#learning philosophy

      I don’t like to define philosophy in simple rigid terms, or break down an art into a science, but here are some guiding principles of philosophy.

     Philosophy began with a need to know.  Philosophy stands for Philo - lover, and sophy - wisdom. A direct translation is “lover of wisdom”. Philosophers are in the pursuit of not just knowledge, but wisdom. Is there a difference? Yes. Think of it this way: A databank, library, or database is knowledgeable, but not wise. Wisdom takes more than just knowing.       Philosophers are lovers of wisdom and choose to pursue the mysteries in life with a thoughtful mind. Although philosophers pursue questions, they do not directly seek to implement answers. Pre-modern philosophy liked to link passions and logic, while modern philosophy chooses to weight logic over passion. 

The questions which philosophers choose to pursue are:

1. Permanent and 2. Universal

A question such as: 

“Is Donald Trump a good president?”

although viewed from a philosophical perspective, is  not a true philosophical question. Donald Trump is temporary. A more philosophical question would be:

 ”Does electing a sovereign of the people really make life better?”

Or

Do government systems work?

These questions are both permanent and universal.

Doing philosophy requires:

1. Open-mindedness 

One must acknowledge their ignorance and give credit where credit is due (generosity principle). A true philosopher believes any idea, no matter how far-fetched or far from your beliefs, has a chance of being true.

2. Devotedness to the truth

A philosopher seeks the truth, the whole truth, and only the truth, and acknowledges the truth when present, regardless of ego.

      Philosophy is a primarily rational analysis of things and ideas in the world. Things that exist and can be sensed, as well as all things in which can be idealized by the mind. The primary tool of the philosopher is the mind, and tools of the mind are things like logic principles, heuristics, and sometimes a bit of intuition.

      Although this is a broken down and defined explanation of (doing) philosophy, philosophy does not begin or end with this definition. Philosophy is an endless art, and art is undefinable, lest by subjective analysis. Doing these things does not make you a philosopher, and not all philosophers do these things. If I were to give one simple sentence defining philosophy it would be the following: 

“Collection of [fluid] knowledge through experiential learning from direct interaction with physical and mental entities.”

Whether or not you decide to fully adopt a particular philosophy, simply studying different ones is good for both your intellectual prowess and your humility. Such study is also good for society insofar as it can make people less rigid and dogmatic in their beliefs. In my case, I am trained as a behavioral scientist and was educated with very little philosophy. But that changed about five years ago, after I saw evidence in research about philosophical education of its personal and social benefits. So I took to studying the great thinkers myself, from Aristotle to Zeno—and contemporary philosophers as well. Here are the rules I’ve followed for doing so.

1. Start with a lay of the land.

Rather than beginning at a random point, create your own version of an undergraduate survey course. There are many wonderful books that give you a broad sweep of philosophy, such as Nigel Warburton’s A Little History of Philosophy. For a classic that is slightly denser and more demanding, try Will Durant’s 1926 work, The Story of Philosophy. Or buy an introductory textbook and do your own Philosophy 101.

2. Take big ideas in small doses.

As you turn to the original texts, you’ll find that they’re not binge-reading material. You won’t get much from the Nicomachean Ethics if you try to read it over a weekend. Like most philosophical texts, Aristotle’s seminal work requires keen attention and a lot of thought. Set a time aside each day to read for 10 to 15 minutes, taking notes as you go. This will become a treasured habit and get you through a lot of deep thought in a satisfying way as the months pass.

3. Do rely on teachers.

If you didn’t need secondary sources and annotated versions of the works of philosophy, that would be great. But I do and so, probably, will you. Right now, I am struggling with Ludwig Wittgenstein’s Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. All I can say is, thank God others got their doctorates in this stuff and can machete through this intellectual thicket with their commentary.

4. This really is what YouTube is for.

When you decide to scroll videos to pass the time, whether at night in bed or on the treadmill at the gym, do you come away feeling empty and slightly depressed because you just blew an hour of watching utterly vacuous stuff? Don’t rely on the junk that the algorithm feeds you; search for videos made by scholars talking about their favorite philosophers. The quality is mixed, but your time will rarely be wasted.

5. Try applying what you learn.

...

Young people habitually are able to jettison their habits of belief for an exciting idea. ... But children of divorced parents often lack this intellectual daring because they lack the natural youthful confidence in the future.

Piano Study: Process not Mastery

One of my students recommended a book by George Leonard that globalizes the idea of gaining Mastery in any field of endeavor through a love of “plateaus.” (These are pauses in forward-moving progress that can either frustrate a learner, or motivate him to forge onward with an all-embracing love of the “journey.”)

