Philosophy & general problems
Philosophy is the study of fundamental and general problems concerning issues like knowledge, values, reason, existence, language and mind. Its approach towards addressing these problems is usually critical, systematic and usually relies on rational argument. The term philosophy originates from the Greek word philosophia which means love of wisdom or the search for wisdom. There are various branches of philosophy. Some of these include metaphysics, Epistemology, Moral philosophy, political philosophy, Aesthetics, Logic, mind philosophy, language philosophy and philosophy of religion (Quinton, 1995).
To me philosophy means asking questions and seeking to find their answers. It means studying the human beings and the universe at large by thinking and asking questions. Through this, I believe I will be in a position to gather more knowledge and gain wisdom with regard to the universe we are living. Philosophy is an important subject to study because it answers, or tries to answer very important questions that cannot be answered by science or religion. It does this by giving answers about real things and asking the question “why”.
By this means, it acts as a core ground between religion and science. Philosophy is therefore a good area of study as it helps people think more clearly and more critically. In so doing, those studying philosophy are able to understand the world and the way people think and act. Asking the philosophical questions is important as it brings wisdom and helps people to learn about the world they are living in and also learn about each other (Quinton, 1995). What I am specifically interested in learning within the subject of philosophy is the philosophy or religion.
This is a branch or philosophy that asks questions about religion and seeks to find the answers about the same. It concerns itself with questions regarding religion and the existence of God. It is an area of interest because it has been found in the earliest known manuscripts of philosophy. Some of the questions that this branch of philosophy seeks to answer are questions regarding God. Some of these questions are; is there a God who created the universe? Is there a devil? Do we have souls, and if we do what is the nature of our souls?
What, if anything, would give us good reason to believe that a miracle has occurred? What is the relationship between faith and reason? What is the relationship between morality and religion? What is the status of religious language? Does petitionary prayer make sense? What I find most interesting and fascinating about this area of philosophy is its efforts to address the question about God despite the resignation of most people in the world that God exists. Apart from addressing the perennial question of whether God exists, it also answers questions like if he is there, what is he like?
What does that mean to us? (Rowe, et al 1998). Another fascinating thing about this field of study is that, the questions about God have been there since time immemorial. But this does not mean that philosophers have abandoned this issue or that they have made no progress. As a matter of fact, progress has been made with some arguments about God being abandoned, others being refined and new points of arguments coming up (Rowe, et al 1998). Therefore, I am interested in knowing where this old debate will take us.
While theologians conclude that the existence of God is self evident, a philosopher of religion is interested in asking philosophical questions in regard to what is knowable and opinionable about the claims made by religions regarding the existence of God. Therefore, the field of philosophy is an important area of study and at the same time fascinating. References Quinton, A. (1995). The Oxford Companion to Philosophy. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Rowe, W. et al (1998). Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings, Third Ed. Florida: Harcourt Brace & Company.
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