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| Philosophy a Layman's View |
Philosophy conveys an individual's ideals. Ethics are the frame we build to bring us closer to our ideals than a mere preoccupation with survival would. Survival instinct is the 1st ethic as is proven by it being inherent in every living thing. No other reasonable ethic can ever be opposed to species 'or' not 'and' but simply 'or' personal survival. Solid ethics allow the one to choose self sacrifice for the good of the many but, when the many choose to sacrifice the one without consent of the one in question their ethics become increasingly fluid, no more likely to stand than water. A cold blooded repeat offending murderer or rapist even a traitor has given their consent with their second crime. We create stories called moralities that may be parable or fable which make use of the varied literary devices of simile, metaphor, satire, exaggeration, literalism & vagaries. At some point we turned from the Sun and started crafting animal and humanesque Gods. (To me which came 1st God or men is a chicken and egg conundrum; I solve the C&E with an omelette and some dark meat gravy over toast, noticing that it doesn't matter... they both taste good and the answer won't change my life.)
Of course these Gods must embody the Ideals of men and fit into their philosophies and the moralities must contain stories of these Gods. As civilization grew and tribes began to coexist their Gods went to war and at some point some great proto-philosopher realized that we all should hold the same ideals since we are all equipped with similar tools and burdened with similar needs. This began the advent of monotheism and it's simplicity and profound truth greatly diminished all other Gods in the wake of this new philosophical age. "Think not what your God can do for you but, what can you do for your God. How can you promote your ideals?" No more buying favors from a selfish deity who trades with his followers but, the joy of pleasing a loving father.
But that's not a desire for all of us some are driven to oedipal rage & seek to destroy what was and what is at their border and they create their own view of the one God. Some are doubters and must see proof so their God must perform miracles like some night club magician. Other's try to promote the idea that all people are one people and when we act with the knowledge, that to harm one is to harm the whole we can do anything we set our minds to leaving God as merely a compass point by which to navigate.
Politics are the newest iteration of philosophy there being philosophies on survival, life, enjoying life, commerce, war, duty, science, and politics are the extension of the philosophy of administration. Politics is the return of pantheism Republicans worshiping at the altar of Ganesh and Democrats tossing the burro on to the sacrificial pyre in place of their lamb. and all these varied "what can you do for me philosophies" contending in the mock ritualistic battle field of the ballot box. If the one God is dead it's because we've killed him with neglect and I know better than to believe that he could feel neglected with 1 billion Buddhists feeding His Ideal, 1 billion Muslims bowing to His home 6 times a day, & almost 2 billions Christians conveying His Charity across the globe. Believe in "Him" or not God is the name given to the expression of all the good will in all of humanity. As such the word god conveys the concept of the most humane philosophies in action, given form so that we may point to it as an ideal... to me as a Christian.
To a Jew the word god means a vengeful protector who cares only for the chosen few as long as they obey. To a Muslim the word god is a soldier reticent to kill but, willing if it comes to that. To a Buddhist god simply IS as we ARE.
When a person tells you their religion you are to assume they are telling you nothing more than their philosophy, & you should only be offended in as much as it/they assert(s) that yours is invalid. As a Jew you should smite them, as a Christian you should turn the other cheek 490 times, as a Muslim you should convert them, & as a Buddhist or other you really shouldn't care until they start to threaten you, Muslims & Christians likewise should only defend themselves when their freedom is threatened (This is the problem with lofty ideals they are a lot harder to follow than they are to accept.)
So to review: a Philosophy is a collection of beliefs regarding our ideals. Religions, unions, political parties & fraternities/sororities are groups of people of similar beliefs with varying scope which have gathered to enjoy the comforts & strength of community. Morals are the educational reward of understanding your groups "Lore" and sound ethics are the tools by which we coexist peacefully and assert our philosophy in a reasonable world.
The fact as hard as it is to accept is that We do things; all our creations are merely tools and as such have only the use or value we place on them. When one claims Godliness they claim to be filled with good will (for someone somewhere) and when we pronounce Evil we are pointing at what we claim to be an act or intent of bad will towards society or something under our stewardship. There are obvious Evils: Stealing & Murdering and they are easy to judge by anyone of moderate reason and lesser Evils which we perhaps shouldn't presume to judge as they don't harm anyone.
As such I'll leave you with something to ponder.
The most basic definition of adultery is the act of making impure as such it can mean anything from cuckolding your spouse to polluting the wine. no matter the use it has always implied secrecy and as such deception. And in varying circumstance can be either theft or murder.
Post Script "my philosophy"
Rejecting what is dominantly held to be good or embracing that which is by the same dominant majority considered to be evil, doesn't really make one bad just aberrant which opens them up for unjust ridicule, when they act on their aberrant belief structure they can be justly judged but then we have to decide if it's worth subjecting ourselves to the scrutiny we seek to bear upon them because, little aside from murder & theft are worth seeking justice over (in my opinion). After all much of our progress has been in the face of that which is held to be true and good remember that fewer than 100 years ago it was forbidden for a doctor to touch a living heart a taboo in place since the Greek Physicians.
God may or may not have begun all creation, 'IT' may or may not have been a product of the catalyst, He may or may not be a product of our imagination or even an extension of every living soul. The origin is in my humble opinion not very important, it's what a God represents and that is the ability of people to level one mountain to raise another, to overcome any obstacle we've ever faced, and the promise that as we become one people we will be better able to overcome those we face today and any we may find in the future. I bring it to the next logical step in evolution we can get along and work together to get off this rock before the next time it's smacked with an asteroid so hard almost everything dies, or we can bicker until the atmosphere catches on fire and we all fry like radio active bacon. The point of Philosophy is after all species preservation & promotion. That's evident when a hen fights a snake headed for her eggs, while the rooster hides in the rafters. He will be preserved in every egg in the coop she however only has her clutch because neither is aware of tomorrow. At this point in time we should exercise our reason and mend the bridges broken & burnt that lay between the various tribes of men in the name of continued survival, rather than lying about statistics (the politicians bread and butter)& slandering each other (accusing is easier that working for the change we want) and recriminating over past inadequacies, crimes, and insults (we all have too many to sort) until we self destruct,...
after all, why wait for that asteroid when we can make our own global fire storm. Use your reason well and your philosophy wisely, I'll try to do the same.
To that end I call myself a Christian to let people know I will do 'my best' to aide anyone in need.
If you read all that thanks. If you 'got' it congratulations. If you use it you're welcome & thanks again.
When Judging others we are evaluating not only their acts but their reason, so any who seeks to judge, has 1st judged themselves to be of superior reason, or they simply seek retribution. Killing isn't always murder and appropriating things from another isn't always theft, reclaiming ill gotten gains (Robin Hood) or defending yourself and others (heck Robin Hood again) (Maybe that's the potency of the legend he does all the things we consider evil on their face for very nobel reasons turning the acts to goodness.)
I think I might finally be done with this project.
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Posted by Munkyman on 2009-11-03 15:34:55 | Rating: | Views: 58
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