King Kulla wrote:
It's hard to know. I also took a Philosophy class in the summer, and I think I got a lot out of it.
The analogy that I remember best is that humankind is in a dark cave, content with being safe in the dark, whereas philosophers (those who seek more) are always trying to go out of the cave and climb up the hill outside, but no one has quite reached the top of the hill.
It's a gray area, and very hard to define. One thing you learn in philosophy is how to argue.
Reminds me of Plato's allegory of the cave (which may be the one you are referring to perhaps). It is a great analogy for this type of question.
Also, with Einstein's theories on relativity, it also makes you wonder how close your perception of something is to someone else's. Is reality individual to the person, or do we all share the same one? Complex, but very good stuff to consider. I also like Plato's idea of forms. For those who don't know, it goes something like this. There are four different forms of something. For this whole example, I'll use a pipe. WARNING: This may not be the exact theory, but only meant to get the idea across. I may have something wrong in it, but for the most part, it should be right.
1. The highest form is the concept. In the case of a pipe, the concept is that there is one pipe out there that all other pipes mimic. This pipe matches the exact description of 'pipeness' (a little hard to follow, but bear with it).
2. The next lowest form is what we think of as a pipe. It is not the 'concept of pipeness,' just a mere idea of what we as humans think is a pipe.
3. This form is the actual physical form of a pipe. Corncob, maple, balsa, etc. These are only copies of the idea in the human mind of what a pipe is. In theory, they are crude replicas.
4. This is the crudest form of something. This is a reproduction of the pipe as an image. A picture or painting of a pipe is an example of this. It is not a physical object, only an image of what another person perceives in his thoughts to be the image of a pipe.
The best form is the first, the perfect pipe in all its 'pipeness.' All other forms of the pipe fall short of the first form in pureness. It's one of the many very interesting theories and ideas proposed in philosophy. I believe philosophy is good to study. It might confuse you at first, but in the end, you should turn out to be a better person for it with a better understanding on things.
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