What does doing philosophy mean to me?
Practical philosophy is something that should help the individual to grow in a reflective sense. It may be an isolated pursuit or one that involves the companionship of others. Doing philosophy means thinking, being rational, asking questions, challenging actions, reflecting on past conduct, being critical of proposed conduct. Doing philosophy involves change, meaning, freedom to choose, action, and how we should act. Doing philosophy means enjoying life fully, expressing yourself creatively, not being fearful of or beholding to others, not being afraid of what you are or are not. Doing philosophy is a matter of working out what we have to accept. And if we are lucky, we may even, in some way, become a little wiser, even in certain spheres, wise. And wisdom, combined with a cheerful approach and a continual expression of the love which is both within and around us, will lead us to the most meaningful experience that is possible—living a life.
What I would like for my life?
I would like to be happy—or at least not unhappy. Aristotle thought happiness the ultimate end, the final product of all wishes in any causal framework. On the face of it, it’s difficult to doubt this. No matter what we enjoy, or wish for, it always seems as though happiness is the culmination of this enjoyment or wish. If I’m happy then what could I enjoy or wish for over and above that? It is not obvious that there is a condition which could supersede happiness. It seems ridiculous to be happy and wish for something which would make me less happy. But this is not so ridiculous or uncommon. We often undertake things which bring about less happiness for ourselves at the moment—we may suffer for later happiness. Ultimately, we may even sacrifice our life (and all the happiness which goes with it) for the happiness of another.
Happiness is a sound aim, but we must remember that sometimes there are states of affairs which we may wish for (even though we may not intrinsically enjoy them) which do not bring about our personal happiness, or where our wish is for an increase in happiness for another in preference to our self.
And it is similar when we think of enjoying or wish for unhappiness. Some individuals enjoy unhappiness—masochists, for example. And again, we may suffer unhappiness willingly in the hope of future happiness. Certainly most of us would not go out of our way to be unhappy, or wish for unhappiness. However, if it is recognised as temporary it is often undertaken and seen as a test of resolution, commitment, or faith.
When we think of enjoying or wishing for happiness and reducing or eliminating unhappiness in a philosophical life, we must not think of it in an absolute sense. We should see happiness as a product of some things but not the only product. Neither should we think of it as our only aim or the only way to satisfy us morally. A sense of satisfaction might be a better aim, or a better term to use. If we are satisfied, then our life would be wholesome and full, and we may also be happy.
Drawing up a plan of attack
Thinking out how we may move forward is an important step—it makes us committed to a philosophical stance for our lives. It is not like a resolution that we have to keep to though, it is more a mental framework—it is rational but changeable, put together in a carefully thought out way but always susceptible to new thoughts, tests and attitudes. At this point, we have to do some practical philosophy. We have to begin reflecting on our situation and how we can shape it the way we want it to be shaped. Such a reflection might go something like this.
I am wondering what I would like for my life. From what has been said so far, a number of things seem apparent: I would like to be happy—or at least not unhappy, I would like my life to have genuine meaning—some point—an object which makes taking action worthwhile, sincerely worthwhile, I would like to feel free of constraints: moral, social, economic, political.
I might move from this to establishing what, more exactly, is my situation in the world. Certainly, any sense of meaning must come from within me. It must not be derived from the world beyond me, although it may be stimulated by it. And I know that no desire based on objects of the world can have any meaning for me. Even so, I am part of the world, and exposed to its influences, although, the world is both beyond me and separate to me. My situation in the world is puzzling. The world is that which contains me and that which is the same as me. But whereas I am certain that I am conscious of the world, the world itself is not directly conscious of me.
But this will only get me so far. I need to understand what will lead me towards happiness, and for this, love is a pointer. I experience love whereas the world merely includes love as a quality. Love is the only abiding quality with sustained meaning, yet love comes from within me and, at the same time, gives meaning to the world beyond me. Because of this, love must be a powerful influence on the world. Indeed, I can imagine that love is the only worthwhile meaning in my life.
But this presents a sort of ‘structural difficulty’ in the way my life is assembled—most things which, at one time, seem to have meaning, at a later time, can seem meaningless.
And there are psychological difficulties as well. Judging means closing off the world of change. But how can I be wise if I am unable to judge? Suppressing words and thoughts must be balanced with my heart and my faith with self. I must understand that the political life, or the world of social morality and benefit, can affect my thinking and easily misdirect me.
With such forces in play, how can I move towards action? I need to understand that there are two categories: things-I-do, things-I-do-with-my-heart. I need to try and increase those things-I-do-with-my-heart to encompass the things-I-do. I must not be fearful of things that life entails including changes that I make to the way I view it or deal with it. My action should consist in setting aside, then eliminating, all those things which inhibit freely choosing to act for love. Work on the basis that this is the only fundamental goal in a worthwhile philosophical life. Yes, I must try to live as lovingly is possible.
From this, what am I to consider my plan of action? Is it any more than living as lovingly as possible? Do all the other things I have considered fall within this simple adage, or am I doing all my other considerations, and therefore myself, an injustice? I do not know. Perhaps I should try it out? Test out the present condition of my practical philosophy before going any further? No harm will come of it.
A thought on the process of thinking about action
Although this process leads to a sense of direction, it also leads to more questions being posed. This is common ground for philosophy—it does not come up with ready made solutions that answer the original questions. It can, but more often it poses further questions. There is nothing wrong with this, and it should not make us anxious. It is part of the process of eliminating what is wrong for us and has to be gone through.
