School of Thought

[Zen]

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While I am at first impression, a regular teenager with some nerdy tendencies, I have a wide array of interests. One of my biggest interests is Philosophy and schools of thought. I've read a bit on a few schools of thought, particularly the Zen Buhddist school. This is mostly pertaining to my martial arts career, but I've found that it can also help alot with other issues in life. I also favor some classic Greek schools of thought. Rhetoric styles and logic appeal to me on a certain level. As well, I look to philosophy as a way of approaching religion. While a Christian at base, I enjoy looking into Islam, Buhddism (obviously) and other religions for 'words of wisdom'.

So my first question is, if you have ever looked into Philosphy, what schools of thought do you favor? Do you follow any kinds strictly? Or do you have a combination of interests such as myself?

In my eyes, choosing a single school of thought can cause a person to become, possibly, one dimensional. On a social level and personal level, I couldn't allow that to happen, so I choose to follow several different ways to create my own way. In essence, this is a bit like the Krishnamurti school of thought, along with Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do martial arts philosophy on a mental level.

Now, I enjoy deep thinking and looking at the world around me in different ways. But I also like to be socially acceptable by... how should I put it? 'Lay' people. Not all of my friends or acquintances look at the world on a deeper level than normal. I'd have an awful hard time finding a girl friend in high school if one of my first date questions where "So, do you favor Zen or Confucian thought?".

So my second question is, how do you think a person such as myself should carry on with these ideas in general public? If you do it, how so? Or do you have the same problem?

I'd also like to simply discuss different schools of thought and philosophy in this thread, so speak up.[/color][/size]

[Bent Metal]

I am a Utilitarian. Not only that, but I am strongly Utilitarian. Its all a numbers game for me. I run my life by numbers, and I tend to do my Philosophising the same way.

And this has really singled me out in my Philosphy lectures. I think I must be the only Utilitarian in the room (or at least the most fixed in my ways) and I end up being the only one who is arguing in opposition to the rest of the lecture. If I didn't enjoy arguing so much I would probably keep quiet. Lol.

As I have mentioned, for me it is all about the numbers. I guess you could probably call the way I look at things "The Maths of Philosophy", I mean it isnt just "Maximum happiness with minimum suffering" like is set out in Utilitarianism, but is moreso one giant equation with the answer being my position on the topic. Its difficult to explain, because I do this all in my head, but it definately has to do alot with numbers.

[The13thMan]

[COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]I'm an engineer major with a philosophy major as my roommate. He's a christian conservative, i'm an agnostic liberal. Luckily we're both ridiculously messy, otherwise we'd be considered the odd couple. Also, we have generally the same sense of humor. But every now and again we get into some philosophical debates, and they're always quite fun for me.

Being an engineer major, i don't really know much about the specifics in philosophy, such as these schools of thought. I don't know which i would fit under or what any of them are. So i'll just try to describe my own personal philosophies and the points i usually take.

I'm a realist and i don't believe in absolutes...which is a paradox, because i can't absolutely believe in no absolutes, for that is an absolute. So, i do believe in some absolutes, but very few, and i believe that an absolute can only be found by a single person. In other words, there are no absolute absolutes? I just confused myself. Anyways, i'm usually the one to argue that all things are relative and it depends on the situation. There is no supreme right, only a relative one.

In religion, i am an agnostic, as i have already mentioned. I'm agnostic because i need more proof that god exists or does not exist. And because of my previous religion i didn't exactly have time to gather that proof and remain in the religion without affecting the life of another person, possibly quite negatively. So i declared myself agnostic... Uhm, it's rahter hard for me to settle on any specific opinion because i usually tend to see the arguments on both sides as valid (which you might already have been able to tell by reading my previous paragraph). But even though i have trouble choosing a side i have already seen that i lean towards liberal politics. Pro gay, pro choice, anti war, blah blah blah.

For your second question, Boss, i think you should take a practical approach. When you are to make a decision consider your philosophies and let that guide you. If you find another person interested in philosophy engage in debate. If you don't find another person interested, then oh well, don't sweat over it. I don't know whether you're in college or not, but if you are you should join a philosophy club or class, just for fun. I think philosophy should be a guide to living your life, not a main focus. Besides... philosophers have crappy senses of humor and talk weird. =P

Later.
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[Adahn]

[QUOTE=The Boss][color=darkred][size=1]
So my first question is, if you have ever looked into Philosphy, what schools of thought do you favor? Do you follow any kinds strictly? Or do you have a combination of interests such as myself?[color=#000000][/QUOTE][/color]
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[size=2][color=#000000]I may take it upon myself to look into philosophies someday, as I find them interesting, but I don't see it as a priority. I get a whole bunch of philosophy from the Bible, but my thoughts on the Bible differ from everyone else's, so I don't imagine I could call it a 'school of thought', unless philosophy need not be explained by another to be followed. I also had a class that was a comparison/contrast course of psychology and sociology, which could be considered schools of thought. I liked some things about them, but I could never accept either of them at face value.[/color][/size]

