It\u2019s exciting to me, as a philosopher to write this post. I believe that mistakes are not problems, but lessons to take from and apply changes going forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are 10 philosophical mistakes that everyone makes when first encountering philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a trained philosopher, the biggest mistake one can make is to read only philosophers from one school of thought, era, or branch of philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This leads to a narrow understanding and prevents the learner from understanding more than just their body of knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In order to be an excellent philosopher, the learner must be aware of alternative perspectives, and so well versed in ideas that they can refute any idea that opposes their perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A lot of young philosophers get overwhelmed by the convoluted nature of philosophical writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The best thing to do is to keep going and find the main argument within the writing. Once you\u2019ve found that piece of rice in the pile of hay, it becomes simpler to understand how philosophical writing is to be analyzed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
most mistakes in philosophy and logic occur because the human mind is apt to take the symbol for the reality. philosophical mistakes Don\u2019t give up! Keep reading, discovering, and philosophize on your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another mistake is to choose one philosophy and dedicate yourself to it without being open to seeing other perspectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This can also happen while reading popular philosophers only, and not venturing into the lesser known thinkers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I argue that everyone who has an idea is a philosopher, so reading only a single viewpoint, and avoiding others for simple preference leads to a singular view of perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Believing there is only one way to do philosophy and questioning if you\u2019re doing it right<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This mistake happens to everyone!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are many ways to do philosophy, and a big part of it is to use your own brain, and create your own arguments based on what you\u2019ve read, learned, and comprehended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I call it regurgitating understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes there are common fallacies of logic, where an argument can be proven false, but the mistake is made when the philosopher becomes doubtful of their training and loses faith in their abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. Choosing one school of thought and never reading outside it Another philosophical mistake occurs in education. Sometimes our school will utilize one school of philosophical thought. In the Netflix original series The Crown, we learn that Phillip was educated at a school based on Platonic philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This experience of schooling taught Phillip certain morals, ethics, and modes of behavior. It also changed him as a person, as the show details some traumas that occurred in his life while at boarding school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The philosophical mistake is problematic because it limits the understanding of how the world works, and the person\u2019s ability to devise their own understanding of philosophy and independent thinking in their future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similar to the above mistakes, avoiding refuting philosophies limits one\u2019s perspective as a whole by leaving out alternative views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I recall taking a class on Leibniz, where my professor spent 8 weeks arguing that his work is circular and that it is impossible to prove with philosophy that God exists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Avoiding other thinkers in this class, though it was specifically done so, also limited the professor\u2019s own ability to comprehend a proof of God\u2019s existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m feeling called to argue that it\u2019s obvious that God cannot be proven through logic and reason because God exists outside of rational thinking and so spending 8 weeks discussing this seems\u2026problematic. 7. Believing that other subjects don\u2019t come from philosophy This philosophical mistake comes mainly from the topic of science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is a method of scientific inquiry which utilizes epistemology in order to create this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Without philosophy, science, math, physics, and all other subjects would be unknowable. For philosophy is the overarching theme of all subjects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How can society advance if there are no guiding principles of knowledge? If there is no understanding of critical thinking and inquiry?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Ontario schools, Knowledge, Inquiry, Communication, and Application lay the foundation for the grading of students. Is it a responsibility of teachers to explain to students why these are the main grading criteria? Are teachers telling students that they are based in logic, reason and rational thinking? Or just that the government determined these are the most important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To me this is a huge mistake, as we have an obligation to let students know that philosophical inquiry is guiding their grades and learning, and then explain why these guidelines were chosen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
