Is most Philosophy Junk?

Question

Hello All,...I read a bit of philosophy years ago,And I often wondered did they get near the truth?,....Surely,We are a stage up from animals(Self-Evident!),And what developed our rational minds was language,Which got more complicated and our minds in parallel,....However we in parallel with many animals our interactions are built on climbing to the top of the pecking order(Alpha,Beta etc),...This is what Disco's and Public Houses(Bars)and Schools are about,....Some of us get out of this rat-race,refusing to exercise power over others,the only power to be exercised is positive(That is helping others),....Which gets to the definition of GOOD and BAD,Is "bad" committing unnecessary actions that are destructive to oneself or others or to this planet?,...I find alot of people have this inherent need to commit bad(Hurt others),However only if they can get away with it,And this is where climbing the Alpha/Beta pecking order comes in!!?,....So what do you think?,....Philosopher,Jemmy.

Keith M,...You mention you have one other choice,"Apathy",Actually-This can be a good or a bad INACTION,and not inert at all!,...
EJ,...Nothing wrong with networking at Bars or Nightclubs,providing the development of the network is for a positive outcome,....However for a lot of people in this planet,causing pain to others is their only pleasure,And they develop a network for the expressed purpose of shielding them or aiding them!,....
Isa,...Yes a lot of modern art is a con,However their is a lot of $$$'s invested in this business,So it will continue,...And yes you are right,A lot of philosophers get down to pedantic levels!!

Answer 1

Lots of it ..but not all. Sadly a lot of common people are great philosophers but their ideas will die with them.
Never liked the pompous , mind bending types like Nietsche..or even Sartre. Seems to me the more obscure and pedantic they get : the more applause.
It is like s****t art in galleries : the more "what the heck is THAT ??" the more attention they get.
Like the clear ones like Pascal, Hugo., Plato..etc who could actually speak human language and everybody can relate not just some part of the "intelligentsia" who may not even understand themselves anyway..but appearances count..

Now.." I am so intelligent than sometimes I do not understand a word I mean" . Oscar Wilde.....:-)))

(just my opinion)

Answer 2

There is too much in question to address it fully, but I will answer parts of it.

The original question is: "Is most philosophy junk?" which itself can be critique and analyzed to determine what is being "said" (an oral word for a written comment). "Is"--this word itself is extremely tricky to locate as Heidegger and other phenomenologist discuss; Being may be the most philosophical term of all. "Most"--this becomes questionable because one must determine if most means a majority or only a plurality. "Philosophy"--loose term that everyone knows is loose. "Junk"--understandable as the left-over, unneeded, or lacking utility. As such, there are too many questions within your original question as to know how to answer it; however, I would say some philosophy is not junk--the degree and amount is debatable (obviously).

In your simple binary of Good and Bad action, you seem to neglect apathy. Is not acting bad or good? A famous quote says, "Evil exists in the world when good men do nothing." All good itself is based on someone's ontological, metaphysical, and ethic ideologies, and, since there is not 'perfect' someone to be doing the judging, all good itself is called into question.

Answer 3

We suggest it is simplistic to propose 'most philosophy to be junk'. Logic is the soul of philosophy. It is the science of correct reasoning, which is the basis of the scientific method and all of scientific investigation--period. We suggest that Fraternizing and hobnobbing at bars and the rest are, as the Stoics would put it, exercises for the vulgar mind. Is it junk to do so--perhaps, perhaps not. Since, this activity, regardless of how infantile, is also part of the search for reason. It is uncertain, as to whether any of it is germane to the principle question: what is the reason or point of existence. The Existentialist offer nothing cogent. Since left to their devices they would have us believe that there is no meaning to life and that man invented God to explain away the implacability of the universe. We would argue, that if man is essentially nothing. Then it is nothing to take a human life. We see right away where the absurdity of this reasoning leads us: to prison. No, we would suggest that Philosophy is not junk. And if it is, then it's mint condition junk of the highest order.

Answer 4

The very fact that you're posing this question indicates that you already know philosophy is not junk. Many philosophers have come up with meaning-of-life answers that don't make sense to you (not to me, either), but that doesn't mean there's no point in asking meaning-of-life questions. Spend your whole life asking them if you have to.

Answer 5

That was like, 20 questions. But in general the answer is that- the opinions of the people in this world concerning it's and their origin vary so greatly that I'm sure SOMEONE got it right. The question is, who? I think we'll all find out one day, but that's just me philosophizin.

Answer 6

Among other things, Philosophy helps one to think clearly and ask the right questions. It could help you to phrase the question you have asked more clearly. What you've written is a good illustration of why it's not junk.

Answer 7

I think they call it fuzzy logic.