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> It is not the point of philosophy to end philosophy, to ‘solve’ the deep questions so that people can stop thinking about them. And yet, many people who ask
by nshepperd 8y ago
> It is not the point of philosophy to end philosophy, to ‘solve’ the deep questions so that people can stop thinking about them.
And yet, many people who ask questions like "what is good?" or "how can we know things?" or "is there free will, and if so, how does it work?" do so because they actually want to know the answers. If the purpose of philosophy isn't to find the answers, is philosophy the wrong place to be looking?
If you're claiming that there aren't any answers, well... that sounds like a strong philosophical position!
- wsy 8y agoPhilosophers have given their answers to some of these questions. But - as absurdly as it sounds - the answers are not the main point of philosophy. I would say, the main point is learning to ask these questions better. That includes: - getting a deeper understanding what the question means - learning how to assess candidate answers - learning which answers are wrong, and for which reasons - finding out what difference it makes to know the answer (sometimes it doesn't make any difference)