Dear LPG,

I have just found out that today is World Philosophy day. 

When I think of Philosophy I think of the Greek scholars who are recognised for helping to set the ball rolling in the first place; people who had one quality that I don’t think that I will ever have.  I don’t think that I am bright enough to be able to think about the logic behind all the really fundamental questions in the world, and perhaps trying to provide the answers to the really big questions can do our minds more harm than good.   I suppose some people just accept that the world is as it is, while the philosophers are the ones that ask the question ‘why?’, every now and then.  

Perhaps it is an avenue that every mind explores at some point in life, and the natural philosophers among us are the ones that decide not to dismiss it, having worked out that finding their own answer is just a way to force our minds to do a lot of extra work and explore things that leave us really questioning our existence and everything else!

Many people now can choose philosophy as a subject to read at university, but does having a degree in the subject make you a real philosopher?  I think not.  I learned on the internet that Oxford was the first ever university to offer a degree course in the subject and that was not until 1682.  When I think of philosophers the big three come to mind.  It is fact that Socrates, Aristotle and Plato all did their big thinking in the late 300s B.C., so that theory has no logic. 

I suppose it is all about the meaning of life, which must explain why there have been so many people who have been recognised as philosophers over the years, but have you noticed that the philosophers from all that time ago seemed to offer as many mixed messages as the ultimate 21^st century philosopher; I am referring to the internet.

Now I think again I have decided that I am more of a philosopher than I first thought.  One of my favourite films from the 1980s goes some way to proving that you really don’t have to be clever and, if we really take a good look at our thoughts, most of us have created our own little answers to these big questions. 

So, in recognition of today, let’s do a little philosophising of our own.  The question is still out there, ‘why’.

NM, Bellingham

NM offers some information on World Philosophy day…

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… where to start…

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… and undisputable proof that anyone can philosophise …

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