[QUOTE=The Boss]
In my eyes, choosing a single school of thought can cause a person to become, possibly, one dimensional. On a social level and personal level, I couldn't allow that to happen, so I choose to follow several different ways to create my own way. In essence, this is a bit like the Krishnamurti school of thought, along with Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do martial arts philosophy on a mental level.[color=#000000][/QUOTE][/color]
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[size=2][color=#000000]Well, [i]most[/i] philosophies are written such that they alone should be followed. I don't think one can get the most benefit from a philosophy without following it completely, but I personally think it is good to take bits and pieces from ones you like. Just make sure you throw some discipline in there with all the fun stuff to think about :D [/color][/size]

[QUOTE=The Boss]
Now, I enjoy deep thinking and looking at the world around me in different ways. But I also like to be socially acceptable by... how should I put it? 'Lay' people. Not all of my friends or acquintances look at the world on a deeper level than normal. I'd have an awful hard time finding a girl friend in high school if one of my first date questions where "So, do you favor Zen or Confucian thought?".

So my second question is, how do you think a person such as myself should carry on with these ideas in general public? If you do it, how so? Or do you have the same problem?[color=#000000][/QUOTE][/color]
[color=#000000][/color]
[size=2][color=#000000]How do you know that your friends don't look at the world on a deeper level? Perhaps they are like you, afraid to express one's deepest thoughts and desires for fear of appearing socially unacceptable. If you can follow your own philosophy in life without preaching it to others, that is enough. If someone recognizes something good in your actions because of your philosophy, and asks you about, then you can talk to them about it, because they've expressed interest.[/color][/size]
[size=2][color=#000000][/color][/size]
[size=2][color=#000000]The first thing you should know is that you're no different from anyone else. A perception that others live their lives without deep thought is a sign of anti-empathy. [i]Everyone[/i] thinks just as deeply as you do, and just because they don't share their thoughts doesn't mean that they are not there.[/color][/size]
[size=2][color=#000000][/color][/size]
[size=2][color=#000000]If you feel a need to express your thoughts, find someone like-minded with whom to discuss them. The internet is a great medium for this, as social inhibitions are usually left at the sign-on screen.[/color][/size]
[size=2][color=#000000][/color][/size]
[size=2][color=#000000]I feel I must stress something to you, though. [i]You are no different from anyone else[/i]. If you don't get rid of that perception now, you'll come off as a high-and-mighty prick, whatever you choose to do. Now, I'm not saying you are a prick, but to me it seems you think you're special, and in this case, you're not.[/color][/size]

[QUOTE=The Boss]
I'd also like to simply discuss different schools of thought and philosophy in this thread, so speak up.[/size][/color][/QUOTE]
[size=2]I like balance. There is balance in all things, regardless of one's perception. As far as I'm concerned, it's an absolute for everyone, even T13M.[/size]

[Zen]

[QUOTE=The13thMan][COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]

For your second question, Boss, i think you should take a practical approach. When you are to make a decision consider your philosophies and let that guide you. If you find another person interested in philosophy engage in debate. If you don't find another person interested, then oh well, don't sweat over it. I don't know whether you're in college or not, but if you are you should join a philosophy club or class, just for fun. I think philosophy should be a guide to living your life, not a main focus. Besides... philosophers have crappy senses of humor and talk weird. =P
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I'm actually a juniour in high school. My closest friends and I debate with every once in a while, and that satisfies me, but we always end up going over the same points. But I only have five or six people who I consider my 'best' friends. There's no such thing as a Philosophy Club where I am (Rural South Hell). I'm taking a college course, Psychology 201, right now and I think that's as close to a class as I'm going to get here. Me and my teacher have some interesting talks about philosophical issues while she lectures, so those are fun. Occasionally these spark debates for the whole class room that I enjoy being a part of, but that's only four days a week for an hour.[/color][/size]

[quote= Adahn]

How do you know that your friends don't look at the world on a deeper level? Perhaps they are like you, afraid to express one's deepest thoughts and desires for fear of appearing socially unacceptable. If you can follow your own philosophy in life without preaching it to others, that is enough. If someone recognizes something good in your actions because of your philosophy, and asks you about, then you can talk to them about it, because they've expressed interest.

The first thing you should know is that you're no different from anyone else. A perception that others live their lives without deep thought is a sign of anti-empathy. Everyone thinks just as deeply as you do, and just because they don't share their thoughts doesn't mean that they are not there.

If you feel a need to express your thoughts, find someone like-minded with whom to discuss them. The internet is a great medium for this, as social inhibitions are usually left at the sign-on screen.

