philosophy
makes people drive for decision-making because the fundamental questions of philosophy
are important. Without a philosophy of man, reality, truth, value or group
cannot poster good decisions for the lives of individuals or humankind. That no
decision-making is unrelated to the issues of reality, truth, and value. A
better function with proper understanding than to wonder what is all about life
in ignorance of factors that shape our choices and beliefs.
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