Philosophy and the Great Questions of the Heart.

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Nick_A
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Philosophy and the Great Questions of the Heart.

Post by Nick_A »

Often philosophy consists of intellectually arguing details. But if philosophy is the love of wisdom, it must lead to more than the pleasure of arguing details. I found this list on Jacob Needleman’s blog. How does it relate to philosophy? Which of these questions resonate with you the most? If there is one, has philosophy helped you to deepen the question and to “feel” the meaning in it so as to better understand it?

This isn’t a gotcha question but just an attempt to better understand and value the relationship between the great questions of the heart and philosophy.

The Ten Great Questions of the Heart
February 14, 2016
1. Are we alone in the Universe? (Does God Exist?)
2. Who am I?
3. Why do we live?
4. Why do we suffer?
5. Is death the end?
6. Why is there evil?
7. What can we hope for?
8. What can we know?
9. What ought we to do?
10. How should we live?
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HexHammer
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Re: Philosophy and the Great Questions of the Heart.

Post by HexHammer »

Admissible proof that God exist!!
Nick_A
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Re: Philosophy and the Great Questions of the Heart.

Post by Nick_A »

HexHammer wrote: Wed May 24, 2017 11:29 pm
Admissible proof that God exist!!
How has philosophy deepened the question for you?
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HexHammer
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Re: Philosophy and the Great Questions of the Heart.

Post by HexHammer »

Nick_A wrote: Wed May 24, 2017 11:35 pm
HexHammer wrote: Wed May 24, 2017 11:29 pm
Admissible proof that God exist!!
How has philosophy deepened the question for you?
Specify.
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Harbal
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Re: Philosophy and the Great Questions of the Heart.

Post by Harbal »

I think the only item on your list that deserves serious thought is No.10, How should we live? All the rest don't seem very important.
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Harbal
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Re: Philosophy and the Great Questions of the Heart.

Post by Harbal »

HexHammer wrote: Wed May 24, 2017 11:29 pm Admissible proof that God exist!!
There is no proof of that, as you well know.
Nick_A
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Re: Philosophy and the Great Questions of the Heart.

Post by Nick_A »

Harbal and Hexhammer

I agree with Plato's definition of philosophy as the love of wisdom. If so, philosophy should deepen the questions of the heart Jacob Needleman listed. Apparently it no longer does. So if philosophy is no longer the love of wisdom, what good is it? What purpose does it serve and why be attracted to philosophy? What has taken the place of this "love" and pursuit of wisdom?
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Harbal
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Re: Philosophy and the Great Questions of the Heart.

Post by Harbal »

Nick_A wrote: Thu May 25, 2017 9:40 pm So if philosophy is no longer the love of wisdom, what good is it? What purpose does it serve and why be attracted to philosophy?
Doesn't it take wisdom to know how we should live?
Nick_A
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Re: Philosophy and the Great Questions of the Heart.

Post by Nick_A »

Harbal wrote: Thu May 25, 2017 9:51 pm
Nick_A wrote: Thu May 25, 2017 9:40 pm So if philosophy is no longer the love of wisdom, what good is it? What purpose does it serve and why be attracted to philosophy?
Doesn't it take wisdom to know how we should live?
Society and spouses can tell you how you should live. Becoming a good follower doesn't require wisdom. Beginning to understand why we don't know how to live - why we don't "know thyself" is real wisdom. A person can express love for the revelation.
Dubious
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Re: Philosophy and the Great Questions of the Heart.

Post by Dubious »

Nick_A wrote: Wed May 24, 2017 10:07 pm The Ten Great Questions of the Heart
February 14, 2016
1. Are we alone in the Universe? (Does God Exist?)
...a question which neither includes or excludes the other.

2. Who am I?
...simply another entity created by nature among mucho billions or trillions so created. A question "improvised" by philosophy as the thought laminations of wishful thinking by those empowered to even ask that question.

3. Why do we live?
...because we are born which necessitates dying according to nature's protocols

4. Why do we suffer?
...because we are mortal and imperfect. Suffering is nature's way of measuring deficiency.

5. Is death the end?
...it remains an open question based on the most obvious of all formalities expressed by logic, namely, that we cannot ever know for certain thus keeping the question alive for as long as the human race persists...though I'd think it certainly true as far one's existence on planet earth is concerned.

6. Why is there evil?
...not answerable! Evil has so many varieties each with its own reasons or propensities. The question of evil can be so ambiguous it's not always clear whether something denoted as evil actually is!

7. What can we hope for?
...that we're hopefully better then we seem to be!

8. What can we know?
...that depends on how deep our mental faculties can plough the fields of what remains undiscovered.

9. What ought we to do?
...never yield to expediency ...the one toxin most likely to preempt a viable future by inserting itself in the present. In the context of evil, it's insidiousness makes it the most deadly of all!

10. How should we live?
By dedicating our priorities to everything with the potential to destroy us or cause irreparable harm mentally and physically. Put another way, forgo most of the logocentrism of philosophy and work with nature to keep ourselves going knowing that if we don't, it will be as if we were never here in the first place. Losers in this universe don't even get archived!
Nick_A
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Re: Philosophy and the Great Questions of the Heart.

Post by Nick_A »

Dubious wrote: Thu May 25, 2017 10:41 pm
Nick_A wrote: Wed May 24, 2017 10:07 pm The Ten Great Questions of the Heart
February 14, 2016
1. Are we alone in the Universe? (Does God Exist?)
...a question which neither includes or excludes the other.

