World Philosophy Day is celebrated on the third of November every year. The day is dedicated to promoting the importance of philosophy as a discipline, encouraging critical thinking and reflection, and fostering dialogue and understanding between different cultures and perspectives. Philosophy continues to be important and exploring the different philosophical thoughts has benefits. Philosophy has played a significant role in shaping our society, and its influence continues to be felt today.
Why Philosophy Continues to be Important
The study of philosophy has had a profound impact on our society. From the early Eastern philosophers to the ancient Greeks to the present day, philosophers have explored the nature of reality, the meaning of life, and the relationship between the individual and society. Their ideas and insights have shaped our culture, politics, and morality. Philosophy provides us with the tools to analyse and evaluate different ideas and beliefs, and to make informed decisions about our lives. Simply, philosophy:
• Promotes Critical Thinking: Philosophy nurtures critical thinking and the ability to ask fundamental questions. Philosophers (and those who are interested in it) question assumptions and are willing to challenge the status quo. There is an analytical approach to big, complex problems, concepts, and arguments. With logical reasoning, comes the considerations of different perspectives.
• Shapes Our Values: Philosophy has contributed to the development of ethical and moral frameworks that guide our decisions and actions, emphasising the importance of virtues, ethics, and justice. Philosophy challenges individuals to think critically about moral dilemmas, ethical principles, and the consequences of one’s actions. This promotes thoughtful decision-making and consideration of the ethical implications of one’s choices. There are thinkers like John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau who have played significant roles in shaping democratic principles and human rights, contributing to the world’s political philosophy.
• Explores the Human Experience: Philosophers from different traditions have contemplated the human experience, addressing questions about the meaning of life, the nature of reality, and the essence of existence. Philosophers are often driven by a deep curiosity about the world and a willingness to consider new ideas. This open-mindedness fosters a broader perspective and a receptivity to different viewpoints. Through the study of different philosophical traditions and perspectives, individuals can develop greater empathy and a deeper understanding of diverse worldviews, cultures, and belief systems.
• Promotes Cross-Cultural and Interdisciplinary Exchange: Philosophy has facilitated cross-cultural understanding, promoting empathy and cooperation among diverse societies by offering insights into different worldviews and belief systems. Philosophy frequently intersects with other fields, such as science, ethics, politics, and psychology. Engaging with these intersections encourages holistic thinking and the application of philosophical reasoning to real-world problems.
Benefits of Exploring Philosophy
As mentioned above, philosophy strengthens critical thinking and reflection and fosters dialogue and understanding between different perspectives. This intellectual growth is a great benefit to studying philosophy. Philosophy can help you understand the world, and to make sense of your place in it. This moral guidance provides a foundation for decision-making that brings a happier, better, fuller life. Philosophy encourages embracing the full human experience. This can lead to personal growth through self-awareness, self-reflection, and self-discovery – ultimately promoting self-improvement.
Quotes to Remember from Philosophers
A collection of great quotes from philosophers, thinkers, and writers .
“The mind is everything. What you think you become.” ~ Buddha
“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” ~ Buddha
“To a mind that is still, the entire universe surrenders.” ~ Chuang Tzu
“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.” ~ Chuang Tzu
“Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” ~ Confucius
“The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.” ~ Confucius
“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” ~ Lao Tzu
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” ~ Lao Tzu
“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” ~ Lao Tzu
“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” ~ Confucius
“Look within! The secret is inside you.” ~ Hui-Neng
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” ~ Rumi
“Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.” ~ Rumi
“Don’t be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth.” ~ Rumi
“Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything – anger, anxiety, or possessions – we cannot be free.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
“The wise man knows that it is better to sit on the banks of a remote mountain stream than to be emperor of the whole world.” ~ Zhuangzi
“I begin to speak only when I’m certain what I’ll say isn’t better left unsaid.” ~ Cato
“How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself?” ~ Epictetus
“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” ~ Epictetus
“Don’t seek for everything to happen as you wish it would, but rather wish that everything happens as it actually will—then your life will flow well.” ~ Epictetus
“That’s why the philosophers warn us not to be satisfied with mere learning, but to add practice and then training. For as time passes we forget what we learned and end up doing the opposite, and hold opinions the opposite of what we should.” ~ Epictetus
“When someone is properly grounded in life, they shouldn’t have to look outside themselves for approval.” ~ Epictetus
“Think of the life you have lived until now as over and, as a dead man, see what’s left as a bonus and live it according to Nature. Love the hand that fate deals you and play it as your own, for what could be more fitting?” ~ Marcus Aurelius
“If it is not right, do not do it, if it is not true, do not say it.” ~ Marcus Aurelius
“In your actions, don’t procrastinate. In your conversations, don’t confuse. In your thoughts, don’t wander. In your soul, don’t be passive or aggressive. In your life, don’t be all about business.” ~ Marcus Aurelius
“No person has the power to have everything they want, but it is in their power not to want what they don’t have, and to cheerfully put to good use what they do have.” ~ Seneca
“If a man knows not which port he sails, no wind is favourable.” ~ Seneca
“People are frugal in guarding their personal property; but as soon as it comes to squandering time they are most wasteful of the one thing in which it is right to be stingy.” ~ Sene
“The physician heals, Nature makes well.” ~ Aristotle
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” ~ Viktor Frankl
“The spiritual is the parent of the practical.” ~ Thomas Carlyle
“Why should we build our happiness on the opinions of others, when we can find it in our own hearts?” ~ Jean-Jacques Rousseau
“Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.” ~ Georg Wilhelm Friedrich HegeI
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” ~ Henry David Thoreau
“It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?” ~ Henry David Thoreau
“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” ~ Heraclit
We do not see things as they are. We see them as we are.” ~ Anaïs Nin
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, not the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” ~ Charles Darwin
“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Happy World Philosophy Day !!
3/11/2024
Bishop Duke Akamisoko
We appreciated the almighty God for granting us the opportunity to explore the reality of the world through a critical knowledge exposition called philosophy. To a narrow minded individual philosophy has always be assumed to be theology that deals with illusions of people mind set
It is far from this,
Philosophy as Bentrand Russel put it is between theology and science. Like science it involved critical thinking to issues of nature of reality, nature of human value and nature of life itself. Fortunately each becomes a field of study
Plato our ancient greek many years opined that philosophy is no man land so by implication philosophy come to be central part of human development. That underscore many discipline today have it’s philosophy. verse verse philosophy of medicine, philosophy of Education, etc. I congratulate his Lord Bishop Rt. Revd Duke Akamisoko, the Bishop of Kubuwa Diocese for putting this great day in our memory. For instance l have never envisage a day set aside to philosophy but we thank God we are all living witnesses .
I will appeal to all of us irrespective of our field and wisdom we should design strategies to make this day a historical calendar of events in Nigeria. We can take the lead in the global community of nations. While l wish all philosophier around the world a happy world philosophy day,we should apply our philosophical principles to improve the dogma of the field we are presently operation..
Happy World philosophy Day
Bravo to our founding early philosophier.
Congratulations to Nigerian philosophier
Samuel Atumiye Shiaka