Anibal Scheid: Life is not about Philosophy, but Philosophy is about life. Does that sound logical to you?Good luck!
Walter Scordino: What you see here are 'practical' aspects of LIFE being discussed with reasoning and logic (well, almost...opinions do reflect something of those!).There are many who stick to Theoretical part...without the ability to translate it into practical knowledge of any real help...to themselves and/or others.Moreover, philosophy is not about a few Western Philosopher alone....there are different schools of thoughts in the East also!And then, there's hardly any scope for debate/discussion here...such is the format. You ask a question and you get some answers. The End!...Show more
Danica Timperman: Edit: While I understand that Philosophy can apply to beliefs, there is a section about Religion & Spirituality that I'm sure a lot of these questions can be put under.While I may be a Top Contributer in the History section, I do know m! y philosophy...classical philosophy, at any rate, which laid the foundations for "modern" philosophy. No need to sound condescending.Philosophy also shouldn't be confused with morals; like people asking "What should I do in X situation?" While a person may have a philosophy on something, that doesn't make it actual philosophy.And there's a reason why Philosophy is in the Arts & Humanities section...since it's supposed to be academic....Show more
Silvia Stclair: I actually have seen a lot of those questions...maybe you are just not looking at the right times or something. People mainly use yahoo to ask questions and the filter puts those types of questions in this category.
Pattie Vold: Primarily, it has become a place for those who think they have big ideas to rant.
Emery Blando: Steve, do you mean to tell me just because I think the glass is half empty, and that a tree makes a 'whooshing' sound when it falls in the forest, even though nobody can hear it! , that I'm not being philosophical?Steve, how about this: Mach! ery (2009) suggests that the concept of “concept†is too heterogeneous to serve as a “natural kind†for scientific explanation, so cognititve science should do without concepts. I second the suggestion, and propose substituting, in place of concepts, inborn and acquired sensorimotor category detectors and category names combined into propositions that define and describe further categories.Does this sound more philosophical to you?My serious point: there can be a middle ground between academic philosophy and the, shall we say, vapid questions that sometimes get asked here. Philosophy is an academic disapline these days, and more power to it, but it is also a human activity. We need to nurture this activity..By the way, check out philpapers. (Where that bit about Machery comes from.) It's actually quite good....Show more
Shaun Rapkowicz: The vast majority has nothing to do with philosophy directly. But some of the questions could be considered philosophical. I! would like to see some discussions on metaphysics, Epistemology and existentialism. But hey, you cant have your cake and eat it... or can you?
Delmer Pectol: The Stoic philosopher Epictetus wrote, "But what is philosophy? Does it not mean making preparation to meet the things that come upon us?" (from Discourses 3.10.6).If one applies this definition to this YA section then, yes, I think a question like `What would you say right before you died' would constitute a philosophical question in that the asker appears to have a concern about death which, certainly, is one of the more important `things that come upon us'. At the same time, I understand what you're saying and recognize that there are many trite and tiresome questions posted in this section(though not nearly so many as in Religion and Spirituality, which is simply intolerable)....Show more
Hilma Pestano: Philosophy also implies beliefs, paradigms and the root of one's opinions. Life and death questions ! can reflect philosophical views.
Adan Alipio: Yes, I agree and fo! r a long time reported people posting; "if you where a bunny, what color would you be?" in this section. I am sure that got me a fabulous rep! Look up my latest question and give it a go, it might be a little more of what you are looking for. Sorry for the self advertisement, but this is media. You are not going to get most of the people who use YA to understand that you can actually get a degree in the subject....Show more
Arlen Lopiccalo: This trend started long before this section arose in YA. I've been reading philosophy books all my life and have noticed as the years have gone bye that slowly the philosophy section in the bookstores are next to the new age stuff and something called metaphysics that has nothing to do with Aristotle. In YA the full realization of this trend has happened with the philosophy section being an across between a very small amount of real philosophy (classical or modern), new age stuff with there new concept (or lack of concept) of ! what metaphysics is, and general philosophy of life questions. So few understand what philosophy is that you can expect this trend to continue....Show more
Stanton Valdivia: Questioner:I've been perusing the Philosophy section for some time and I've noticed that a lot of the questions here aren't exactly questions that belong in this subject. Now, last I knew, Philosophy was the art of reasoning and relied primarily upon logic. Is there much reasoning involved when answering a question like, "What would you say right before you died?" Doesn't exactly seem philosophical to me...thoughts on this?REPLY:Logic is the art of reasoning, or per Aristotle's commentators "The Organon of Science." So logic is certainly a part of philosophy. I love your "non-philosophical" question --- because "great men" are oft alleged to say "great things" just before they die. eg.SOCRATES:- Remember, Crito, that we owe a cock to Asclepius (tbe Greek god or demigod of healing).ARISTOTLE:- ! I entered this world in impurity; I have lived in anxiety; I depart in! perturbation; cause of causes pity me. ["quoted" by a religious historian];THOMAS MORE: Could you help me up this scaffold; I'll shift for myself on the way down; At least this (beard) hasn't committed treason!Christ:- Forgive them, Father, they know not what they do.Thus, some good quotes from "Great Men". But most of the well documented "last things" that many great men have said are much like George Washington's last alleged quote..."Boy! I sure don't feel very well!!!Or the epitaph of the alleged "hypochondriac" on his tombstone..."I told you guys that there was something seriously WRONG with me!!!"