PHILOSOPHY FOR DUMMIES

To be honest, I want to start writing about something a little more in depth than top 10 lists. After all, I didn't just graduate from university to make bullet points. I want to try and share some information with all of you in a fun way! As a result, I decided to start a new series. I will be covering a variety of topics and attempting to explain them in an introductory fashion through comparisons to experiences with cars.

So, without further ado, let's start learning about philosophy!

PHILOSOPHY

Philosophy is the love of wisdom and all things related to better understanding the nature of reality. It is about the bigger picture in life. Often, philosophical thought is a bit abstract, but this does not necessarily mean it is difficult. In fact, everyone gets a little philosophical from time to time. Sometimes it happens in a classroom and sometimes it happens in a bar. Regardless, I want to show you that you are indeed a philosopher and to provide you with some better terminology that you can use to impress your mates on those Friday nights.

ETHICS

Ethics is a huge part of philosophy. This branch is concerned with how people should act and what constitutes as appropriate behaviour in life. It is a little different from morals in the sense that it goes beyond merely practicing good behaviour, rather, ethics is about figuring out what good behaviour is in the first place.

The following is an example to understanding ethics. Imagine yourself in a car with your family driving down a fairly busy road. You notice that the sidewalk is filled with pedestrians enjoying the hot Saturday afternoon. Suddenly, traffic comes to an abrupt stop in front of you. As you reflexively begin braking, you glance up at the rear view mirror and notice a truck behind you that is definitely not going to stop on time. At this point, you must make a decision on whether to allow your family and yourself to get hit or, to swerve out of the way and hit the pedestrians on the sidewalk.

The philosophical point of this example is not what your actions would be in this crucial moment, but the overarching debate to what would be the proper decision to make.

chevrolet.ca

chevrolet.ca

SKEPTICISM

Ethics has been a longstanding debate throughout human history. There are many different viewpoints as to what the main pursuit or belief system should be. A couple of them include: Cynicism which focuses on detachment and simplicity in life; Hedonism which focuses on obtaining the most pleasure possible; and obviously many more. One I would like to focus on is Skepticism.

I would compare skepticism to the debate on hybrid and electric cars like the Toyota Prius or Chevy Volt. There is a massive marketing push to label hybrid and electric cars as much better for the environment, but is this really true? What happens to the batteries when these cars cease to function? Would they not be worse for the environment? Skepticism is about questioning information that has been given to you. Although, there is a debate about whether humans can actually determine what is good or bad. Perhaps, we are all too biased or unintelligent to make these decisions after all...

View gallery image

EPISTEMOLOGY

Epistemology focuses on studying the nature and meaning of knowledge. How do we know things? How do we know things that we know are actually real? Are there limits to how much we can truly know? Philosophers throughout history have had different answers and boundaries to these questions. If this feels a little too "fluffy" for you, I would like you to consider the following:

For the truck owners out there (yes, I always mention trucks because I have a slight obsession with them), how often do you go for a long drive into the countryside or up into the mountains just to get away from it all? You may even set up some blankets in the bed of your truck just so you can look up at the starts and think. At first, you probably start going over your various stresses and issues but after awhile, your thoughts get deeper. Before you know it, you're contemplating the meaning of life and who you actually are as a person. You wonder about what makes you feel the way that you do and how abstract life really is. Well, this is epistemology, and yes, you are philosophizing.

METAPHYSICS

Metaphysics explores being, reality, and existence. Those who enjoy talking about metaphysics may find themselves contemplating the Butterfly effect, whether time is linear, and all the endless possibilities of existence. The nature of reality is confusing and there are often no answers for any of them, but this does not mean it's not fun to think about!

To better explain this, I am going to compare this to self-development. Picture yourself when you were a teenager. Unless you had the perfect upbringing, you were most likely unsure of yourself, self conscious, constantly wanting more in life, and striving to be better. At this point, you may consider yourself to be a new Toyota Corolla. You're efficient and able to do things however, you're trying to find yourself to stand out from the crowd. Fast forward a few years later. You are getting your first adult job, finding your way into your career, making money, moving into your own place. Life is good but maybe it could still be better. Perhaps at this point, you may see yourself as a Nissan 350z - a little faster, a little more capable, but still with room to improve upon performance. With a little more work, time, and patience, you will eventually get to the point of being a Ferrari 488 Spider. Or so you hope.

a new reality....

a new reality....

PLATO'S ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE

Plato is a well known ancient Greek philosopher. His allegory discusses the nature of reality and how people view their own realities. Picture a bunch of prisoners chained to a wall of a cave since birth. There is a fire that burns behind them, but they are unable to turn around and look at it. Instead, there are other people with cast shadows on these cave walls by playing with puppets. The prisoners stuck in the cave mistake these shadows as reality for they are unable to conceive of anything different. Now, imagine if they were released and could turn around, look at the real objects, and leave the cave. They would realize that they have been mistaken.

This can be compared to the two worlds of cars and motorcycles. For most people, their whole lives are confined to only driving cars. They do not realize that there is a small but wonderful world of motorcycles! They also do not realize how much of an amazing experience it is to ride a motorcycle! If they eventually meet a friend who is a rider, or stumble upon a cool bike on their own, suddenly their world has opened up to a new reality! 😝 Okay, I'm not being serious for this one but you get the idea! Don't knock it until you try it!

View gallery image

THE MIND-BODY PROBLEM

This problem was originally started by the philosopher Descartes in the 17th century and is really cool to think about! The main question is, is there a difference between mind and matter? In other words, is your mind, all of your thoughts, and that inner voice simply just physical stuff? People who believe that there is a difference, would be labelled as dualists. People who disagree and think the mind and body are the same thing are classified as monists.

I would compare this to the awesome crossover, the Jaguar F-Pace. This question is more than simply, is it a sports car or an SUV? This question falls upon the experience of driving a sports car. The speed, the exhilaration, and the performance have now somehow become combined with luxury, comfort, and ample cabin room. Can the Jaguar F-Pace be classified as a sports car even though it does not meet certain requirements but meets others? I'll let you decide.

And that's it! Do you enjoy philosophy? Are there other topics I should cover in the future? Let me know in the comments!

JOIN OUR FAMILY

DriveTribe

She Can Ride | DriveTribe

For the love of motorcycles! Or anything that goes fast really...