<p>Before Sophie's World... I wanted to be a philosopher...</p>
<p>Now that I sparknoted the whole thing (I couldn't bring myself to read it all)...
I find philosophy to be annoying. I've grown a hatred for it.</p>
<p>to procreate</p>
<p>my existence has no reason. i was born to leech on society and take welfare money from society and live a pathetic life.</p>
<p>to move things...prove me wrong.</p>
<p>wow Griff, that was actually quite deep</p>
<p>no one can disprove anyone else's theory on the purpose of our existence, which is the beauty of it all. your purpose is what you make it.</p>
<p>"moving things" is based more on actual realistic fact (it's highly provable that everything we do comes down to moving something), not so much theory. I have plenty of other theories of the purpose of existence, but I prefer to keep them to myself.</p>
<p>"it's highly provable that everything we do comes down to moving something), not so much theory." i agree, but it's not provable that "moving things" is the PURPOSE OF OUR EXISTENCE, which is the topic being discussed...</p>
<p>Now that depends on which context you use the term "purpose". If it is used in a personal sense, where each person is to figure out their own intentions for existing, then I agree that you can't prove life's purpose. However, if you use the term "purpose" in a global sense, with a larger perspective over the entire human race's most basic "purpose" of living/existing...then proving that its purpose is to "move things" may not be all that difficult. I know, it's semantics, but a conscience difference.</p>
<p>agreed. well put. my only qualm with philosophy is how difficult it can be to discover or say something profound without getting caught up in semantics. regardless, i think it's an awesome field that not enough people appreciate.</p>
<p>I can agree with that...philosophy blows my mind, literally! It's very interesting, but hurts my brain! One thing I can honestly say about my friends who are majoring in philosophy is that they are really sound thinkers...they are very open minded, and don't rule out options very quickly. Honestly, philosophy is a good major for almost any career. The owner of a company I worked for once had a doctorate in philosophy from Stanford. He was a really sound thinker.</p>
<p>For me, though, I have a hard time with things I can't wrap my brain around. Philosophy/Economics/Religion Studies are all majors I could never pursue without going nuts!</p>
<p>all you people are wasting time discussing this crap. why dont u just play some flash games online?</p>
<p>^that's somewhat ironic, considering your name is ganhi... ha games are ill though</p>
<p>purpose of our existence? you mean human as a whole? individually? or as in all living beings on earth, regardless of their size, strength, or importance in regard to humans? The entire planet as a whole with all things that exist and breathe? I've learned that there is no purpose. No meaning. We are just here somehow.</p>
<p>Sophie's World is a flawed, but useful tool, and is fairly itneresting. Most people who can should read it, unless they know most of what's in it.</p>
<p>Philosophers don't sit around thinking about the meaning of life so much as thinking about how people should live life, what is and is not, and how humans think, the three main branches of philosophy, ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology. Fantastic and misunderstood major, but not for everybody, as nothing is.</p>
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Fantastic and misunderstood major, but not for everybody, as nothing is.
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<p>Oh I know it. I wish it was understood or at least appreciated more by people in general but sadly that's not the way it will be. To me, philosophy can really wake up someone from today's generally superficial and simple-minded world and shift them to thinking outside of the box or at least just think in general more. Thinking is wonderful. It promotes creativity and thus eventually creates ideas. Ideas could then be implemented. Where there is a will, there is a way. Furthermore, philosophy will teach you how to solidify and defend your beliefs.</p>
<p>And I always answer the question with Sartre's quote: "existence proceeds essence".</p>
<p>"To me, philosophy can really wake up someone from today's generally superficial and simple-minded world and shift them to thinking outside of the box"</p>
<p>my philosophy class did just that for me. i have encouraged so many people to take it at my h.s. i wholeheartedly believe it should be a required subject (equal in rank with english, math, ect.).</p>
<p>No purpose, but living is totally worth it.
Although, if it weren't for pie, TiVo, and the internet, then it probably wouldn't be worth it.</p>
<p>I believe philosophy should be a requirement too. Maybe replace one of the general education courses with a more philosophical course.</p>
<p>If there is a purpose, doesn't that speak to the existence of a higher power? And if there is a purpose, and our actions go toward that purpose, then do we really have free will. Arguably, can we even hope to know the purpose, considering it's scope? Why do we need this idea of an all-encompassing purpose? Why can we not create our own purpose? I mean, under Maslow's Hierarchy, one could argue that an individual's purpose is/ought to be whatever results in self-actualization or self-transcendence.</p>