Philosophy Homework

[Multi-Elis]

I decided to teach myself philosophy. So I started with two books: Sophie's World -- that gives me a vague clue about philosophy, and Think for yourself -- Initiation to philosophy by Michel Tozzi, a book I'm reading in French.

It's this second book that gives homework. So I would like to put my homework assignements here, and if you could help me think through them a bit better I will be very thankfull. And if you want to join in and do the homework with me, you are welcome. I'll write the assignement ina different color.

Exercise # 1
Take half an hour to calmly think about and answer the following question: what are the ideas that I hold on to the most?

Exercise # 2
Where did those ideas comme from? Can you trace them to where they come from? Which of them came from my upbringing, that I didn't stop to question?

 

[Multi-Elis]

So my answers to these two first questions are: (without properly defining my terms, that's for a later exercise)
1. Love is the most important thing in the world, (at least as far as humans are concerned.)
What's more important is how you act or how you treat others, not whether you have the right dogma/theology/philosophy/worldview.

2. The first idea initially comes from cross comparison of NDE testamonies, from comparing that with say Jesus' ideas. Later on, considering the possibility of becoming an atheist, I felt that in a world full of human suffering, acts of love help elivate it, and it's the only hope for any sort of mutual bettering of this world. I am having great difficulty thinking beyond these two ideas.

As for the second idea, I gues I became dissillusionned with trying to know (I sometimes consider myself an agnostic christian). So I started to question the point in trying to know. (There could be a point in trying but it doesn't mean we will succeed very much) But it seemed to me that no matter what crazy thing I want to believe, or how wrong my reasonning goes, it didn't matter so much in comparison to doing that which I consider most important -- that is love. Again, I'm having a hard time thinking around this.

 

[Casstranquility]

Well, I have a suggestion. I see that you have listed two ideas which are important to you, but what about ideas that aren't so important that you hold onto just the same?

Like me, one of the ideas I hold onto is that Love is all. I also hold onto the idea that people are bad.
Now, that second idea isn't important to me, I don't want it, but I have held onto it, because it is hard to let go. In my subconscious I have this idea that I am a failure. I wouldn't think this way of myself unless I was holding onto the idea in some manner.

So, that is my suggestion, look deeper. Look at all of the ideas you have about yourself and the world around you. See which ones persist even though you don't want them-those are also ideas you are holding tightly to, for reasons you may not be aware of.

 

[JohnLocke]

I decided to teach myself philosophy. So I started with two books: Sophie's World -- that gives me a vague clue about philosophy, and Think for yourself -- Initiation to philosophy by Michel Tozzi, a book I'm reading in French.

It's this second book that gives homework. So I would like to put my homework assignements here, and if you could help me think through them a bit better I will be very thankfull. And if you want to join in and do the homework with me, you are welcome. I'll write the assignement ina different color.

Exercise # 1
Take half an hour to calmly think about and answer the following question: what are the ideas that I hold on to the most?

Exercise # 2
Where did those ideas comme from? Can you trace them to where they come from? Which of them came from my upbringing, that I didn't stop to question?

1. I no longer hold any ideals, having thought about them too much and found them all wanting.

2. The ideals that I did have came primarily from self-protective measures from being beaten as a child. I desperately wanted the world to be reasonable and just, because I was weak and smart and if the world would be reasonable or just, I wouldn't be beaten as often.