*********Oh dear. But you really should check your "Classics" when you say things such as, quoteQUESTIONER:While I may be a Top Contributer in the History section, I do know my philosophy...classical philosophy, at any rate, which laid the foundations for "modern" philosophy. No need to sound condescending.Philosophy also shouldn't be confused with morals; like people! asking "What should I do in X situation?" While a person may have a philosophy on something, that doesn't make it actual philosophy.ARISTOTLE:"After the systems we have named came the philosophy of Plato, which in most respects followed these thinkers, but had peculiarities which distinguished it from the philosophy of the Italians. For, having in his youth first become familiar with Cratylus and with the Heralclitean doctrines (that all sensible things are ever in a state of flux and there is no knowledge about them), these views he held even in later years. SOCRATES, however, was BUSYING HIMSELF ABOUT ETHICAL (a.k.a. "moral" KB) MATTERS and neglecting the world of nature as a whole, but seeking THE UNIVERSAL in these ETHICAL MATTERS and fixed thought for the first time on definitions; Plato accepted his teaching, but held that the problem applied not to sensible things but to entities of another kind --- for this reason, that the common definition could not be a defini! tion of any sensible thing, as they were always changing. Things of th! is other ("non-changing" KB) sort, then, he called IDEAS..." [Metaphysics; Book I, Ch. 6; 987a line 29 - 987b line 8]IN SUM:- I don't think that either Socrates or Aristotle excluded moral (a.k.a. ethical) questions from the realm of "philosophy" as you seem to suggest above --- although, perhaps, you mean "situtation ethics" is not a "philosophical" topic. (?)QUESTIONER:And there's a reason why Philosophy is in the Arts & Humanities section...since it's supposed to be academic.REPLY:"Humanity" is a broad enough topic to include ethics or morals. But, anyway, I gave you a quote by Aristotle about Socrates and Plato. And Socrates was an ethical philosopher, while Aristotle devoted an entire treatise (actually more than one) to ethics or morals.Plato's letters are interesting as well, especially the one where he writes that BOOKS ON PHILOSOPHY have 2 contrary results, of which neither is "philosophical". Some people read them and tend to develop "vainglorious expectation! s", as if they have learned "something high and mighty", which no one else has ever known. Others are filled with disgust by the "uselessness" of "philosophy" --- thus the 2 classic errors of EXCESS (vainglorious expectations) and DEFECT ("philosophy" is worthless), while (according to Plato) the "true philosophy" is passed on from one living philosopher to the next --- which seemed to be the "cases" with Plato and Aristotle (among others) post Socrates.Both of those tendencies are, often, entirely evident in both Yahoo Questions and Yahoo Answers to "philosophical" questions. Do you have either of those tendencies in your question???Kevin...Show more
Rona Espalin: There are a lot of questions like this, but there are also good philosophical questions. I don't hesitate from answering either if they are interesting enough."the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct."Don't let your mind limit what you think philosophy is su! pposed to be....Show more
Alvaro Oare: Also, I know about the phi! losophical practices of the East. I'm not restricting philosophy to just the ancient Greeks.
Heidy Fujikake: Steve, which forum are you Top Contributor in? Obviously not this one, so let me tell you something about modern "philosophy".Most young people who have little or no formal contact in school with philosophy either don't know how "formal" it actually is, or they want to be in their "pink bubble" of ignorance.I answered a young man who wanted to know about the "mystery" of philosophy, and told him there was no mystery. I told him simply what the art and science of it are.He then voted me Best Answer, but his reply stunned me. He said he didn't want to think of philosophy in "that way" and preferred to think of it in terms of the all the "unknown places philosophy has yet to go." (I'm paraphrasing.)Many people have been led to believe that "metaphysics" has to do with the "spiritual" nature of existence----as though existence itself had a spirit with which one ca! n come into contact and perhaps have an emotional relationship with.Anyone who is actually interested in formal philosophy and those who wrote it, quickly become aware they will not get serious answers from most people. Devoid? Yes, probably 80% devoid, except first-year student questions, from people who have no idea what they've gotten themselves into, and don't know the answers won't come from 80% of the users here....Show more
Arnoldo Budzynski: There are questions relating to classical philosophy, as well as philosophical ideas.The meaning of life, and therefore the one thing you would like to say before your life ended, is a philosophical topic. Possibly one of the greatest. Sure, it's not about a famous philosopher or school of thought, but it's related to philosophy.
Frederick Mccoach: I majored in Philosophy in college. Yes, by all means, I have heard of them. Alexander the Great was Aristotle's pupil. He actually bought Aristotle an elephant as a gift ! once. Plato is just awesome. All of the above philosophers are exceptio! nal. Too bad we don't have any of Socrates' actual writings.
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