RE: Philosophical Problems at home: Explaining "what the hell you're doing" to your skeptical sibling/mother/father/cat...

[<A.M.Goldfinch@lse.ac.uk>]

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Absolutely - philosophy or 'reflective thinking' is a natural human activity persued by just about everyone at various points in life, just as mathematics is used by just about everyone. I agree we shouldn't erect barriers: we should get involved in society, and hopefully society might also get debate the kind of research we produce. But just as doing 2 + 2 = 4 every day doesn't make one a mathematican, so too reflecting on things every now and again doesnt make one a philosopher.
 
-AG

 
________________________________

From: owner-bups-dis@purplepancake.com on behalf of Nick Jones
Sent: Tue 22/08/2006 13:59
To: BUPS-DIS@bups.org
Subject: Re: Philosophical Problems at home: Explaining "what the hell you're doing" to your skeptical sibling/mother/father/cat...



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A.M.Goldfinch@lse.ac.uk wrote:
> Nick, you wrote,
>
>  
>> 'Philosophy is not a body of doctrine but an activity.'
>>
>> Quite right. So we do not need to be too precious about it.
>>
>> It does not follow that because X is an activity and not a body of doctrine that therefore we "need not be too precious about it".
>>
>> 

Agreed, it doesn't. My point was that given that philosophy is not a body of learning, anyone can philosophise (though some philosophise better than others ... it is a skill) so it is an activity that is not restricted to those formally identified as 'philosophers', and we don't need to erect the barricades.

best
NJ




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