Philosophy: The Pursuit of Wisdom

So how much do we know? “The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” (Shakespeare) The point made here is similar to the quote from Socrates at the beginning of this piece. The wise man knows the extent of his knowledge, and understands that what he does know his limited to his experience and perspective. There are some people that have convinced themselves that they know all there is to know. But as we have seen before, philosophy consists of asking questions. Many questions. These questions that we ask can always be lead into another, then another, and another. It seems that anything may be subjected to the relentless chain of philosophical query. These chains usually end or die down when they approach the metaphysical questions, such as “Is there a god?” or “How can we truly know anything?”. Some would argue the case that we can never fully understand anything, simply because there will always be questions related to it that we cannot answer (or so we think). Although this seems to have its logical truths, it does not mean that we should let it defer us from our quest for wisdom and understanding.

We are starting to see that there are many uneasy elements when studying philosophy. Knowing that we can never know, or trying to understand that which cannot be understood. It is the arduous task of anything philosophical thinker to may sense of which the conventional human mind cannot. The more we know, the easier we can understand and decipher the world around us. This understanding of philosophy acts as a foundation for wisdom, which may alter our lifestyles in a benevolent manner.

If the philosophical mindset has been put in place, one might wonder “What was the true point of this composition? Was it for a grade on an English paper? Or an entry to some scholarship? Was there intention in these words? Or were they simple scattered ideas of a well composed writer?” While all of these are logical and well analyzed queries, none of them point out the truth in composition. The meaning of these pages was to inform. Somewhere at the epitome of personal beliefs lies the saying “Knowledge is power.” With integrity at the base of intentions, the purpose of this composition was simply to share and distribute acquired knowledge and philosophical ideas. Even so, “The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing.” (Socrates)

While only a mere few philosophical subjects have been covered, like all things, this script must come to an end. One can only hope for a spark of intellectual enlightenment as a result. If you found the contents of this work to be interesting, continue your pursuit for knowledge. You’ve merely skimmed the surface of wisdom, and with years to come, you might just become content with all do and do not know.

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
-Mahatma Gandhi

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Well, that was my composition. I’d enjoy any feedback you have to offer, even if you have not read the enitre article! Thank you. Here are some links for further study.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy

[I know what everyone thinks about Wikipedia, but in truth, it's a  moderately reliable online database. It has many peices of knowledge to offer!. I've checked most of this particular page and everything seems legitimate]

http://reference.howstuffworks.com/humanities-philosophy-encyclopedia-channel.htm

Again, Thank you! Let me know what you think.