By its very nature, philosophy provides one with many tools necessary to communicate and understand concepts effectively and thoroughly. Unlike other subjects taught in school, where you are asked a question that is immediately followed by a clear-cut, exact, and understandable answer, philosophy has a tendency to lead people astray in many different directions. Philosophy requires one to possess strong analytical and reasoning abilities in order to analyze and understand the complex arguments being made by philosophers.
As depicted through Aristotle, philosophy centers around the concept of wonder. When one begins to question the seemingly simplistic nature of the universe, one begins to delve into the complexity of what originally seemed so simple. Even the most fundamental truths of our existence, such as that fact that we exist, are overturned and challenged by philosophers such as Descartes. Descartes questions the reliability of the testimony of our senses in relation to the world around us by raising an argument regarding the reliability of our senses. I'm sure we have all been deceived by our senses before. Rather it was through an optical allusion, forgetting to wear your glasses, or being under the influence of drugs or alcohol, we've all had moments that caused us to raise question towards the reliability of something we swear to have seen or heard. Through a series of arguments, Descartes stretches this to question our knowledge of our existence as a whole.
Although philosophy is undoubtedly comprised of numerous arguments many of us will perhaps never agree with, we must appreciate its ability to free one's mind from its chains to standard thinking and open our minds to the world of the unknown.
If I were to describe philosophy in my own words, I would explain it as the attempt of putting together a puzzle with many apparently significant missing pieces. Despite driving you crazy, giving you a headache, and often getting under your skin, philosophy truly challenges you to expand, reshape, and reconsider logic and the world around you.
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