8 Interesting Philosophies You Probably Believe In But May Not Know Of Yet

Admin 13-Feb-2016 13:30:56 Inothernews

8 Interesting Philosophies You Probably Believe In But May Not Know Of Yet


Everyone has a philosophy even if we don’t know about it. Some are well defined, some not quite. Some are deep and well thought out while others could be a little shallow. We may not, at times, be able to express it in words but we all have our own philosophies. Let’s take a look at some of most recognized outlooks towards life, theorized by eminent philosophers over the world and find out which school of thought do we belong to. Hedonism – if pleasure is the only thing you live for. Hedonism is a philosophy that believes the only purpose of life is to gain pleasure. An ethical hedonist will do anything within his capacity to maximize the pleasures of life. Considering pleasure as the only intrinsically valuable aspect of life and living a life based on such terms does sound appealing. There are arguments against the philosophy deeming it superficial. However, there are variants of the school of thought that makes it more complex. For example, Epicurean Hedonism is the philosophical quest to reduce the anguish caused by life and the fear of death. The Paradox of Hedonism, however, lies in the argument that constant pursuing of pleasure hinders the process of actually experiencing it.



Nihilism – if you believe in nothing

Nihilists believe that there is no value, motive or purpose to live and that the sense of morality or the judgement of right from wrong are based on man-made, arbitrary standards. It comes from a deeper realization that whatever we have learnt, observed and perceived from childhood does not have to be true and there’s absolutely no way that values, ethics, morals or knowledge can be understood in its genuine and authentic essence.

As a result, Nihilists not believe in anything, have no loyalties and if there’s something they affirm by, it is Nihil, which means “nothing”, a state of absolute non-existence.

Nihilism

Solipsism – if you think you’re the world

Unlike Nihilism, Solipsism is a bit more hopeful because it acknowledges existence. However, the metaphysical idea of the philosophy is that only the mind of an individual is real and anything outside the mind is just a projection of the of it and hence, nonexistent. Therefore, for a Solipsist, his mental state is the sole thing he has access to and he cannot confirm if the things he sees, hears, tastes and touches exist in reality.

The backdrop of the philosophy owes its roots to French philosopher, Rene Descartes’ “methodic doubt” whose burning words, “I think, therefore I am”, although much criticized, remains a vibrant illustration of the dubitable concept of universal existence as perceived by Solipsism.

Solipsism

Related Post