What is philosophy?

 Philosophy is useful

When I heard Tetsugaku, I think that many people have the image that it is not very useful in real life, and that they are thinking about difficult things that they do not understand.

Certainly, "What am I?", "What is time?" "What is love?" "What are the words?" "What is the meaning of life?" I don't feel that "philosophical" questions are so "useful" when I hear them.

People called philosophers are also human beings who cannot help thinking about the "in the first place" of such various things. So if you deal with them properly, it's a hassle to say the least.

Socrates, the father of Western philosophy, was in Athens, ancient Greece, and asked the passers-by, "Hey, what do you think of love?"

Socrates says, "It's not the" essence "of love. It's just a symptom." Eventually, he left him, saying, "Yes, yes, I understand, Mr. Socrates.

At one point, a politician named Charicles said to Socrates.

"Hey Socrates, it's ridiculous that a good old adult thinks about what justice is, what virtue is, and so on. Even if it's okay to be absorbed in philosophy when you're young, you're already an uncle. So, think about more useful things in your life, such as socrates and profits. "(Plato" Gorgias ")

Since the days of Socrates, there have been many people who make a fool of saying that philosophy is useless.

But I dare to say it. Philosophy is very useful in our lives in a unique way.

For example, I just gave you love, love, the meaning of life ……. Wouldn't it be a little awesome if we could get to know these essences?

It's not just amazing. This is actually the most important thing when we think about things.

Let's think about education, for example. If we do not have a sufficient common understanding of its essence, the educational debate will be terribly confusing, with each one colliding with their own "view of education." In fact, the educational debate in Chimata is full of fierce conflict.

In that sense as well, it is very important for philosophy to ask, "What is education in the first place?"

Of course, even if you are not a philosopher, you may think, "What is education?" However, the philosophy is the one that has thoroughly refined the "thinking method" for thinking about such "in the first place" for 2500 years. So, if we don't have that "philosophical way of thinking", there is an overwhelming gap in the depth and strength of our thinking.

Capture the "essence"

Therefore, if you answer the question of what philosophy is in one word, it can be said that it is an activity that captures the "essence" of various things.

Can you really do that? Some may think so. Especially in the present age, it is an era of "relativism". In other words, it is an era when the idea that there is absolutely nothing right in the world, only each person's perspective, is widespread.

Of course, there is absolutely nothing right in this world. But that doesn't mean that we can't reach a "common understanding" no matter what.

As we continued to talk to each other, we sometimes could convince each other that "I see-it's really essential". Therefore, there is a possibility that we can deeply understand the "essence" of themes such as "love" and "education" through dialogue.

Repeat, it is completely different from the "absolute truth". To the last, an essential idea that everyone can understand as much as possible. Insight into the "essence" of such things is the greatest significance of philosophy.

In the modern age of relativism, people-even philosophers-tend to try to get rid of the problem by saying, "There is nothing absolutely right." When faced with difficult questions such as "what is a good society?" And "what is a good education?"

But the philosophy nevertheless thinks that "everyone must be convinced so far". And good philosophers have always pursued their thoughts to the point where they can no longer think of them, and have thrown them into the conviction of many.

Democracy was thought by philosophers

For example, the democratic society in which we live now. Its origin lies in the "essence" of a "good society" found by philosophers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau and G.W.F. Hegel more than 200 years ago.

Until then, people had just repeated wars. The war paused for the time being, often when the winner of the battle ruled the land. In other words, humankind has lived for more than 10,000 years in an era of fierce competition for life or otherwise ruled by those in power.

How can we get rid of this cruel war? This was a question that philosophers had been thinking about for thousands of years.

War is like a natural disaster, so it cannot be eliminated. Some thinkers thought so. Some thought war was "God's will."

Confucius, a Chinese thinker at the end of the Spring and Autumn period, thought that social order would be stable if people knew what they were and valued "gratitude." Alternatively, Laozi preached the idea of ​​"innocent nature", which is simply to obey the "road" which is the principle of harmony in the universe.

