Midterm

Me: Do you think philosophy can help people learn to respect truth, facts, reality, and one another, and to reject falsehood, superstition, selfishness, polarization, partisanship, and mutual hostility based on differences of race, religion, ethnicity, nationality, belief, etc.? If so, how? If not, why not?

Nigel: God must know what’s going on as he knows absolutely everything. Nothing can escape him. And he must want the evil not to happen, because that is part of what it means to be supremely good. (36)

Me: So, are you saying that God can prevent things from happening if he so desires it?

Nigel: Yes, and no. Imagine a murderer about to kill his victim. He is poised over him with a sharp knife. A truly evil act is about to take place. Yet we know that God is powerful enough to stop it happening. (36) And yet, nothing happens – there isn’t a strike of lightning or dark clouds to stop it from occurring.

Me: You are addressing the classic Problem of Evil, then? Since different religions, and lack thereof, conclude different meanings of evil and how God might not be so powerful as to stop them. Today, people still fight over their beliefs and what they might entail; in a sense, some religions, like Christianity, consider it morally wrong to doubt priests and pastors as they subject you to the word of God.

Julian: This can also connect to the beliefs of Indian cultures. For example, The Laws of Manu has a passage which stresses just how wicked it is to defy your teacher: ‘By censuring his teacher, though justly, he will become in his next birth an ass; by falsely defaming him, a dog; he who lives on his teacher’s substance, will become a worm, and he who is envious of his merit, a larger insect.’ (35)

Me: Do you follow these beliefs, Julian?

Julian: Not personally, no. I believe that everything in the world revolves around our different upbringings and moral high grounds. Truth be told, I find that specific belief itself difficult to understand. While I was speaking with other Indians, the deferential attitude towards the speakers made interviewing them difficult. They generally seemed to take my questions as invitations to preach their schools of thought. Our exchanges were not so much questions and answers as cues for monologues. (35)

Kurt: If you’re fanatical enough about enacting and enforcing your fiction, it becomes indistinguishable from nonfiction. Religion is a prime example of this fact.

Me: Individually, what do you all think about the very idea of philosophy in this aspect – can it help people learn to respect others in this sense?

Kurt: I don’t think so; I mean, think of it like this – if that were the case, wouldn’t the world be perfect already? Philosophers like us have been around for centuries, preaching on moral grounds that differences of beliefs, race, religions, and more can all coexist without hatred. Sadly, even to this very day, there are groups dedicated to hatred of others with opposing thoughts and beliefs.

Julian: I, personally, believe that this can happen at some point or another if we simply seeks to understand each other. Each country has its own set of customs, which in themselves are likely tied to ancient religious beliefs. If we simply pay attention to how the world thinks and operates as a giant mechanism on this planet, surely we can take a leap into understanding the world and ourselves, too.

Nigel: We are all stuck with the freedom given to us from birth. With this in mind, I do believe that it is plausible we might all be able to exist in harmony with one another, bearing in mind the greater understanding of philosophy. We all choose how to think, how to perceive other peoples and their beliefs; it only takes a matter of time before you begin to unravel how hurtful some obligations to freedom can be.

Me: Good, good. Following this, how would you answer William James's "really vital question for us all: What is this world going to be? What is life eventually to make of itself?"

Julian: I would respond by saying that, eventually, the world will reach a peak of peace. Life will, one day, rotate on its otherworldly axis and show to us that we can exist with different systems of beliefs, so long as we come to respect one another fully.

Me: Why do you think so, Julian?

Julian: Well, the intimacy–integrity distinction is the most useful one I’ve come across in my foray into comparative philosophy. What makes it so valuable is that it doesn’t only help us to understand our differences, it points us to similarities which enable us to see those differences in more nuanced and sympathetic terms. Even more importantly, it allows us to reflect on our cultures and values and ask whether we need a little more or a little less intimacy or integrity. (242) In this sense, we can grow to ask ourselves questions and, as a result, develop from them as a people.

Kurt: Unfortunately, I think the world is going into a steady decline. Our founding fathers would be downright ashamed if they saw how the country was handling itself today; the Proud Boys were said, by the president himself, to have good people in their circle – remember, this group is full of hate and white supremacy. Trump is admonishing what it means to be an American. I think life is going to decline in a steep manner where our country grows to hate itself more and more each passing day.

Me: And what do you think, Nigel?

Nigel: To be frank, I think it depends on how much further we as people are willing to understand. Us philosophers can talk and talk all day long, sure, but it all depends on the audience and if they are willing to open up to reason and change. If the world refuses to come together and listed to one another, then life will surely go on as is; filled with unanswered questions, doubt, and a seedling of distrust. On the other hand, if people begin to respect the thoughts and opinions of others while forming their own virtues, the world would certainly prosper.

Me: Honestly, I agree. There really is no conversation to be had on this topic if we as a people don’t come to accept change and listen to each other. Political parties are, unfortunately, a driving example of how the world thinks right now; older generations refuses to listen to the youngsters and, in hindsight, my generation normally doesn’t take lessons from our elders. It’s a vicious cycle.