Nature of Philosophy - Essay Example

? Nature of Philosophy According to Nash , the nature of philosophy is the way people live and view the world. It points out clearly how people live a life without a god. Nash (2010) argues further that philosophy is a way of comprehending the world around us. This implies that its nature includes the ability to view something and interpret it into realities that make sense to us. Purpose of Philosophy Philosophy has a vital purpose to us. It helps us apprehend what world view is. We are able to attain a good understanding of our own world views. It guides us to improve our own ways of viewing the world. Philosophy makes us become familiar with world view of others. We are able to know that world views are different. For instance, our world view as students differs with those of Plato and Socrates (Nash 2010). Philosophy has a great response to the ultimate questions in the world. It provides possible solutions to the ultimate causes in the world. It also explains the purpose of existence of human beings. This implies that the study of philosophy will help us comprehend who we are. Finally, it assists us to adapt to our world. Finally, Philosophy plays a major in recognizing people’s values in the world. It does not take sides. Instead, it provides a space for all manner of thinking. It serves the purpose like that of the chief judge in a government. This means that it listens, comprehends and analyzes all circumstances in a given situation. Discussion of the World Views World view contains people’s answers to key questions in life. It is a systematic roadmap with an individual’s beliefs. It has factual views of life and the globe. Many views of the world lack consistency. Therefore, few of them are complete with a systematic steadiness. It is a vital thing to attain a high awareness of world view. World view helps others to understand their own world views. We can also aid them accomplish a systematic and consistent world view. This implies that a world view is a scheme consisting of our fundamental beliefs. Through it, we are able to judge and interpret our realities. It is fundamental to note that world view operates in a similar way the eyeglasses work. For instance, the right eyeglass has the capability to put the planet into a clear focal point. Therefore, the world view can also perform the same duty of eyeglass. This also implies that when people view the world imperfectly, reality does not make sense to them. This means that it is of essence to view the world with the right world view framework. It will impact positive consequences on people’s way of thinking and acting (Nash 2010). Components of World View Beliefs about God Any world view has a vital element. A world view differs greatly over basic questions about God. For instance, is there God? What is His nature? Is God a human being? And who created God? These conflicting views result to inconsistent world views. This is because different world view systems have diversified world views concerning God. For instance, the Hinduism and Buddhism differ from the Judaism and Christianity about the beliefs of God. Therefore, the view of God is an important component of World view. Ultimate Reality World view entails of solutions to questions about the universe. For instance, the world view responds to questions like: Who created the world? What is the main purpose of the world? Will the universe be destroyed finally? Is the universe spiritual, material or something different? These questions do not take place in most people. But anyone reading Ronald’s book of ultimate Questions of life will think about them. They will hold beliefs about some of them (2010). Theory of Knowledge People in the world strongly hold to this belief of epistemology. They have different opinions once they are asked about the possibility of the knowledge about the world. They will always provide no and yes answers. Some of the key questions in relation to epistemology are: Can we really trust our own senses? What are the main roles and experiences of Knowledge to us? Is God’s knowledge possible or not? Is there any connection between the mind of God and our mind? Even though very few people think of these questions, we are in a way affected by them. The majority of us hold to these epistemological beliefs. This implies that we only need to draw our attentions to these questions (Nash 2010). Component of Ethics This is a familiar component of world view to people than the other beliefs mentioned above. People make moral judgments about an individual’s conducts. Ethics in this context is concerned with why people’s conducts are wrong. The common questions asked under this element include: What are the moral laws governing the human conduct? Are moral laws similar to all human beings? Is morality subjective or objective? Are moral laws discovered in the same way? Is morality relative to people and their cultures? All these are the questions that bother people. Therefore, it implies that ethics forms part of the essential component of world views. Nature of Humanity According to Nash (2010), all world views have numerous questions about human beings’ nature. Some of the relevant questions asked include: Are people always free? Is there any concrete difference between the soul and mind of an individual? If there is any then how are they related to our human bodies? Is there continuity of human beings after their physical death? Will people be punished after they have died? Different people have different views about these questions. Nature of Truth Truth is described as the aim to inquiry, a degree of knowledge and the ultimate concept that links thought or language and the world. Truth excludes error and falsehood irrespective of race, culture or ethnicity. Truth is therefore said to be integrated, and often explains other ideologies such as realism, rationality, objectivity, facts, beliefs and representations. It is therefore important to note that truth as a concept is independent of opinions. How to Test Truth According to the correspondence theory of truth, statements are true if they agree with the reality in question and false if not. The reality in this case is given, for example, either God exists or not, the geometry of right triangles conforms to Pythagoras theorem or not. Ronald Nash proposed five ways of testing truth. These are reason, experience, outer world, inner world and practice. Nash uses the law of contradiction in the test of reason. The law of contradiction asserts that X cannot be Y and non-Y at the same time and in the same relationship. Nash argues that contradiction is always a sign of error, thus a conceptual system is expected to be logically consistent both in its parts and as a whole (Nash 2010). This test might fail in subjective religions or philosophies which fail to make universal truth claims. Aristotle argued that the law of noncontradiction is indispensable for significant action, thinking and communication to take place. This means that this law cannot be explicitly proven, yet arguing against it would be assuming it. Nash adds that men do not arrange the true nature of logical conclusions rather they study, and take notice of it so as to learn or teach it (Nash 2010). It is continuous in the order of things and divinely order. He says that denial of the law of noncontradiction leads to absurdity as everything loses meaning. The test of reason only serves as a negative test for truth. It is important to note that the absence of contradiction does not guarantee the presence of truth however; it is extremely useful (Nash 2010). The test of the experience focuses on what man knows about the world and himself. Nash argues that if a world view ignores or is inconsistent with human experience then it does not deserve respect. He discusses the outer and inner world. Outer world refers to the man’s experience of the outside world or in other words what man perceives. Today, worldviews claiming the earth to be flat or the center of the solar system are bound to fail this test. The same case applies to pain and death being illusion, humans making constant progress towards perfection or humans being innately good. The world view should always fit what humans know about the external world. The inner world’s worldview seeks to explain why human beings think, hope, feel, believe, desire, are conscious of right and wrong, feel guilty et cetera. Human beings carry with them a memory of the past, are conscious of the present and look forward to the future. They are aware of death that awaits them and most of them are convinced of a life after death. Man’s world views should be consistent with what they know about themselves (Nash 2010). The test of practice tries to understand whether the person who professes a world view can live it or do they have to borrow pieces of other world views in certain situations. Nash narrates the story of a gangster called Mickey Cohen who after being invited to a crusade by Billy Graham made a profession of faith in Christ. After a while, he showed no signs of Christian regeneration. Mickey explained this by declaring that he wanted to retain his career and become a gangster Christian just as there are Christian movie gangsters. This example contradicts with the Christian testimonies of lives changed as people decide to abandon their non-Christian beliefs and practices and follow the example of Jesus Christ. Mickey’s world views conflict as he was not sure or ready to abandon his gangster lifestyle to a Christian one or even the Christian life that he desired. Conclusion There is a very significant relationship between truth and man’s world view. The five tests of truth are very vital when it comes to helping human beings assess the truth and understanding the world around them. The noncontradiction law is very significant for successful actions, communication and thinking. This will also help human beings when it comes to developing world views, understanding them and living with them. Reference Nash, R. (2010). Life's Ultimate Questions: An Introduction to Philosophy. Illinois: Zondervan Read More