Philosophy is as simple or complex as you make it. But you can’t dig very deep, simply. I struggle with it. The language is overwhelming and my attention span is inadequate. Sometimes I get lost in a single, run-on sentence. But I admire those who find their way in this puzzle, knowing where their are in the moment and how they got there. Right and wrong are slippery agents, often losing their way; just the unfolding of ideas and reason, wherever they lead. Philosophers may disagree and a small course correction in the beginning translates to a huge discrepancy in the end. So they argue and debate almost anything. It’s as much about process as it is outcome.
Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) was a renowned, British philosopher, mathematician, historian and political activist. His brand of philosophy has been labeled, ‘Analytic Empiricism.’ There were two schools of ‘AE’, one that emphasized proper language and reason, the other leaned heavily on mathematics and the natural sciences. Russell was of the latter. His appeal to me lies in his clear, public position on religion. He was a doubter of the highest order. His critics frequently tried to trap him with divisive questions. “Are you an atheist or an agnostic?” both of which can be challenged. Russell’s typical response went something like, “That depends. Do you want an answer framed in theory or one premised on application?” He makes the case for unbelief as opposed to disbelief. If you can’t disprove the existence of God, then there is still a possibility. Lack of evidence doesn’t prove anything. But when it came to how you live your life, Russell identified with atheists. His critics got an answer but no ammunition to roast him.
After a few pages of Russell, I bog down but his quotes are crystal clear. “The good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge.” - “The world is full of magical things, waiting for our wit to grow sharper.” - “In all affairs it’s a good thing to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted.” - “The degree of one’s emotions varies inversely with their knowledge of the facts.” I follow the logic; if you’re not a great thinker, you can quote one. John Locke in the 1600’s and David Hume a century later get my attention. Locke, gets credit for ‘Empirical-Enlightenment.’ Hume used up a lot more words than I can dredge up so I paraphrase his kernel of truth: human nature in 4 words - Seek Pleasure, Avoid Pain. It drives everything.
People who resist the philosophical maze tend to blow it off as intellectual knit-picking. We all philosophize, either with some knowledge of how it works or driven by feelings and the perception of control. Socrates, credited as the father of Western Philosophy (400 BC) simply asked questions. When one’s answers contradicted each other, he framed the next question to illuminate that flaw. In the long run, his proteges did the same to political leaders who gave Socrates an ultimatum to stop corrupting his students. He refused and was sentenced to either exile or death. He drank the hemlock rather than compromise his purpose in life. The fact that he was religious, believing in an afterlife may have had some influence on his choice but still, we remember it. His last words on the subject are the foundation of Western Thought. “An unexamined life is not worth living.” Unexamined would be, unexplored, unquestioned, unchallenged. We are still hearing it paraphrased, “It’s good to hang a question mark on things you have long taken for granted.”
Here I’ve written a whole page about philosophy and I doubt anybody cares, one way or the other. But I prefer difficult questions to easy answers and I’m not going to change; neither will I drink the hemlock. Exile doesn’t sound so bad; sort of like Br’er Rabbit in the briar patch. ‘Please, please don’t send me to Canada or Argentina; oh please, any place but there.’
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