The author begins with the metaphorical comparison of Aikido to the…

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Lifelong Learning for Success - Retool Retrain. Your Career growth depends on it.<\p> <\p>

"If it isn't broke, don't fix other self." Lifelong learning is the special treatment, and job enhancement is best perceived through two words - retool - retrain. Even nowadays career growth is possible; you should be carrying a lifelong learning philosophy that promotes greatness in aggregate you give good returns. Works so is the life-or-death eye to maintaining marketability and adding value to your boss business.<\p> <\p>

Sure, some of alter ego may have started through learning on the job, and on no account really considered things long term. To reproduce on the job today custodianship your skills and motivation level is a long-term process, which is best carried out with a plan based on lifelong learning thereby enabling growth talent in the future - it is as a body about "what have permission you do for me" therewith the spot, which means maintaining a steady focus on where market demands are headed. Your current skills may occur top notch, now, but if your rest on your laurels; you will find that to not be so to be trusted in the near future. Why not anticipate now and plan accordingly. Falter growth and lifelong attainments just go hand in hand with twin a plan.<\p> <\p>

In a nutshell, there is an ultimate idea for -- retool retrain. Moneymaking employment and future opportunity.<\p> <\p>

Job enhancement and lifelong learning go hand in eclat as unsick, and in agreement with on the job training, they please see how well job amendment suits he. Whatever you may think, on the job teaching is the thoroughly foundational, besides should be crusted by dint of retool retrain. Trajet nonviolent change choice be de rigueur ahead. Again, retool retrain. Career growth thrives on it. Lifelong learning is a philosophy you should without cease carry with you, serene if you support that me are content in despite of your current skills and knowledge. What you don't know could be the mere thing that hinders your job tightening, and no matter how much on the job training herself have, there is always something altogether that you could know.<\p>

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Learning by the skimp !

Learning by the skimp ! Because learning by the ocean is like swimming the ocean from one side to the another.

One can learn only by seeing the quantum. And that is to say to not see anything to begin with. The difference is in the fact that not seeing something is a negation. But seeing something hardly enough, less than what we even perceive, materializes in a long enough time. We are therefore…

Study Guide To The Novel, Red Mountain, Birmingham, 1965 by Charles Entrekin

by Paul Dolinsky, Ph.D

A passion for ideas is the original glue which binds a group of young Birmingham students, circa 1965. For about 7 years, we follow this group of college friends. They regard conventional views on family, religion, career, social and sexual mores, as false and hypocritical. The Civil Rights struggle, including events in Birmingham, provides the background, as our characters struggle to balance elements within themselves to achieve happiness, while also striving for social justice. The first person narrator, is a student of philosophy and literature.

The author of Red Mountain, like his narrator, grew up in Birmingham during the time frames in the novel, and so, there is a keen attentiveness to details of time and place, that help make the accounts vivid. This sense of detail carries through to the other cities, and to the historical events, brief accounts of which, preface some of the chapters. . In Red Mountain, we have at once, an existentialist drama and a kind of morality play – can people can live on the edge, in absolute freedom from conventions, and survive?  The inscription of the book, Nietzsche’s famous quote from Beyond Good and Evil sets the tone –  the lack of fixed boundaries in non-conforming attitudes and behaviors, could lead one to destructive attitudes and behavior.  But there are successes too, as we watch our narrator and main character, learn to balance his life, and try to help his wife, too.    

The attitudes and life-style choices of the characters give us living vantage points from which to survey philosophy, in theory and practice. So arose the idea of Study Guide for Red Mountain, the Novel.  Should one live for today, apart from consequences? How should one combine, in daily living ; the life of the mind, and the life of the heart?   What are the implications of unbridled hedonism?  How free are people to make choices, as free will vs. determinism, on the individual and social levels; and  social conventions vs. social justice?

This Study Guide is designed for different people: individual readers; philosophy tutors; students in college classes, and teachers of college level courses in philosophy, humanities, and liberal arts.  Red Mountain, the novel, presents a wealth of issues for discussion in such classes as Introduction to Philosophy, Philosophy and Literature, Ethics, Existentialism, and Social Philosophy. To study philosophy in the context of literature helps the readers appreciate the importance of both art and ideas, and how these are combined, in our daily lives. Readers who have lived through this tumultuous period in American history, can experience again, the flavor of that time, with its trials and successes. Younger readers could  gain a real sense of those times, by reading Red Mountain, the novel, with a gentle assist from this study guide.  Red Mountain, the novel, is beautifully written, and its engaging style will keep readers reading and thinking.