8. Using critical thinking skills without realizing it\u2019s philosophical inquiry Continuing the philosophical mistake from above, schools in Ontario are teaching critical thinking without relating it to philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why are we using critical thinking? How are we able to think critically?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are many questions to ask about the way critical thinking is taught in schools, and I argue that philosophical inquiry should be taught earlier than grade 12, as adolescent understanding of complex materials begins at age 12, or so the data suggests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s important to recall that philosophy is something all humans are capable of, for the sole purpose of their rational mind. Limiting this knowledge of what philosophy is until grade 12 is taking something away from students that is valuable to their own critical thinking skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why are many adults unhappy by the time they finish their undergraduate degree? It\u2019s because we teach critical thinking separately from philosophy and limit our student\u2019s ability to think critically about their happiness, purpose, and the meaning of life for their future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This may be my favourite philosophical mistake. There are many stereotypes about philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first stereotype is that all philosophers are stoners. This is not true. I wasn\u2019t a stoner until\u2026 philosophy class! hahah. that was intentional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another stereotype is that philosophy does not lead to jobs. This is a mistake because some of the greatest ideas, inventions, and insights into life are made by those who study philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also in today\u2019s modern world, I argue that philosophy is the career of the independent entrepreneur who wants to give back to others. This is also known as the field of coaching. Where your experience of life allows you to direct, coach, and assist others who are feeling confused about their life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This career is philosophy because you\u2019re capitalizing on your knowledge, experience, and understanding and selling it to those who want to learn from you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
10. Assuming philosophy is one subject instead of an overarching theme. In order to understand the current subjects and ideas, one must understand the ideas that built them, the foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Modern psychology, education, and science are all founded in philosophical understandings of how we learn, behave, and perceive the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Questioning these current systems is not possible without critical thinking and inquiry and thus, philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a true philosophy student I couldn\u2019t help but notice how small the philosophy department is!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is a small number of students who take on the task of becoming true philosophers because of the daunting fear of philosophy. This fear is intentional, philosophy is complex and will lead to consistent existential crises and wondering what is real at times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is part of the journey and should not prevent one from pursuing the path of philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My view of philosophical mistakes is based on my experience of being a student of philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is philosophy in every subject we can learn about because we are learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see philosophy differently than others and this is what makes me truly a philosopher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With love and light,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
~~ Kristi<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s exciting to me, as a philosopher to write this post. I believe that mistakes are not problems, but lessons to take from and apply changes going forward. Here are 10 philosophical mistakes that everyone makes when first encountering philosophy. 1. Reading only certain philosophers As a trained philosopher, the biggest mistake one can make is to read only philosophers from one school of thought, era, or branch of philosophy. This leads to a narrow understanding and prevents the learner from understanding more than just their body of knowledge. In order to be an excellent philosopher, the learner must be aware of alternative perspectives, and so well versed in ideas that they can refute any idea that opposes their perspective. 2. Giving up too early A lot of young philosophers get overwhelmed by the convoluted nature of philosophical writing. The best thing to do is to keep going and find the main argument within the writing. Once you\u2019ve found that piece of rice in the pile of hay, it becomes simpler to understand how philosophical writing is to be analyzed. most mistakes in philosophy and logic occur because the human mind is apt to take the symbol for the reality. philosophical mistakes Don\u2019t give up! Keep reading, discovering, and philosophize on your own. 3. Conforming to a singular philosophy Another mistake is to choose one philosophy and dedicate yourself to it without being open to seeing other perspectives. This can also happen while reading popular philosophers only, and not venturing into the lesser known thinkers. I argue that everyone who has an idea is a philosopher, so reading only a single viewpoint, and avoiding others for simple preference leads to a singular view of perspective. 4. Believing there is only one way to do philosophy and questioning if you\u2019re doing it right This mistake happens to everyone! There are many ways to do philosophy, and a big part of it is to use your own brain, and create your own arguments based on what you\u2019ve read, learned, and comprehended. I call it regurgitating understanding. Yes there are common fallacies of logic, where an argument can be proven false, but the mistake is made when the philosopher becomes doubtful of their training and loses faith in their abilities. 