Why questions are more important than the answers? In what sense is philosophy a subversive activity?

Question

Explain why in philosophy the questions are more important than the answers. In what sense is philosophy a subversive activity?

Answer 1

those questions are framed by the people after doing a lot of thinking in search of truth but could not find out the answers, and those questions unless the answer is found out burn the heart of the people, are more important than the answers. if one finds real answer it brings solace to the person who asked the question. if the people give answers in such a way that they are ridiculous and mocking at the questioner, naturally the person's heart will be hurt.i request you to read all the answers and select one of them as the best and don't put them for voting.

Answer 2

By the very act of questioning, you are pointing out how the established answers are inadequate. By definition, that is what subversion is all about, undercutting what already exists. An established order or reigning theory only can exist as long as it is not questioned. Philosopher's questions make uncertain what once was thought to be definitive.

I suppose the questions are more important, because there never is an end to the questioning you can do, and with every question another answer loses some of it's worth. So really, it's the eternal act of questioning that is what endures about philosophy, not it's answers.

Answer 3

We are whirlpools in the river of Being. Intrinsically dynamic, transient entities for whom stillness is non-being. We arise from a common Source and share our essence with this Source – the River is One, and thus we are One. Literally: What we do to each other, we do to ourselves. When anyone suffers, you suffer. When anyone loves, you are loved. This Oneness seems meaningless and perhaps impossible, but it is ultimately the source of all meaning, and of all possibility. Your individuality is real – no two whirlpools are exactly alike – but the One from which you arose, and to which you will return is more than real; it is the Source of reality.

This may seem vague and mystical, and indeed it is, but if you take a moment to Think and ask the Question, you will sense the Truth. Why is there something rather than nothing? Why am I here? When you ask the Question, you ARE the ONE, and you tap into the Mystery at the root of Being. If you believe in God, you probably believe that God has the answer. No. If there is a God, then God is God because God comprehends the Question. God did not make the River, God IS the River. Why is there a River? God cannot answer because any answer, by its very nature, is a limitation. It is in the nature of any answer that it closes doors. Answers imply finitude. Questions, on the other hand, are just the opposite. Questions open up Possibility. Human beings are finite, and thus we seek answers. We are nervous in the face of too many open doors. BEING, however, has no use for answers; It seeks only the Question. The Question is the fuel of Being; it is the Energy; the dynamics; the Flow of the River. Without the Flow there would be no whirlpools – no beings; no world.

You suffer because you are finite; you Love because you are not.

Answer 4

Questions are more important than answers because they stimulate the mind and open up new ways of thinking. Questions are important because they give us a sense of freedom. Answers may provide insight and knowledge but they also give us boundaries and limits. Once something is known and definite, there is little left to discuss about it.

Philosophy can only be considered subversive in the eyes of those who are exposed by this exercise. It's a quest for knowledge and truth and is usually threatening only to those who have something to hide.

Answer 5

If we don't ask questions we will never find answers. Looking for answers is a humble approach to life. I don't know everything so I ask questions. Who is God? What is life? In searching for answers I find alot of other stuff that becomes helpful.

Absolute rule and dictatorship does not lend itself to competition.
God is the ultimate authority figure. Many past Kings/Queens took Him as a threat to their own authority. Ego trippers. We are not cows. To learn more is my goal. I ask big questions. To some philosophy is intellectual masturbation. I philosophize but is that a subversive activity? Never really looked at it that way.

Answer 6

Questions are held of more importance as they are the things which open up the vista of Knowledge.Philosophy is a subversive activity in the since that it brings out the negative side of people.

Hope it helped.

Answer 7

I'm not sure why Philosophy would be considered a subversive activity.
The question is more important than the answer because it is the question that makes one think. The ability to think is more important than the ability to regurgitate memorized information. Problem solving and independent thinking are needed more in life than recorded trivia.

Answer 8

The question is based on a false hypothesis. Questions are not more than answers, because without answers we would be left with nothing. Sure, questions make people think, but what's the point of thinking if nothing good comes from it? Ultimatly, questions are nearly useless if they can't be answered. Once answered a truth is known, and that is the ultimate point of asking the question in the first place. You're just waisting time if you ask a question without wanting an answer. If I ask, "Is murder wrong, and should I refrain from committing it?", it's far more usefull for someone to tell me, "Of course!", than to simply say, "Good question, give it some thought!" Granted, this is an extreme example, but the underlying principle remains the same.

Answer 9

philo is subversive when it runs contrary to the ideals of the Greek philosophers who tried to become wiser and in peace with their life. subversive philosophy is the fact of somebody who asks questions but has not the answers. this is not philosophy, it is questioning. if you dont have the answer, try to find it by your research, your works and your observation of life.

Answer 10

i'd like to give my opinion on philosophy
and why i think the question is more important than the answer
philosophy is about a delicate balance between insanity
and being a functioning human being
the questions you ask can sometimes make you realize your full of ****
for myself if i'm more interested in the question i ask and how i ask it
i know i'm trying to avoid scary self exploration
so philosophy serves a purpose
wether it be vain or brave or chicken ****
i think just helped me to write that out
hope i helped you along the way

Answer 11

Because it is the process of exploring your thinking about the question that reveals to you so much about yourself and mankind. After all an answer doesn't necessarily incorperate the journey to it and can't really be understood unless you've been on the journey to it. It is like a private joke between two old friends from an old holiday they spent together that nobody else in their circle of friends gets and they just stare at them blankly as they split their sides laughing.