What is philosophy? Before I explain what it is, it might be worthwhile clarifying what it isn't. Philosophy is not about two old men sitting around the fireplace discussing the meaning of life.
Unfortunately, that is the type of mental picture most people have of the discipline. It is generally seen as having little connection to real life, and something you might engage in if you had nothing better to do with your time.
The worst myth about philosophy is the belief that it is a subject for the intellectual elite, with no relevance to the common man.
That this is society's conception of philosophy is pitiful. However, philosophers have only themselves to blame for the present state of affairs. They alone are responsible for detaching philosophy from the real world.
A case in point is the prevalent acceptance of Plato's dichotomy between mind/soul and body. This distinction has been presented in many forms : real vs ideal; spirit vs flesh; earthly vs ethereal; temporal vs eternal; imperfect vs perfect.
If the layman were looking for support that phi
The bane of modern philosophy is that Plato's successor corrected his mistake, and erased the contradictions. If Aristotle had been given due attention, philosophy would be very different today.
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