2. Who am I?
...simply another entity created by nature among mucho billions or trillions so created. A question "improvised" by philosophy as the thought laminations of wishful thinking by those empowered to even ask that question.

3. Why do we live?
...because we are born which necessitates dying according to nature's protocols

4. Why do we suffer?
...because we are mortal and imperfect. Suffering is nature's way of measuring deficiency.

5. Is death the end?
...it remains an open question based on the most obvious of all formalities expressed by logic, namely, that we cannot ever know for certain thus keeping the question alive for as long as the human race persists...though I'd think it certainly true as far one's existence on planet earth is concerned.

6. Why is there evil?
...not answerable! Evil has so many varieties each with its own reasons or propensities. The question of evil can be so ambiguous it's not always clear whether something denoted as evil actually is!

7. What can we hope for?
...that we're hopefully better then we seem to be!

8. What can we know?
...that depends on how deep our mental faculties can plough the fields of what remains undiscovered.

9. What ought we to do?
...never yield to expediency ...the one toxin most likely to preempt a viable future by inserting itself in the present. In the context of evil, it's insidiousness makes it the most deadly of all!

10. How should we live?
By dedicating our priorities to everything with the potential to destroy us or cause irreparable harm mentally and physically. Put another way, forgo most of the logocentrism of philosophy and work with nature to keep ourselves going knowing that if we don't, it will be as if we were never here in the first place. Losers in this universe don't even get archived!
Science and logic seek answers. The questions of the heart deepen questions. For example you wrote:
3. Why do we live?
...because we are born which necessitates dying according to nature's protocols
Science and logic doesn't supply answers for this question. Yet a person searching for meaning is drawn to the wisdom that leads to "meaning." The value of philosophy seems to be its ability to deepen questions in pursuit of wisdom. How, in pursuit of wisdom, would you deepen the question of why we live?
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Lacewing
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Re: Philosophy and the Great Questions of the Heart.

Post by Lacewing »

Nick_A wrote: So if philosophy is no longer the love of wisdom, what good is it?
Perhaps we are evolving beyond certain questions. That does not mean we're losing wisdom.

For me, personally, the questions that are worth asking are why are we sure of anything and why would we NEED to be sure of anything? Doesn't that limit us? Why do we believe in so many limits? What payoffs are we getting from that? Why would ANYTHING AT ALL actually be fixed and finite? If nothing is, what are the implications? How might that change our reality? Is our reality a reflection of our own limitedness, rather than a reflection of the true extent of possibility? Can we determine the amount of structure needed to support and inspire our human bodies and minds without becoming completely and belligerently intoxicated with our creations and the creations of others?
Nick_A
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Re: Philosophy and the Great Questions of the Heart.

Post by Nick_A »

Lacewing wrote: Thu May 25, 2017 11:15 pm
Nick_A wrote: So if philosophy is no longer the love of wisdom, what good is it?
Perhaps we are evolving beyond certain questions. That does not mean we're losing wisdom.

For me, personally, the questions that are worth asking are why are we sure of anything and why would we NEED to be sure of anything? Doesn't that limit us? Why do we believe in so many limits? What payoffs are we getting from that? Why would ANYTHING AT ALL actually be fixed and finite? If nothing is, what are the implications? How might that change our reality? Is our reality a reflection of our own limitedness, rather than a reflection of the true extent of possibility? Can we determine the amount of structure needed to support and inspire our human bodies and minds without becoming completely and belligerently intoxicated with our creations and the creations of others?
You seem to be drawn to questions of the mind. Are there any questions of the heart in the list that resonate with you? If so, how would you deepen the question so as to experience its "meaning?"
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Lacewing
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Re: Philosophy and the Great Questions of the Heart.

Post by Lacewing »

Nick_A wrote:You seem to be drawn to questions of the mind. Are there any questions of the heart in the list that resonate with you? If so, how would you deepen the question so as to experience its "meaning?"
Who are you, to define for another, what is a question of "the mind" and a question of "the heart"? Why are you making up this stuff? Why are you limiting reality and possibility to what you think? Is reality only what you think? I'm asking from the bottom of my heart (wherever that is). :-)
Nick_A
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Re: Philosophy and the Great Questions of the Heart.

Post by Nick_A »

There seems to be something confusing about this question. The fact that it is disturbing indicates to me t least how much is being lost in relation to the value of philosophy. Read this short explanation. Does it help clarify the purpose of this thread?

https://www.northatlanticbooks.com/blog ... -question/
As a professor of philosophy, I try to help people and myself open up the great questions of the heart. And let me also explain what I mean by that, because for me, philosophy has to do mainly with questions. As I sometimes say—only half jokingly—we philosophers don’t do answers, we do questions.
We need to understand that there is a certain kind of questioning that comes from a very deep place in our Self. And we need to understand that the great questions that arise from this source in us do not have answers in the usual sense—of questions that you can answer by getting information, or reading books, or conducting scientific research. Now let me tell you a little what I mean by these questions, and why I think they are of paramount importance to your life and my life—our lives. If we ever stop asking these questions, probably we’ll stop being human………………………………
My experiences in real life and on the internet has led me to believe that philosophy is losing its value in modern society as a means to further the human need to feel the experience of striving towards objective meaning. Plato spoke of anamnesis or remembrance. Philosophy can help us remember the experience of objective “meaning.” It is being replaced by collective societal meaning. I hope I’m wrong but my guess is that as philosophy is denied its purpose of touching the heart, the only result can be societal decay and superficial arguments substituting themselves for the value of philosophy. Do you no longer value the questions of the heart and prefer to argue the questions of the mind?
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