Question

Consider the following psychological take on what philosophy is about.

To do philosophy means:

To have disorder in your mind: conflict between one idea and another, or insufficient justification/unifying principles.
To seek to resolve the disorder by altering the ideas that you hold, to eliminate the conflicts or justify/unify.
To describe this resolution process in the form of an argument that could guide others to perform a similar resolution process in their own minds.
The argument produced is meant to allow others to see clearly the mental conflict or disunity you faced and your solution to it. This gives them the choice of whether to make that change in their own mind too, based on their own preferences.

Can philosophy be viewed as a mental conflict-and-disunity-resolution and solution-sharing activity?

Answer 1

Philosophy is a discipline that involves critical examination and reasoning about one's beliefs and assumptions with the goal of resolving mental conflicts and sharing solutions. It focuses on critical thinking and logical argumentation to get closer to the truth. Through dialectics and reasoning, philosophy contributes to broadening our understanding of the world and our place in it.

Step-by-step explanation:

Philosophy can indeed be viewed as a mental conflict-and-disunity-resolution and solution-sharing activity. It involves examining the content of one's mind, which includes a variety of beliefs and assumptions that one has acquired over time. To engage in philosophy means to face the realization that not all those beliefs can be true simultaneously. Philosophers utilize the dialectical method within a community of inquirers to question, refine, or completely redesign these beliefs.

Wilfrid Sellars explains the goal of philosophy as striving to understand a wide range of topics. In this regard, a philosopher must possess the philosophical know-how of navigating the world of concepts and how they interconnect. The process of doing philosophy involves reasoning, critical thinking, and the constant examination of our own and others' beliefs in pursuit of truth or a coherent understanding of the world. Philosophy enables individuals to reflect on their thinking and beliefs to identify inconsistencies or insufficient justifications for those beliefs.

Logic and reasoning form the backbone of philosophical inquiry, qualifying it as a vigorous mental discipline aimed at getting closer to truth. Despite its inherent uncertainties, philosophy provokes critical thinking about alternative possibilities and their implications. By engaging in philosophical argumentation and dialectics, philosophers aim to contribute to the collective understanding of complex concepts and support conclusions with a structured set of reasons, always with the long-term goal of advancing towards truth.