Dear Jeyamohan,
My friend says learning philosophy will bring only skepticism and depression, advising me to avoid it. I’m hesitant to enroll in your philosophy classes.
Tamilarasan
Dear Tamil,
There is no such thing as ‘philosophy’. Is there something called ‘learning’? Learning encompasses a variety of subjects, each with its own unique methods and advantages. Similarly, philosophy encompasses a multitude of thoughts and ideas, each possessing its own merits and demerits.
Philosophy contains both skeptical and optimistic ideas. In fact, the major part of philosophy is idealism. Here in India, Vedanta is an idealist philosophy—we can call it absolyutism. In the West, Platonic idealism dominates philosophical thought.
A person without basic questions and a personal thought process cannot be involved in philosophy, but a person with those faculties can’t omit philosophy. Although he may not have a formal philosophy, he will undoubtedly become deeply entangled in philosophical ideas. If he lacks knowledge of philosophy, his thoughts will be vague and overly personalized. Learning philosophy properly will make his logic and historicity perfect. It will help him think more effectively.
Adopting skepticism or idealism is actually a personal choice based on one’s life experience and tradition.
Jeyamohan.
