- Philosophies for Life?Westbury on Trym, Westbury on Trym
Do you have a Philosophy of life? How would you define it?
How important is it for people to develop a philosophy of life that is meaningful to them?And anyway, what do we mean when we talk about someone’s "philosophy of life"?
Perhaps a philosophy of life has, at a minimum, both a metaphysics and an ethics: the former as an account of how the world hangs together; the latter to guide us in how we behave.To what extent is a person’s philosophy of life evident in interactions with them?
What is the distinction between a philosophy of life and a religion?
Both provide ethical frameworks and an account of how the world hangs together. Is a philosophy of life distinct because it provides a basis for living in the now, rather than a basis for an afterlife?What questions does the issue of a “philosophy of life” pose for us as individuals?
Perhaps things like:- Am I being curious?
- Am I afraid?
- Am I correct in my actions?
- Am I aware of what is going on?
- Where am I going in my life?
- Where am I now?
- How do I fit in the world?
- What is my meaning or purpose in life?
Some people believe in a just world where good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. Therefore if a bad thing has happened to someone, they deserved it. Likewise if someone is successful in life, they earned it by being a good person.
What are the benefits or dangers of this metaphysical view of the world?Is there merit in the opposing view that good and bad events can occur to people regardless of whether they are good or bad?
For example, Buddhist’s take the view that suffering is inevitable, bad events will happen to good people, and our responsibility is to transform the negative karma of bad events into positive karma, through the process of acceptance and meditation. In this way, they believe we can work to cleanse karma and make the world a better place.Does the world hang together for any particular reason? Is there a purpose in life?
Are the nihilist’s correct that all life is meaningless and therefore there is no purpose?What can we learn from the Japanese approach of Ikigai which can be described as having a sense of purpose in life as well as being motivated. According to a study by Michiko Kumano, feeling Ikigai usually means the feeling of accomplishment and fulfilment that follows when people pursue their passions.
Further reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihilism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absurdism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikigai
https://dkb.show/post/life-is-worth-livingI'll provide tea/coffee. You are welcome to bring other drinks/nibbles.