Just what am I doing?

Given the brief introductory post from last week a natural question is understandably how I intend to approach the subject of the meaning of life. In my efforts I am not looking for an answer but more attempting to present different perspectives regarding the meaning of life.

My aim is to research works of philosophy, literature, religion and science; to try and include the store of human knowledge. From ancient works to contemporary authors as well as the insights from articles from the many fields of science. The motivating idea behind this is get a broad sweeping perspective from the various domains of knowledge and wisdom. That being said it does not mean that I necessarily have much knowledge or wisdom and I admit my personal bias.

Having studied philosophy for years and at university I say that I have been, for lack of a better expression, trained in the western philosophical tradition. Which is to say that my education has inculcated in me a specific tool kit of the critical analysis of texts. More specifically I have been practiced to ask specific questions about the content and components of a text. For philsophy there is a method of evaluation which, so to speak, outlines a criteria of what a piece of writing needs to be philosophical this being the study of logic. Therefore, as I read articles, though I will strive to be inclusive of many views, should it not be satisfactorily logic I will not consider it much. But just what is logic the study of?

In the simplest logic is the study of arguments and what makes them good or bad but let's get a formal definition. From The Power of Logic by Frances Howard-Snyder et al., " [l]ogic is the study of methods for evaluating whether the premises of an argument adequately support it's conclusion". As wonderfully comprehensive as this definition is it also adds two new terms to be defined, 'premise' and 'conclusion', which we can see are components of an argument. A conclusion is a statement which can be either true or false and premises are statements which lend support toward that conclusion and are also either true or false. A sentence is a statement only when a truth-value can be assigned to it, meaning it can be either true or false. This is opposed to a command, proposal, or question; all of which are sentences but which can not have a truth value assigned to it. So some examples:

1. This is a blue shirt.

2. Don't put that there!

3. Shall we get pizza?

4.Where does this go?

Number 1 is a statement because it can be either true or false; 2, 3 and 4 can not be assigned any truth-value and therefore are not statements. ( 2 is a command, 3 is a proposal, and 4 a question.) Using the definition of an argument from the Power of Logic, " an argument is a set of statements where some of the statements, called premises, are intended to support another, called the conclusion". So, then, in this blog my efforts will be to analyze the arguments that writers have presented. This treatment of logic has been brief and in writing in I have realized that logic merits so much more. For now this will do but I intend to write further on logic and it's application beyond philosophy.

Does this mean that the only works that I will be writing about will be arguments? Well yes but that does not mean that they will necessarily seem like a formal argument. In all philosophy the writer will be trying to propose ideas and attempt to persuade the audience to accept the conclusion presented. But finding the premises and conclusions in a work is not always easy as they are not always stated as such clearly. It is the job of the reader to pick out the argument when it is under layers of language. For example much of what is known of the philosophy of Parmenides is know from a poem. In this work there is no argument formally made, however, by extracting key sets of statements an argument can be constructed allowing the philosophy of Parmenides to be clearly formulated. It can be a process as I am sure it sounds like a lot but the work is worth to get at the pearls of wisdom. I have set myself to task to read these arguments try to understand them as best I can and present them here over time building a framework of ideas.

The quest, however, is for insight and wisdom and that arises from all human endevors. As I have already said I want to include in my readings works of literature, these works obvoiously are going to be devoid of any argument. And in reading and writing about literature I will be coming from a highly philosophical perspective. I will mostly be focusing on the themes represented in the work, interpreting them, and formulating my own arguments. I study literature because it captures so many aspects of the human experience. I like to think that every great novel, those that are able to convey the depth and magnitude of the human drama, begins in a moment where a spark, flash, starting in the authors heart radiating out, where they were conscious of their own existence in the midst of the vastness of eternity; and in that moment they felt every second of time, in and around them, and inspired to try a capture this feeling they write a line, and idea, or a few sheets, which grows in a work of art that in passed among the generations. Through the works of literature we may see through the hearts and minds of other souls. Characters though created in the mind have a life of their own, in a universe their own, a life we can share in. Through literature we may live the human drama a thousand times in a thousand ways. In my efforts I aim to convey my simply insights as I explore these works.

In a blog which has so far emphasized philosophy a reader may wonder how I will try to figure science into it. The main attitude adopted here is philosophical and philosophy encompasses all areas of human knowledge. Before the splintering and specifications of expertise all intellectual endeavors was philosophy. Science as we now know it is a method of testing claims and ideas and has thus far been the most successful method of obtaining rational knowledge humans have employed. The goal of this project is to meditate on the meaning of life . This goal will only be aided by including a scientific understanding of nature. From fields such as psychology or biology the abundance of knowledge available will allow deeper insight to be gained. That being said I am no great mind and I do not pretend to understand the awesome complexity and depth of all there is to digest when studying a field of science. I am merely and simply a lifelong learner who shares the knowledge he comes across. I will make my best attempt to communicate what I learn and understand but am liable to get things incomplete. I am not trying to teach science but incorporate what it tells us into a complete view of what it means to be human.

Finally one cannot attempt to write a blog without touching upon religious texts. In my work here I will include readings from religious texts but in a particular way. I will avoid dogma and will not teach any faith. I will read spiritual texts and include parts which resonate with the goals I have set forth. I believe that the spiritual journey is an individual one, each person is finding their own way. Spiritual texts have a wealth of insight and wisdom but can also be incendiary. As I read these texts I keep in mind that they were written in another time, in another world. There are parts and aspects that just do not apply any more or have no bearing upon human activities today. My focus is humanistic so when I read spiritual or religious texts I am reading it with a humanistic view, focusing more on how we may apply teachings to every day life.

If you have stuck around this long I truly thank you and invite you to continue coming back. I am one person who is trying to find a niche doing what he likes and sharing it with others. All who come and partake brings me a happiness I find hard to express. I hope readers will continue on with me and most especially communicate for that is the point. I will now take this opportunity to present the first forum topic: How do you see philosophy in your daily life? Let's get the conversation started today!