The Sophistry Behind Philosophy

Monday, 11th January, 2010
10:30 pm
The Matchbox

...all I know, is that I know nothing.
                                          - Socrates

That's what I learnt today. My first class at Introducing Philosphy, a 10 week course started by the Cardiff Centre of Lifelong Learning. And it was good to know I wasn't the only one who felt that way!

The Cardiff Centre of Lifelong Learning offers short-term courses open to anyone interested in the subjects offered on the course. They range from language, social sciences right down to business and computer sciences, the courses. And the best bit, the assignments are completely optional. You want to do them, do them and get the credits. You don't want to do them, just whistle your way through the classes.

Anyway, this year, they introduced a beginner's course in Philosophy. And I, eternally desperate to understand the overrated 'meaning of life', jumped and enrolled myself for it.

As I entered the lecture theatre in the Humanities Building at 7pm, for a second I thought this was going to be a 3:1 teacher:student deal. The three people sitting gaily on the desks were senior citizens. Quite literally! And then I was assured that they were 'students.' Having never sat for a class with a 60 year old classmate, I was slightly dazed.

We became a class of ten comprising of two 'real' students, four working professionals who had nothing better to do in the evenings other than watch TV, and six senior citizens. One of them, a retired lawyer with a Phd joined the course not knowing why he had joined it. The only connection he could think of was that his wife (now dead) had studied Philosophy in the university earlier. Romeo, the only other 'student' was from Cameroon, in Central West Africa. French was his third language and English his fourth. No clue about the first two. He joined the course because he thought this was a 'thoughtful' way of improving his English! Quite a varied mix. Our professor, a Greek olive-like ball with spectacles is a wannabe Socrates. Theodore Gammenos. Nice guy. Likes to wind us up, and gets  confused himself in the process. Twas only the first class. Will give him time.

We spent the first hour trying to figure out the meaning of Philosophy. A lot of debate and discussion later, it was boiled down to a method or a way of thinking about things. It involves reasoning, trying to find the logic behind things by means of questioning and discussion. Just like religion, by most, is defined as a 'way of life,' Logic could be a 'way we think.' There is a problem, and there is a solution. The path we create between the problem and the solution, could be the Philosophy behind it. And I have a feeling, that like my major Public Relations, I will spend the next ten weeks trying to dissect the precise meaning of this elusive term. Why do they all start with 'P'? :|

The next hour went by in understanding how the concept of Western Philosophy began. (For some odd reason, theo's 'west' sounded a lot like 'worst' :)). That is, there was felt a conscious need to develop an organised thought process. A need to define things and develop and identity was felt. It began in 5th Century BC. Three boys, from the ancient land of Greece, came up with three different concepts almost at the same time. Clearly, they weren't the best of friends. (are they ever!?). Mister Parmenides, also known as the Father of Greek Philosophy, completely rejected the use of senses. According to him, our senses decieve us. We need to make use of logic to understand things. He said, 'it is.' Nothing ever changes. Everything is a constant. For him, the perception of change and movement was a deception, and that everything that is will always be, since it can all be spoken and thought of. Use logic to understand that . Nothing changes. It is. That's it.

Doesn't logic require evidence, empirical data, which can be 'perceived' on the basis of our sense of sight or touch or hearing?

Mister Heraclitus was the exact opposite. Also known as Obscure, for him, everything was in a flux. Nothing stays constant. Everything changes. He was the dude who claimed one can never step twice into the same river. (and what about kicking the bark of a tree twice? They change too?). Now if everything, was in a flux, all the time, there wouldn't be a thing called stability. If things kept changing all the time, there wouldn't be a thing called knowledge. Without knowledge, its ignorance. And that, is bliss, at times, certainly:)

The third bloke Mister Democritus, was literally a chemist of the 5th century. And he was the diplomat of the lot. For him there was  'change' and there was 'no change.' He believed that world was made up of Void, an incorporeal space, where Nothing exists (denouncing Parmindes). And also, he believed that the Void was taken up by small, indestructible beings called atoms (atoma : indivisible) that stayed unchanged (Denouncing Heraclitus). But the atoms have the ability to combine with one other to change the dimensions. Hence, change does occur. Change is real. The existence of atoms stays unchanged. But the dimensions of the atoms keep changing.

Thoroughly confused, (Thats the idea, I was told), I left the class with Romeo, my new French speaking African friend. The walk back home at 9 in the evening was like a slow metamorphism into an icicle. My ears were numb and my poor lil nose was jammed between the cutting, icy breeze and my face. Home came to me. Also came with it warm white milk and a steaming omlette. A regular night chat with the girlies and my day comes to a cosy end.

Oh, and if you have anything to add or retract from my 'philosophical understanding' of philosophy, comment away. Good, bad , ugly. I take it and I bow.

:)