The Largest Myth Concerning Philosophy In Undergraduate Universities

 I enrolled at Bloomsburg University, Pa in the Fall of '06. I was originally an Engineering Major with an emphasis in Physics and Aerospace/Aeronautics. I was assigned to take an Introduction to Philosophy course as a general education requirement. I must admit, I was interested in the texts when I bought them (plus they were way cheaper than engineering, physics, chemistry, and mathematics textbooks!). My family and friends were extremely skeptical of the course and the discipline as a whole. This is where the myth emerged before me, although I, and I'm sure many others, was aware of it long before I was assigned the class.

My family and friends, and perhaps many of those who read this, have it embedded into their minds that philosophers, professors of philosophy, and students of philosophy are taught and teach that their is no such thing as a God and that religion is ultimately foolish. I thought this as well when I entered the class the first day. Well let me just say...that is not at all what philosophy is about. Philosophy is about obtaining truth; wisdom and knowledge just as the term's meaning suggests.

 The term "philosophy" can be broken into two Greek terms, namely "philo" and "sophia." The term "philosophy" literally means "lover of wisdom or knowledge." I believe that any philosopher, a professional or someone simply stating their point of view philosophically (as I am), should always keep this point in mind when researching, writing, and critisizing others. Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle was, and still is, reknown for his emphasis on empirical data (evidence that can be collected through experiment and observation). It would be utterly ignorant to say that Aristotle's views and values are still not alive today considering the fact that our society, in some ways, runs on his idea of "empiricism." Our sciences all concur and follow the rule posed by Aristotle concerning accurate and responsible experiments and the way we use the data collected by such experiments.

Most scientists, certainly not all, but most scientists in fact question their religious beliefs and values. Why is this? It is because they, and many others, agree with the idea concerning the goal to seek for relevant and reliable empirical data in order to gain an understanding of our environment. So why is philosophy deemed an "evil practice of heresy?" It is because it requires one to put their views and commonly held opinions and assumptions (and I mean all of them!) onto the chopping block that is critism and falsification. The main point of philosophy is to gain wisdom and knowledge right? NOT to gain false wisdom and false knowledge.

I am currently a senior double majoring in Philosophy and Psychology, yeah I know...BIG change from Engineering right? Haha...my parents, family, and friends thought so too. But let me say, I have examined and evaluted dozens of views and values I held acceptable and many of them, much to my surprise at the time, were relatively ridiculous and absurd. Many "facts" I held as absolute and never-changing were, in all reality, just as questionable as the ongoing debate in ethics, politics, law, environmenal issues, and religion! So, my point is: Religion is not the only field of study that is put under the philosophical microscope of empirical study.

Suppose you and your best friend Antonio go out for a nice Sunday drive on a hot and humid afternoon in his brand new sports car (Porshe, Lambo, whatever you think is sporty). Your friend's "hot" ride, however, turns out to not be so "hot" and breaks down on a back country road. You both exit the vehicle and check under the hood. Your friend suggests that the car is out of gas and that the two of you need to hike to the nearest gas station to purchase some. You, ever so observant, know that the car's gas gauge was in fact on "Full" and you also know that the car's gas gauge is functioning properly. You tell your friend that it cannot possibly be that you are out of gas and you suggest that maybe the car overheated due to the hot, humid weather. Your friend proceeds to laugh at you and say how ridiculous and absolutely incorrect you sound!!! "Overheat?!?, what a moron," your friend says. He proceeds to say that the gas gauge is in fact functioning properly, but nonetheless, the car is out of gas. He goes on to say that fairies (angels? demons? a god? a something?) must have caused the gas tank to become empty and we cannot prove such a thing because we can't see them.

 The argument tactic I am using here is an "argument by analogy." In other words, I am using an analogy to get my point across and, in this case, the car and its "mysterious gas shortage" is analogous to one's answers when questioned about religion. Why is there an afterlife? A Heaven and Hell? Why do certain things happen to certain people for certain reasons? Just BECAUSE they do! That's all we can seem to muster up when taking a religious point of view. When a seemingly more empirical answer is posed against the religious claim, the scientific claim is ignored and scratched much like your "overheating because its hot and humid out" hypothesis was by your friend.

 Forget the myth that philosophy and science are vs. religion and that they are bitter rivals! This is a fallacious belief. Philosophy and good philosophers only seek true wisdom and true knowledge; they don't "pick on" theology or Christians or whatever. The idea that philosophy makes everyone a heartless atheist is ridiculous. Philosophy rids people of ignorance and the habit of being a hypocrite. We are all philosophers at some grade. What we find true is not up to us but up to the "truth itself" and that "truth" cannot be explained adequately by religious metaphors and wisetales.