For the scientific community or academic purposes, but philosophy for everyday life. Philosophy is capable of providing a deeper understanding of the world and human existence, and can help us confront questions such as the meaning of life, morality, and freedom. Through philosophy, we can think about our position in the world, examine our own beliefs, and develop critical thinking and analytical skills.
Although it may not bring immediately visible material benefits, philosophy has its value in that it encourages us to think, question, and seek deeper knowledge. It teaches us to ask fundamental questions and to seek answers to them in a way that makes us more complete and conscious individuals. Therefore, although at first glance it seems that the natural sciences and technology have taken precedence, philosophy still has its place in the world as an irreplaceable part of human thought and culture. Philosophy is not just the study of ancient philosophers, but the philosophical attitude that true philosophers have always had.
Studying philosophers and their works is useful because of the beauty of their words and the practical advice that, when valid, deep and useful, helps us to confront our own lives, difficulties and dreams with clarity. But more important than knowing what others teach is that we ourselves – with the help of their examples and wisdom – learn to think and discern; this is the true contribution of philosophy in the classical way.
Love for wisdom
The concept of philosophy is attributed to Pythagoras, who taught about order, proportions, nature, and the universe and their different levels. He spoke of the music of the spheres and mathematics as a way to express that order. When someone once told him that he was a wise man, that great man replied, “No, I am not a wise man, I am not a sophos; I am a filo-sophos, one who loves wisdom.” This reminds us of Socrates’ words that he knows little and probably recognizes this because of the constant pursuit of wisdom. How much he does not know, and yet that is what enables him to learn.
This is the attitude of someone who wants to understand. Of course, Pythagoras did not invent philosophy; it is believed that humans began to philosophize the moment they started to differentiate themselves from their most animalistic part, which is nothing more than asking what lies behind the reality accessible to us through our senses, wanting to understand the cause of things and move towards wisdom… And animals cannot do that. Philosophy teaches respect for all aspects of natural life and valuing the level of functioning of animals, but animals cannot philosophize, they cannot ask about meaning.
The essence of philosophy is the love for knowledge that urges us to want to know, a life necessity; it is not enough to live, we want to know what life is for; it is not enough to follow fate, the laws of nature, or instincts that pull us this way and that way; we want to know why we are here and what the meaning of life is.
Contemporary science primarily studies how things unfold. to razumjeti svijet oko sebe i kako pravilno živjeti. Bila je umjetnost življenja. Filozofi su proučavali prirodu, ljude, moralne vrijednosti i smisao života kako bi pronašli put prema sreći i ispunjenju. Oni su prepoznali da život nije samo niz slučajnih događaja, već da postoji dublji smisao i svrha za koje trebamo tragati.
Danas, filozofija se često smatra suvišnom ili apstraktnom disciplinom koja nema praktičnu primjenu. Međutim, istina je da filozofija i dalje ima svoju važnost. Ona nam pomaže razumjeti našu svakodnevnu egzistenciju i donositi odluke koje su u skladu s našim vrijednostima. Filozofija nas potiče na razmišljanje i propitivanje, na traženje odgovora na fundamentalna pitanja koja nam pružaju smjer i svrhu.
Zapitati se o smislu života i proučavati filozofiju nije luksuz za nekolicinu intelektualaca, već je to put ka dubljem razumijevanju sebe, drugih ljudi i svijeta koji nas okružuje. To je put prema slobodi i izgradnji smislenijeg i ispunjenijeg života.
dern approach to life turns man into an inconsistent being: he has inklings, but has to submit to social conventions and the morality of customs, which is changeable. This would be incomprehensible to a classical philosopher because he was more satisfied with knowing only four things that he could apply and truly apply in life, rather than knowing a lot and not applying any of it.
We could also ask ourselves what is the role of philosophy in times of war, hunger, unemployment, and other problems we face today. We have developed such sophisticated means at a global level that we have come to believe that they will solve all our problems, while forgetting about the human being behind all these inventions. What difference does it make if someone drives an ocean liner instead of a canoe if they haven’t developed the qualities that make them better? Our 21st century has led us to great achievements, but all of that can crumble if we do not learn mutual respect. Man’s happiness lies in finding his rightful place. Philosophy has always provided methods for this and encouraged education. Where does the concept of education come from? From philosophy.
Today’s education no longer aims to shape human beings, but rather workers in the service of the economy. But who can transmit the knowledge acquired throughout history to a person? Because if there is no one responsible for building a human being, it is logical that they will turn into animals. On the other hand, it is not easy to control a person who knows how to govern themselves, and the media today cease to be a social good and become a business.
Faced with this situation, philosophy in a classical way places the human being at the center, which brings many benefits on an individual and social level.
Why is philosophy useful to individuals in a classical way?
How is philosophy useful to society in a classical way?
In uncertain times when everything is shaking and collapsing, philosophy accompanies us through life.