Philosophy as the Road to Epiphany
A foolproof way to discover what works for you, and what doesn’t.
It is only when we live in accordance with our own values, that we feel happy and content. That is essentially what philosophy means in the personal sense — ‘a way of life’. Everyone is a philosopher in the sense that they have a certain set of values and beliefs that they uphold to be ‘right’ and try to live by.
“Happiness is the highest good”, claimed Aristotle, and philosophy is all about figuring out the way to attain this “highest good”.
So the choice is not between having or not having a philosophy, it is between having a ‘good’ or a ‘bad’ one. Since judgment is subjective, and not universal, it might seem hard to differentiate between the two. One has to reach beyond the tangible world and dive into the intangible mystery of philosophy, to find an answer that works for them.
Socrates declared with the utmost conviction that “The unexamined life is not worth living”.
When we live without any morals, we do not live the life of a human (and hence, a philosopher), but that of an animal without conscience. Conscience is what makes the attainment of enlightenment possible, which is often interpreted as unconditional and eternal bliss, and the highest end of human life.
Philosophically, conscience pushes us to question our actions and beliefs until we give up what is wrong and adopt what is right. In this way, philosophy gives meaning to human life and protects us from the misery and futility of a meaningless existence. Most philosophers lay great emphasis on the importance of a proper moral code to abide by.
An English philosopher, Jeremy Bentham said that “The greatest happiness of the greatest number is the foundation of morals and legislation”.
He claimed this to be the ‘fundamental axiom’ He said that the best moral action is the one that minimizes pain and maximizes pleasure. It propagates working for the ‘Greater Good’ which ultimately leads to maximization of happiness in the society.
It is important to note at this point that not all philosophies lead to bliss. Nihilism, which essentially translates to cynicism or pessimism, breeds eternal misery. It states that life is utterly meaningless, which explains ‘nihilistic depression’. Such a person has lost the will to live because they believe that they have absolutely no control over their lives.
In stark contrast, Existentialism, which states that people are masters of their own will and have control over their actions, leaves scope for developing human potential and helps them become aware of their choices, decisions, and their consequences. This makes them the ‘authors’ of their life, paving the possibility of choosing a path leading to happiness.
“There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance,” said Socrates.
Ignorance clouds our judgment and makes the attainment of enlightenment impossible. Only true knowledge and continued concentration on it can lead to help develop clear judgement. Philosophy eliminates ignorance and it forces us to look at life from a perspective in which every action has a meaning, which helps us in coming closer to solving the mystery of life.
Some questions you can ask yourself to uncover your own ‘philosophy’ are -What do I want in life? Is what I am doing making me happy? What are my moral beliefs? How can I live up to my moral beliefs? The amalgamation of answers to these questions is the first step towards epiphany.
Immanuel Kant stated — “Morality is not the doctrine of how we may make ourselves happy, but of how we may make ourselves worthy of happiness”.
Philosophy helps us find a way to be ‘worthy’. One who feels worthy feels untroubled and satisfied, and therefore, feels at ease.
