The Theory of Philosophy - Essay Example

Are the Great Philosophers Obsolete in Modern Society? Due Introduction There are all sorts of disciplines and theories that are designed for the specific purpose of understanding the origins, behaviors, thoughts, actions, emotions, and decision making of human beings. From medical science to psychiatry and from physics to sociology there is an interest in determining the purposes of humanity and the cause and effect of the human experience. Philosophy is a rather broad and difficult discipline to define. However, from an academic perspective, philosophy is the study of nature, of existence, reality, and how humanity fits into these considerations; as a humanities discipline it is the study of the ethical and moral dilemmas of mankind. There are many in the “hard” scientific communities that argue that philosophy is obsolete as a whole and has been essentially unchanged for 2000 years (Andersen 1). They feel the considerations of philosophy as a science are rendered useless in the face of modern scientific awareness and technological advancements. They no longer see a place for philosophers like, Machiavelli, Socrates, Locke, and Hobbes. However, there are others who feel quite differently. Philosophy is still relevant and perhaps even more relevant in this modern technological age. Discussion Each of the philosophers mentioned has contributed greatly to the discussion of the human experience and remains relevant today. Machiavelli, for example, was a reluctant philosopher, perceiving himself as a historian and an academic. All the same his writings, concepts, perspectives, and ideas have sparked many a philosophical debate, be it to support his perspectives or to refute them. The term “Machiavellian” was coined in his honor to reference someone who cleverly excels in Machiavelli’s preferred areas; ethics, politics, and psychological phenomena (Nederman ). Socrates is a fascinating character of philosophical history; he remains somewhat of a mystery to scholars. He was an oral philosopher who wrote nothing in his lifetime, but developed and changed philosophy forever. Socrates was the first to openly discuss the possibility that the pantheon of Grecian deities might not be responsible for all of the events that occur in the world. This non-theological approach to philosophy was considered heretical to the Athenian courts. Socrates was found guilty of crimes against Greece and sentenced to death for his philosophies. It was this sacrifice in the name of free thinking that spawned much philosophical debate and discussion over the years (Nails). John Locke focused much of his philosophical considerations on societal and political arenas. He was strongly opposed to authoritarianism. He, also, presented the idea that by living by “natural law” would lead man to divine purpose. The arguments concerning God, and nature versus “laws of man” and technology have always been one of the core arguments of the human experience (Uzgalis ). These issues are very real in the modern word, despite technological advancements. The English philosopher, Thomas Hobbes, dedicate his philosophical focus to social and political organization and order. He was determined that certain conditions must be met so that society can thrive together peacefully, as opposed to the danger or concern of civil uprising and conflict ( Williams). It is not just a matter of quoting philosophical rhetoric it is about understanding how these thinkers have forced humanity to include ethics and morality into the decisions that we make. All of these men, and many others like them, have contributed to philosophy and are still relevant today. In fact, if anything they are more relevant today than ever before. In this modern world, where human lives are filled with ever increasing simplicity and convenience as technology and the dependence upon it continually grows. We need to be thoughtful and considerate of the ethical and moral concerns. Opposition who believe that philosophy is a moot topic and has not changed in 2000 years may be true, but there is a very easy and logical reason for that. Philosophy has not really changed in two millennia because human beings have not really changed in 2,000 years. The faces, locations, and level of technology may change, but scientifically or evolutionarily speaking, human beings are pretty much the same. Sadly, human beings may never evolve as they might have before they stopped “adapting” to environments and began forcing environments to adapt to them. This modern would we live in today is in the greatest need of wisdom, considerations, ethics, and morality of our choices; actions are needed more than ever. The world we have created is one of aggressive, apocalyptic diseases, destruction of natural resources, pollution, social unrest, rampant poverty, starvation, economic depressions, and an ever growing dependence on artificial intelligences to arbitrate and simplify human lives. These issues cannot be properly tackled solely from the “cold,” logical perspectives of science, Philosophy requires people to contemplate serious concerns from a “human” perspective, philosophy is the most human of all disciplines. Psychology explains human behaviors through brain structures and imbalances involved in human abnormalities, history records events that occur anatomy, physiology, and biology speak to the human as a biological machine and through the biological imperatives indicative of all mammals. Philosophy allows us to consider the immediate, long term and far future ramifications of a single action. Only philosophy forces human beings to think harder about ideas and the actions we take individually, as a society, and towards out fellow man and the whole of the world. If we allow ourselves to move into the future without the considerations argued by philosophy, then we take the chance of losing our ethics, our moral fortitudes, and ability to make decisions from a human, or humane, point of view. In truth it may be a fact that the philosophy of the past and their contemporary counterparts are what prevents human societies, and humanity as a whole, from becoming dangerously unethical and, potentially, immoral. Conclusion Philosophy is still relevant; in fact, it is essential to modern human society. Learning about the different philosophies and the philosophers who developed them is still a valid discipline to study. In the end, philosophy contributes to the human ability to think humanely and that is something we cannot afford to lose; especially today as we move into the future. Philosophy is not an absolute discipline but it is not an obsolete one either. Those who denounce the validity of philosophical study are the very people who do not want to be bothered with the “human” aspect of scientific study and the ethical implications of their actions. Work Cited Andersen, Ross. "Has Physics Made Philosophy and Religion Obsolete?." Atlantic. 23 Apr 2012: 1. Web. 22 Feb. 2014. . Nails, Debra. "Socrates." The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. online: 2014. . Nederman, Cary. "Niccolò Machiavelli." The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. online: 2009. . Uzgalis, William. "John Locke." The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. online: 2012. . Williams, Garrath. "Thomas Hobbes: Moral and Political Philosophy." The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. online: . Read More