For me philosophy is figuring out the world around me.  It's learning social dynamics, including politics, in various realms such as work & school as well as government.  It's learning how life is more like a stage where you see some people simply act as themselves - those are the pleasant ones to watch (unless they are a wretched soul; then they are a nuisance to watch) & others act as if they are trying to be different than themselves - those are the amusing ones to watch.  Philosophy is in essence thinking about what's important to you, learning your surroundings, & figuring out how you as a being fit most comfortably in those surroundings.

Michael, 

Thanks for taking this on, not sure this is what your looking for but its my two cents on some aspects of Philosophy. 

The older I get in this life the more I am convinced individual philosphy is based on a person's ego. What we read, what we see, what we are attracted to, this goes for historical perspective as well as political. We are molded and shaped by our education system, our religeons, our parents, the media et al.
One example I will use here is a political philisophical personal experience; being raised in the local union I was a pretty far left democrat, they pushed the democrats for the blue collar worker and I bought into it hook line and sinker, campaigned for political offices for dems that I thought or was told would make our lives better, get us more work, be on our side. What I see now is that nothing ever changed, then I was laid off... Started our own business, worked hard to build it up, dis-accociated myself from the "union" I started to see the other side of the coin and read more and more about a free market economy, the theries of Ludwig von Mises and others on capitalism vs socialism, the common sense of his writings are hard to dismiss. 

I have climbed far right in my political views, far away from my old views on society and the advancing stepping stones of socialism which is how I view the dems agenda from this side of the street. I do keep an open mind and watch both sides of debate but from my perspective the lefts arguments are undefendable if one wants a free society especially the one envisioned & instituted by our Founding Fathers.

Most folks with beliefs or philosophies based on far left/socialistic ideologies typically do three things when confronted with contradictory positions to thier own; 1. they walk away 2. they shout and try to intimidate 3. they resort to name calling and deflection from the topic.

 My new philosophy is like the song says "Always be humble and kind"

My  2 cents....



 

Well, philosophy means love of wisdome or thinking about thinking and how that could bring about a happy, productive and fulfilling live for oneself, one's family, one's group and human-kind.

It can vary from person to person.  It can be used by others for good or for bad -- i.e. Schopenhauser rather put us all off stating that there are some things that can never be known.  Hmmmm....  If one can sense it and experience it and be the effect of it, then it can be known.

It can be used by rulers to support an agenda that is harmful to people in general.  Or it can be used by rulers for good, to enlighten others and to bring about a civilization that is free and happy, where one can prosper because of on'e own ability -- or not, as one wills.

That's what I think.

Interesting foundation upon which to build this discussion.  I guess it provides a point frtom which to measure ourselves going forward with this project?  :)

Ancient philosophers have stood correction...for example...on issues of our universe and solar system....the church suggesting earth is the center of the universe has been disproven.  However the flat earth philosophical argument has not been solved.  These philosophical perspectives affect and impact how we, as a society, view our place in the world.  
Other philosophical perspectives have stood the test of time....let thy food be thy medicine, let thy medicine be thy food......seems to have withstood the test of time.
Other issues such as marriage---should it be in the hands of the state or church?....is a current debate on the terms of morality and even ethics....and is being argued philosophically curently.

What are the limites of philosophy?  I think limits are variable...like the rolling waves at the ocean...they gain and lose intensity...they continue unabated as well.....and depending upon the strength of the arguments, either provide strength or they weaken societies.  For example, it is currently believed that marriage is between a man and a woman...accorrding to a Christian perspective.  The relentless arrival of the waves at the ocean shore, challenge to the current prevailing perrspective will come and go...sometimes stronger, sometimes weaker....so far, the Christian perspective is still most accepted by society here in the united States.  

My 3 cents wortth.

Pat in the Hat

My comment: I did a Google search on “What is philosophy?”

[mjb: As a philosopher, I was hoping you would respond with what YOU thought philosophy is, but as a teacher, I'm pleased that you were willing to research the subject. What would we do without Google? (That's a rhetorical question, not a philosophical one.)]

