Philosophy and Me.
Philosophy and me, could be described as an epic tussle of scientific thought and relative human action, theoretic knowledge and practical consequence. Philosophy has long held a particular intrigue for me. I love the potential that philosophy contains. My personal view of philosophy is shaped by the value that the ideas have on my thinking, and I can remember even as far back as late childhood, questioning the why behind social constructs for conduct and the implications of it.
When thinking about the importance of philosophy, Socrates stands out for me and this is due to the Socratic form of questioning, in the pursuit of establishing a truth of any strongly held belief. Socrates taught that knowledge of oneself is important. He also had a specific view on how to attain contentment.
Einstein’s contribution to the understanding of material things can not ever be understated. Energy and mass are bound in the formula, of Energy Equals Mass that is multiplied by the speed of light times the speed of light. Energy and matter can not be created or destroyed but changed. If that was not enough to philosophise over, there is now a theory of relativity that has opened a new aspect of how things behave in different forms of motion.
The universe has boundaries of comprehension, and a glimpse into the enormity of it, was revealed by the American astronomer Edwin Powell Hubble. This occurred when it was shown that tiny clusters of dust and light were in fact more and more galaxies. Another important fact that captures my mind, is due to the change of light colour from distant objects the relative motion of them can be ascertained and this has proved conclusively that the entire universe is expanding. This is a generalisation, as a very few galaxies are moving on a collision course relative to each other. Even more interesting, is the further the galaxy is from each other the faster they are travelling. There are a great many more factors that one can consider when thinking about the age of the universe and for me, there is a sense of being a unique pioneer, contemplating the science behind the philosophy.
The beauty of science is that once new information is gathered the model of reality is adjusted accordingly. In line with this practice, Einstein withdrew his Cosmological Constant theory that had been proposed to counter the pull of gravity. Although Einstein considered it to be his greatest blunder, later in the nineteen nineties the idea was actually proposed again to explain the effect of dark energy on the expansion of the universe.
Just as the knowledge of the universe has increased, so too has the understanding of the diversity of life. Charles Darwin published the principals of evolution and that has historically proposed and shown the adaption of life to the changing pressure for survival.
Even though it is not a classified idea, the continental drift and oxygenation of the world, does for me have a very powerful influence on forming my thinking. It helps to form my thought patterns as to make sense of how things work.
As in science, ideas need to be tested or revised and so do philosophical concepts. Plato believed the key to understanding, is how one perceives the world and there is a structure of forms. At the top of a pyramid like shape is the form of good, and below that sub categories, all of which are striving for perfection. On that bases, he did not believe in democracy but thought that philosopher kings should be supreme in directing society.
Many scientists and philosophers have been searching for a universal truth, as if that concept simply and undeniably has to exist. I have come to the conclusion, that no single belief or authority necessarily has all the answers. Instead each claim should be able to pass investigation. There are gaps in science and areas where new discoveries replace old ideas. The important point is over time more of the gaps are being answered and can help to influence the discovery of new thoughts and capabilities.
When thinking about the importance of philosophy, Socrates stands out for me and this is due to the Socratic form of questioning, in the pursuit of establishing a truth of any strongly held belief. Socrates taught that knowledge of oneself is important. He also had a specific view on how to attain contentment.
Einstein’s contribution to the understanding of material things can not ever be understated. Energy and mass are bound in the formula, of Energy Equals Mass that is multiplied by the speed of light times the speed of light. Energy and matter can not be created or destroyed but changed. If that was not enough to philosophise over, there is now a theory of relativity that has opened a new aspect of how things behave in different forms of motion.
The universe has boundaries of comprehension, and a glimpse into the enormity of it, was revealed by the American astronomer Edwin Powell Hubble. This occurred when it was shown that tiny clusters of dust and light were in fact more and more galaxies. Another important fact that captures my mind, is due to the change of light colour from distant objects the relative motion of them can be ascertained and this has proved conclusively that the entire universe is expanding. This is a generalisation, as a very few galaxies are moving on a collision course relative to each other. Even more interesting, is the further the galaxy is from each other the faster they are travelling. There are a great many more factors that one can consider when thinking about the age of the universe and for me, there is a sense of being a unique pioneer, contemplating the science behind the philosophy.
The beauty of science is that once new information is gathered the model of reality is adjusted accordingly. In line with this practice, Einstein withdrew his Cosmological Constant theory that had been proposed to counter the pull of gravity. Although Einstein considered it to be his greatest blunder, later in the nineteen nineties the idea was actually proposed again to explain the effect of dark energy on the expansion of the universe.
Just as the knowledge of the universe has increased, so too has the understanding of the diversity of life. Charles Darwin published the principals of evolution and that has historically proposed and shown the adaption of life to the changing pressure for survival.
Even though it is not a classified idea, the continental drift and oxygenation of the world, does for me have a very powerful influence on forming my thinking. It helps to form my thought patterns as to make sense of how things work.
As in science, ideas need to be tested or revised and so do philosophical concepts. Plato believed the key to understanding, is how one perceives the world and there is a structure of forms. At the top of a pyramid like shape is the form of good, and below that sub categories, all of which are striving for perfection. On that bases, he did not believe in democracy but thought that philosopher kings should be supreme in directing society.
Many scientists and philosophers have been searching for a universal truth, as if that concept simply and undeniably has to exist. I have come to the conclusion, that no single belief or authority necessarily has all the answers. Instead each claim should be able to pass investigation. There are gaps in science and areas where new discoveries replace old ideas. The important point is over time more of the gaps are being answered and can help to influence the discovery of new thoughts and capabilities.
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