It is 3:03 a.m. and I am still having trouble coming up with an adequate definition of philosophy. My best efforts give me a loose definition, being a method of thinking about things and a way of questioning what we already know. Examples of these types of questions could be why we are on this earth or what happens to us when we die. Everyone spends a lot of time philosophizing even if they are not aware they are doing it. Look at the hand holding this paper and think about what is making it stay grasped. You have just done philosophy; you questioned an aspect of your life that up until now you might have taken for granted. In the field of philosophy the problem you have just encountered is termed the mind body problem. At best we can only speculate on what the relation is between our mind and our body, if in fact one exists. The point I am trying to make is that you are going to ask yourselves these questions or ones of a similar nature anyway so you should join with your peers of Cabrini and do it together.
Cabrini is fortunate both in having a strong philosophy program and an active philosophy discussion group. Members of Cabrini meet every other week throughout the year and talk about pressing issues. The group is open to all of you and encourages all to come to at least one meeting to see if an interest sparks. The group meets in the conference room on the second floor of the Library. Anyone attending the meetings can bring any issue to the table. Discussions are held around a circular table and everyone has equal chance to voice their opinion. Don’t expect hands being raised at one of these meetings, we speak our mind and the group responds. The first meeting will be held on Sept. 30 at 3:30 p.m. The topic of discussion will be aesthetics. The meeting will be a show and tell. Yes, I said show and tell. Everyone attending is encouraged to bring something important in their life that they consider beautiful. Examples of this could be a musical excerpt, artwork or a poem. Anyone attending a meeting is by no means obliged to join the group, but it is a beneficial thing to put on your resume. I’m asking you to give the world of philosophy a shot and try something new’ or to at the very least realize you are probably doing it right now. I invite you to begin your journey and leave behind the reality you believe in of death, disease and destruction and look to the future of comfortable conditions and contentment.
We must look beyond the obvious if we hope to achieve a clearer sense of what it is to be human. Our understanding of life comes from our experiences and the way we can make connections between these experiences. For this reason we call the old wise. So next time you have a new thought pop into you head don’t block it out, dive further and see if you can get a better understanding of yourself and the world around you. If you are successful, come to the meetings and help the rest of us.
Posted to Web by Lori Iannella