I found many websites discussing the “What” and I think the best two:
1.The Basics of Philosophy: Broken Down into Manageable Chunks
It has many pull down tabs of the chunks with the discussion of the basics of all of them.

2.What is Philosophy – and what’s it for?
[mjb: Recommended reading!]

[mjb: This is excellent. I hope you all read this and do your best to absorb the essence.]
The basics of #2: What is philosophy?

People are understandably confused about what philosophy is. From a distance, it seems weird, irrelevant, boring and yet also – just a little – intriguing. But it’s hard to put a finger on what the interest really is. What are philosophers? What do they do? And why does one need them?

The answers to philosophical questions can meaningfully direct the energies of our lives! Philosophers are people who have common sense and the ability to reason. They are mostly independent. They don’t assume an idea is right because it is popular or public opinion favors it. We all have a problem with our minds. Why do we like somethings and not others? I think Philosophy is committed to self-knowledge! The greatest philosopher, Socrates summed that thought in just two words; “Know yourself”. We all want to be happy! We buy products to improve our lives and to improve our happiness. Philosophers seek to be wise by getting more precise about the activities and attitudes that really can help improve our lives. We all have emotions and those emotions affect our behavior. Philosophers try to teach us to think about our emotions rather than just reacting to them. Philosophers try to teach us what really matters and to eliminate the confusion in our minds to be clearer about what we mean and to test whether the ideas guiding our lives are sound. Aristotle thought that the best questions were those that ask what something is for; What is government for? What is the economy for? What is money for? What is art for? Today we would add these questions; What is the news media for? What is marriage for? What are schools for? What is pornography for? And, Are we alone in the Universe? Philosophy tries to put these questions to work in the world today and to help individuals and society to use wisdom to determine the answers. Today philosophy is mostly in books. In the past philosophers were among the population and sat with them and discussed their ideas and thoughts. In the past the thoughts of philosophers were important and they were on the payroll of business and government. Today, does philosophy have a real future and can it help in our lives?

I think the answers derived from Philosophy can help our lives!

[mjb: I agree. This is why I am a philosopher, and my reason for starting this discussion list.]

Philosophy is simply your view of everything but there is nothing simple about it.  Philosophy can also be a "group think" view such as a religious or political group even though the individual members rarely agree completely on the beliefs touted by the leaders of such groups.  The philosophy of individuals in such groups varies according to their personal views.

I completely agree that our individual, personal philosophy changes over time.  How could it not? Life changes affect our views on everything.  Societal changes, technological changes, age.... everything affects our point of view.  Imagine your views if there was not and had never been the internet.

Being admittedly didactic, I am comfortable saying that philosophy as an academic endeavor seems somewhat egotistical.  We all have our opinions and beliefs.  Not all of us write them down, make youtube videos, speak about them or tout them as the best ideas.  That said, I have absolutely changed some of my philosophical beliefs due to ideas and views I have read, heard and contemplated.  This is just a thought on the nature of philosophy in my most humble opinion and not meant to define it as good or bad.

Humans will be here for a minuscule sliver of time and we will soon (in the planetary sense of time) be extinct.  Our individual existence is even less significant but hubris prevents most of us from admitting that.  I think we all inherently know the difference between right and wrong.  I don't know if contemplation of abstract ideas is the best use of my time.  Yet, here I am.....

[mjb: And welcome! Thank you for your reflections. This is the type of response I was looking for.]

To me, one’s philosophy/philosophies is/are (a) perspective(s) which has/have been integrated into one’s mind and derived from from various and usually lifelong, impactful experiences and including reading. My philosophy would only be important to me unless I am a revered personality which I never want to be. There can be as many philosophies as there are topics—broad or not!  The only reason I would care about someone else’s philosophy is evaluating one from someone I care about or admire. I may be inclined to read a so-called famous philosopher’s philosophy and while I may find it interesting, I may not agree. I believe philosophies are as personal as our own “frame of reference” and adopt them accordingly.