I feel I must stress something to you, though. You are no different from anyone else. If you don't get rid of that perception now, you'll come off as a high-and-mighty prick, whatever you choose to do. Now, I'm not saying you are a prick, but to me it seems you think you're special, and in this case, you're not.[/quote]
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I never meant to come off as a 'high than though' type in what I said. It's just that when I do try to ask some people questions regarding what I would consider 'deep' or 'philosophical' questions, they usually reply with confusion or hostility. I've been told that I "need to stop trying to act smart" or asked "do you think you're better than me?". Responses like this are what cause me to come to the conclusion that some people just don't look at the world on a deeper level. I'm not saying these people are by anymeans stupid or less intelligent than myself, but you have to remember, I'm dealing with people who's entire lives have been spent in a small rural town in South Carolina. A place not known for it's intellectuals (it's ranked I believe #47 on the US school standards list).

Many people simply react to such questions with an attitude as if I'm trying to 'act smart'. They think I waste my time and energy with deep thinking that could be spent doing things such as getting drunk, smoking pot, playing football, or hunting (these are the most popular activities in my town). While I do enjoy discussing philosophy online, nothing quite beats a face-to-face or group conversation on big issues, which is why my afformentioned Psychology class is such beautiful thing to me.

Being in the rural south, my liberal veiws on religion, homosexuality, love, war, and etc. don't fly so well with the people I'm around. I've had people ask me if I was an athiest before, simply because I didn't think the Baptist or Episcopal Church had quite the right idea on such issues as homosexual love or pre-marital sex or even non-Christian music. So you should understand my dilemma. The thought used to pursue philosophy by most people in my area is directed either constantly to a Church or used trying to find nirvana through habitual drug use.

I'm not putting myself above anyone, I'm just saying that I don't think that the place I am or the people around me promote free-minded philosophy or out of the box thinking. Hell, were I am, people are still dealing with racial issues.

Example:

Walking down the street, some moron screamed out the window of his car "N***er lover" at me. This was based solely on my appearance.

Get where I'm coming from? This occurs even in high school students of our generation. I've been made extremely uncomfortable in conversations where I was in a group of caucasian whites who where freely using the n-word and discussing how they thought inter-racial relationships were "gross and nasty and wrong." So maybe I am wrong, but I definetly feel I'm right in my thoughts that I'm atleast more cultured than the people around me, if not a deeper thinker.[/color][/size]

[Delta]

[COLOR=#656446]Naw, Boss. It's just that many people nowadays think that philosophical debates are things done by quasi-intellectual people with nothing to do, and that talking about philosophies is pretentious...and corny.

If not for biases and laziness, I think we can engage anyone to a round of intellectual masturbation.[/COLOR]

[Adahn]

[font=Tahoma][size=2]I didn't take into account that you might live in a place like that. I've always been able to find a person or two willing to talk about something.[/size][/font]
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[size=2]I think your best bet is to keep some things to yourself, and find a college far away from where you are now. I hear philosophical conversations just walking around buildings at my college, and all the honors classes I've taken were based heavily on discussion of philosophical ideas.[/size]
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[size=2]If you can be patient just a little longer, College will bring you all the fulfillment you could want.[/size]

[The13thMan]

[COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]Damn, Boss, that really sucks. I really hate those kinds of people. I mean....screaming out n-lover just because of your appearance is absolutely ridiculous. It disgusts me. Those kinds of people have no useful place in society.

When i was in highschool my friend was the one that got me into philosophy the most. Perhaps instead of looking for a person already versed in philosophy you should look for somebody that's always up for a good conversation or debate and try to get him/her into it like you have. Then you'll always have that person as an outlet. If you do this, i recommend finding somebody with fairly conservative views so that you two always have some good conversations. It's no fun if you both agree with each other always. =D Of course...you gotta make sure this person isn't easily offended, as it seems most conservatives get offended easily because they believe their views are synonymous with their religion, and you know how people get when their religion starts getting flamed.

Other than that...either wait for college or continue doing your thing online.

I would slightly disagree with Adahn's opinion that you should go to a college far far away. College's are filled with many many types of people, nothing like highschool. I mean, i'm sure whatever college you go to will have a decent philosophy club and of course courses offered in philosophy. Unless of course you end up in some tiny public college....then maybe not. But it seems to me like you're smart enough to go to a nice college.

Later.
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[Mythologicly]

As a black man i would like to thank you for at least learning to except other races in the south. I understand were your coming from i have family that live in the south and its the same with them white and black both have problems.

All i can tell you is the same i told them get your country ***** up and have some fun with us city folk.(no offence) any way if you want to major in it then go for it and move awy and go to a pplace were its possible for you to learn free of judgement.