philosophy

But if philosophy can relate to life in general, we might all be able to learn something from the philosophers and the subject philosophy. Let us take a closer look at some philosophers, and try to see how philosophy may be of help in life and show us how the good life should be.

Aristotle believed that bios theoretikos was the best life for humans. By "bios theoretikos," Aristotle meant a life where one thinks a lot, and contemplates about the order of the world in a theoretical or philosophical way. I think Aristotle was on the right track, I often reach a state of mild euphoria when discussing a philosophical problem.

Aristotle claimed that the contemplative life was the best, for instance because it resembled God's mode of existence. Some have held a different opinion than Aristotle, for instance Ludwig Wittgenstein, who seems to have believed that the practical life was the best. The key here is perhaps to combine contemplation and action, but for me contemplation must always be prior to many of my great decisions and important actions.

Parts of Western tradition seem to have placed too much emphasis on the theoretical. You might not be able to identify with Evagrius of Pontus, who in the fourth century AD spent 16 years alone in the desert, engaging in contemplative mysticism and thinking about theology. You might not want to live the life of Kant, who always had a rigid schedule in order to be able do all of his academic work. He never traveled more than a few miles away from Königsberg, but obviously spent most of his time traveling in the realm of ideas. But even though you don't don't want to adopt the Evagrian monastic or the Kantian academic lifestyle, you probably feel that you have a great need to think and be mentally stimulated.

As the existentialists emphasize, man is a being that seeks meaning, and we need to think through some of the deepest questions of life. Philosophy, in the sense that we contemplate about general and abstract questions relating to our lives and society, is necessary for everyone in order to live life to the fullest. Most people do have questions about meaning, ethics, religion and society, and many seem to have a need to investigate these questions in a theoretical and general way. Thus philosophy is a means to what psychologists call self-actualization or self-realization.