However, it is not so easy in reality that everyone values ​​"respect" or is "innocent nature".

On the other hand, in Europe, a philosopher named Thomas Hobbes appeared in the 17th century and appealed that if he wanted to eliminate the war, he would have to create the highest power person by everyone's consensus and have that person rule.

The important point here is that "with everyone's consensus". Hobbes is sometimes said to be the theoretical supporter of Europe's absolute monarchy, but that's a bit overstated. Hobbes, like Hobbes, wondered what the essence of a peaceful "good society" was for everyone.

However, there was still a big problem with Hobbes's thought.

Certainly, if a person in power governs society, the war will disappear for the time being. But then the majority of the people will have no freedom to be ruled.

It was Rousseau that appeared there. He said. Hobbes said the people should obey those in power. But in a way this needs to be turned over. In other words, once the power is created, it must also be subject to the consensus of the people. Let's create a society by the consensus of everyone, not by powerful people. Rousseau complained so. And that became the foundation of modern democratic society.

Recognize freedom

Hegel inherited Rousseau's ideas and considered this issue even more thoroughly.

Why only humans wage war? Hegel thought it was because we humans have a desire to "live the way we want to live," that is, a desire for "freedom." That is why humankind has been competing for life, which may end at any time, by insisting on each other's "freedom."

Even if one becomes a winner and the other becomes a slave, the battle will not end there. This is because people who want to live "freedom" cannot put up with being deprived of "freedom." Therefore, the ruled one always challenges the ruler in the long run. In this way, humankind has been in war for 10,000 years.

Desire for wealth, desire for power, hatred, pride ... There are many reasons for war. But at the very bottom is our human desire for "freedom." Hegel insisted so. Indeed, Hegel gained insight into the "essence" of why mankind was unable to eliminate the war.

The great thing about philosophy is that by clarifying the "essence" of a problem in this way, we can open up a way of thinking to overcome the problem.

Hegel's answer is this. If we really want to be "free", we have to stop just claiming it and killing each other. However, letting those in power rule the country does not satisfy the "freedom" of the majority of people.

Then what should I do? There is only one way of thinking. To acknowledge each other that the other is "free" on an equal footing. Creating a society based on such rules. Perhaps there is no other way for us to live freely and peacefully.

This is called the principle of "mutual recognition of freedom". It is the principle that supports the bottom of modern democracy.

The ideas of Rousseau and Hegel were surprising to the people at that time. There were kings, nobles, and inequality, because at that time it was "natural."

But now, democratic society is our norm.

If you think about it, isn't that really a great story? We humans have learned a lot from the 10,000-year history of war and domination-dominated, and only 200 years ago, we finally grasped the ideal society in which everyone can live as freely as possible. ..

Of course, it is hard to say that it is still mature in Japan and the world. The world is still full of big problems such as terrorism and disparity.

However, in order for us to live freely and peacefully, we have no choice but to mature democracy both domestically and globally. Many people are sure to think so.

It is exactly the essence of a "good society" that philosophers have thought and nurtured like a relay.

The mystery of philosophy

It is often said that philosophy is just thinking about unanswered questions. But that's a complete mistake. Good philosophers have inherited the thoughts of the philosophers of the previous era, and have steadily promoted and deepened them.

It is often said that thinking about unanswered problems is the philosophy. But that is also a mistake. At least that's only half of the philosophy.

The other half has a more important philosophical essence.

It is to think thoroughly about the problem and to "answer" properly.

As I say many times, that is not the absolute correct answer. But nevertheless, philosophy has continued to seek to find a "common understanding" that is convincing to everyone as much as possible.

This series conveys the way of thinking of such a philosophy, which can be called a "mystery".

How can we see the essence of things? How can we find an "answer" that everyone can convince of a problem that has no absolute correct answer?

I would like to fully discuss the mystery of that idea from now on.