5. Choosing one school of thought and never reading outside it Another philosophical mistake occurs in education. Sometimes our school will utilize one school of philosophical thought. In the Netflix original series The Crown, we learn that Phillip was educated at a school based on Platonic philosophy. This experience of schooling taught Phillip certain morals, ethics, and modes of behavior. It also changed him as a person, as the show details some traumas that occurred in his life while at boarding school. The philosophical mistake is problematic because it limits the understanding of how the world works, and the person\u2019s ability to devise their own understanding of philosophy and independent thinking in their future. 6. Avoiding alternative philosophies Similar to the above mistakes, avoiding refuting philosophies limits one\u2019s perspective as a whole by leaving out alternative views. I recall taking a class on Leibniz, where my professor spent 8 weeks arguing that his work is circular and that it is impossible to prove with philosophy that God exists. Avoiding other thinkers in this class, though it was specifically done so, also limited the professor\u2019s own ability to comprehend a proof of God\u2019s existence. I\u2019m feeling called to argue that it\u2019s obvious that God cannot be proven through logic and reason because God exists outside of rational thinking and so spending 8 weeks discussing this seems\u2026problematic. 7. Believing that other subjects don\u2019t come from philosophy This philosophical mistake comes mainly from the topic of science. There is a method of scientific inquiry which utilizes epistemology in order to create this. Without philosophy, science, math, physics, and all other subjects would be unknowable. For philosophy is the overarching theme of all subjects. How can society advance if there are no guiding principles of knowledge? If there is no understanding of critical thinking and inquiry? In Ontario schools, Knowledge, Inquiry, Communication, and Application lay the foundation for the grading of students. Is it a responsibility of teachers to explain to students why these are the main grading criteria? Are teachers telling students that they are based in logic, reason and rational thinking? Or just that the government determined these are the most important. To me this is a huge mistake, as we have an obligation to let students know that philosophical inquiry is guiding their grades and learning, and then explain why these guidelines were chosen. 8. Using critical thinking skills without realizing it\u2019s philosophical inquiry Continuing the philosophical mistake from above, schools in Ontario are teaching critical thinking without relating it to philosophy. Why are we using critical thinking? How are we able to think critically? There are many questions to ask about the way critical thinking is taught in schools, and I argue that philosophical inquiry should be taught earlier than grade 12, as adolescent understanding of complex materials begins at age 12, or so the data suggests. It\u2019s important to recall that philosophy is something all humans are capable of, for the sole purpose of their rational mind. Limiting this knowledge of what philosophy is until grade 12 is taking something away from students that is valuable to their own critical thinking skills. Why are many adults unhappy by the time they finish their undergraduate degree? It\u2019s because we teach critical thinking separately from philosophy and limit our student\u2019s ability to think critically about their happiness, purpose, and the meaning of life for their future. 9. Avoiding philosophy due to stereotypes This may be my favourite philosophical mistake. There are many stereotypes about philosophy. The first stereotype is that all philosophers are stoners. This is not true. I wasn\u2019t a stoner until\u2026 philosophy class! hahah. that was intentional. Another stereotype is that philosophy does not lead to jobs. This is a mistake because some of the greatest ideas, inventions, and insights into life are made by those who study philosophy. Also in today\u2019s modern world, I argue that philosophy is the career of the independent entrepreneur who wants to give back to others. This is also known as the field of coaching. Where your experience of life allows you to direct, coach, and assist others who are feeling confused about their life. This career is philosophy because you\u2019re capitalizing on your knowledge, experience, and understanding and selling it to those who want to learn from you. 10. Assuming philosophy is one subject instead of an overarching theme. In order to understand the current subjects and ideas, one must understand the ideas that built them, the foundation. Modern psychology, education, and science are all founded in philosophical understandings of how we learn, behave, and perceive the world. Questioning these current systems is not possible without critical thinking and inquiry and thus, philosophy. 11. Judging philosophy out of fear As a true philosophy student I couldn\u2019t help but notice how small the philosophy department is! There is a small number of students who take on the task of becoming true philosophers because of the daunting fear of philosophy. This fear is intentional, philosophy is complex and will lead to consistent existential crises and wondering what is real at times. That is part of the journey and should not prevent one from pursuing the path of philosophy. Remember\u2026 My view of philosophical mistakes is based on my experience of being a student of philosophy. There is philosophy in every subject we can learn about because we are learning. I see philosophy differently than others and this is what makes me truly a philosopher. With love and light, ~~ stay true, stay weird ~~ ~~ Kristi<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1157,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-assumption-audit"],"yoast_head":"\n