Why do people claiming to know something about philosophy tend to have no idea about it?

Question

Things like "does god exist?" are ridiculous questions, because that is not the question a philosophic minded person would ask. Maybe a teenage confused atheist would, but not someone who has a handle on metaphysics, cosmology or ethics.

Heres a better question - is the idea of the metaphysic realm a credible one?

By the way, if anyone wants to challenge me, my email is available. I spent a lot of time on my own ideas, and if you feel comfortable in challenging me, then please, by all means, challenge me. I would love you to do so.

Answer 1

I have to ask; What comes first, unphilosophic thought or claims of knowledge about philosphy? Some tend to think people pursue philosophy first and that since philosophy is misguided, they become misguided. I tend to think people who are misguided/naive in the first place have no other way to describe their thoughts about life, so they try to lump them in with the body of work known as philosophy. Naturally, being naive and misguided, they cannot tell the difference between what they do and the works of the great thinkers.

Having no idea about life precedes claims of philosphic knowledge, not the other way around.

The second part of your question strikes me as odd; the question of the existence of God is a legitimate philosophic concern, and has been taken up by many great figures in the history of philosophy. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like you are assuming that metaphysics, cosmology, and ethics inevitably lead to the conclusion that God exists - this is not the case, and if this is your position it would seem you either don't know much about philosophy or haven't done your homework well enough.

The metaphysical realm is an interesting question. My position is that the notion of a metaphysical realm does not imply a logical contradiction, and therefore may very well exist and can be reasoned about. However, it is not an empirical concept, and cannot be evidenced or falsified, which makes it quite literally incredible.

Answer 2

What is Philosophy
Here people are just finding something very small not a subject like metaphysics.
Let them enjoy if you think you are better than these bunch of people pls search a forum where there are philosopher who speak of big things and settle on small.
Yes some have a doubt of God and they ask it do you have any problem in it. Did they ever said we are philosophers.
For common make things small and easy don't talk rubbish like metaphysics which we commoners don't understand.

A basic introduction of your metaphysics

A metalanguage is still a language, and a meta-theory a theory. Meta-mathematics is a branch of mathematics. Is metaphysics a branch of physics? "Meta" in Greek means over, and --- since when you jump over something you find yourself behind or after it --- it is also understood as behind and after. The word "metaphysics" is said to originate from the mere fact that the corresponding part of Aristotle's work was positioned right after the part called "physics". But it is not unlikely that the term won a ready acceptance as denoting this part of philosophy because it conveyed the purpose of metaphysics, which is to reach beyond nature (physis) as we perceive it, and to discover the "true nature" of things, their ultimate essence and the reason for being.

Such a theory would obviously be priceless for judging and constructing more specific physical theories. When we understand language as a hierarchical model of reality, i.e. a device which produces predictions, and not as a true static picture of the world, metaphysics is understood as much more valuable than just the "free fantasy" of philosophers. To say that the real nature of the world is a certain way means to propose the construction of a model of the world along those lines. Metaphysics creates a linguistic model (logical or conceptual structure) to serve as a basis for further refinements. Even though a mature physical theory fastidiously distinguishes itself from metaphysics by formalizing its basic notions and introducing verifiable criteria, metaphysics, in a very important sense, is physics.

Philosophies traditionally start with an ontology or metaphysics: a theory of being in itself, of the essence of things, of the fundamental principles of existence and reality. In a traditional systemic philosophy, "organization" might be seen as the fundamental principle of being, rather than God, matter, or the laws of nature. However this still begs the question of where this organization comes from. In a constructive systemic philosophy, on the other hand, the essence is the process through which this organization is created.

Answer 3

Most people who ask questions in the philosophy section of yahoo answers are without philosophical training. "Does God exist?," is a valid and interesting question, but I'm not really sure what kind of answer he was expecting...

As for metaphysics, it comes in two broad types. There are metaphysical "systems" like Aristotle's and Leibniz's for example, who sort of propose a complete theory of "everything." Then there is the more modern metaphysics, that focuses on specific questions, usually related to our logic (such as, do Platonic Universals exist?).

The first brand is pretty much dead in the analytic tradition. We have no reason whatsoever to believe such ridiculous, chimerical docrines . As for the second brand, I feel answers are possible given the reliability of our reason to talk about non-mental reality. For example, to the question of Platonic universals, the answer is either "Yes, they exist," or "No they do not exist." However, the only way we can arrive at these answers is through reason. Of course whether or not our logic appies to non-mental reality or not, can still be debated, and is a very interesting question in it's own right that blends epistemology with metaphysics.

Also, as I see it, much of what we call science, like theoretical physics for example, is a type of metaphysic, because it seeks to answer what reality IS, rather than just collect empirical data.

Answer 4

Philosophy exists on many different levels. No philosophy is too ridiculous or simple-minded. The nature of philosophy is such that it can neither be proved nor disproved. The possibility of a god is therefore fair game, as it were, since we have not yet come to a definitive point on the matter.

As for your other question: It appears that you, sir, are the one who knows nothing about philosophy. This question is meaningless. Metaphysics is not a way of looking at the world; rather, it is a series of questions one might use to explore certain elements of existence. Please, do not rail against anyone if you cannot form a coherent argument.

Answer 5

Since metaphysics is synonymous with beliefs and wisdom I think does god exists falls within those bounds, however I do believe in the first law of thermal dynamics.viz, nothing can be created nor destroyed. All religion aside, if there is a god he had to craft what was already there. I hope that makes better sense to you.

Answer 6

Actually, metaphyisics does deal with god (but only in the sense of "everything has a cause, so what was the original cause? Must be god.")

The fact of the matter is that philosophers (particularly metaphysicists) themselves know nothing about what they do. There is no research involved, no experimentation, no testing; absolutely nothing credible. They just sit on their comfy chairs and think about what the answer SHOULD be. The fact of the matter is that there ARE no people with any good idea about philosophy.

Answer 7

i am sure you have spent alot of time on your own ideas, and perhaps when you mature and feel secure in these ideas, you will be willing to listen to others, maybe not agree with them, but at least listen
one of the first rules of wisdom on the path to maturity is to learn that you do not build yourself up by putting others down
plus, the whole concept of philosophy would not include you defining what it is, for other people

Answer 8

I envy, in a good way, the answer given by Distorted Furry.
That's the kind of stuff that's in my mind but for whatever the reason, I CANT GET IT OUT.
Distorted Furry gets my vote.

Answer 9

I find, by your own words, that you have chosen to be a politician or a debater rather than a thinker. Who are you to judge on this level, no one else does.

Answer 10

Philosophy is open to every ones interpretation. There is no standard
to measure Philosophy.