‘‘The Philosophy Of: Philosophy’’
What is the philosophy of philosophy,
Have you thought about it,
What it may be the philosophy of philosophy?
No work to do but to philosophize,
Lazily passing time, thinking much
But doing nothing,
Where the philosopher fails there
The realist succeeds.
And say you who is not a philosopher?
This poem explores the nature and purpose of philosophy, questioning its essence and contrasting it with a more practical, realist perspective. How each person has the capacity to think like a philosopher, to discover truths that wouldn’t have been possible without the process of thinking deeply about whatever ‘‘it’’ is.
It opens with asking the question, ‘’What is philosophy?’’ which in it of itself is a philosophical question as so many people have different definitions of the open-ended question. It continues with trying to answer the question with repeating the word in the form of the answer. To find the definition of philosophy, one must philosophize about the meaning as it pertains to them. To create the definition, you need to think and create it yourself. It makes the claim that thinking is something that the lazy do, no physical task is being done, as it may pose as philosophizing is a mundane task that only the void do. However, the poem refutes this with the murky claim that where the philosopher fails, the realist succeeds. The meaning of this is that the ‘’realist’’ realizes that thinking… deeply theorizing is something that is not void of purpose, it is where the philosophers grow their metaphoric wings and discover truths.
I love this quote because philosophy is something that I'm so passionate about. I want to study it in college, I want to pursue a career with a focus on philosophy. I want to discover more truths about the world and believe that philosophy is the outlet I need to access hidden truths that are locked behind a wall of shallow thinking. I have taken steps already in my professional career to focus on philosophy by creating an entire website that discusses philosophical thinking. It’s so relatable to me because I know I’ve asked myself what philosophy is. I’ve pondered and searched for a meaning in the word, the meaning of thinking and the answer to what philosophy is can’t be answered without thinking. Another part I really like about it is that it talks about how anyone can be a philosopher. I don’t believe to be a deep thinker you need some high level of thinking or education. Anyone can be a philosopher, anyone can think through the lenses of ethical principles and an open mind. So for the quote to discuss what it is that makes a philosopher, instead of what is philosophy is a really interesting perspective that is inclusive of all thinkers while also fostering new ideas about the makeup of philosophy, how you need to become a philosopher to begin to answer that question. Like I've said, being a philosopher is not as difficult as it may seem. When people think ‘’philosopher’’ most gravitate towards historic thinkers like Socrates, Aristotle, Plato, Marcus Aurelius, and Alexander the Great for their own unique ways of thinking, however, most people wouldn’t associate ‘’philosopher’’ with people like astronauts, teachers, coaches, managers, and even construction workers (for example). All those people think so deeply about a wide variety of topics and each of those people could give you a completely different answer when you pose them with, ‘’What is philosophy?’’ or ‘’What makes someone a philosopher?’’. I think that’s the magic and my love for philosophy. It fosters conversation where the color and personality of each person gets shown through their own thoughts and beliefs when answering the question or hypothesizing the meaning. An outlet for expression in the form of creative thinking is a viable and meaningful connection that can and has been made with everything I do and will continue to do, and I believe all philosophers believe in that opinion: they’d never stop thinking.
Sources: ‘‘The Philosophy Of: Philosophy’’ Poem by Bijay Kant Dubey