Back in college, I took a philosophy class.
[About Cat Hartliebe]
No surprise really considering it’s common for students to take such a class. It allows for advance thought and critical thinking. It teaches debate and possibilities not thought elsewhere. Philosophy is the precursor to science. Because before the idea can be made it must be thought of. Just as science fiction leads to technological advancements, philosophy advances science.
Did I particularly like it? It was more meh as a class. Some days I was left with real thought. Most I just sat there listening to some low grade moron pretending they knew what they were talking about.
Which makes the fact we read and studied Socrates all the better.
Hands down, I would take any of my science classes before taking any class outside of science. But I didn’t hate philosophy. Several of my friends were philosophy majors. And we would sit having lunch and talk philosophy. Those were the times I was caught by the complexity and nuances found within the art.
Why even bring this up? Well, when looking through my books, I found the Five Dialogues by Plato. I specifically didn’t want to sell it back. I had several books that I refused. And given the price offered, no one minded either.
Bored with the cookie cutter romance and fantasy I’ve been not wanting to read, I picked it out and began reading it again.
And I’m getting nothing from it.
How odd? A book on philosophy where I’ve already acquired all it has to offer? As I think back… I became bored with the book as I moved through the dialogues. Bored with the style of writing. Bored with the circular logic that only barely moved forward. Bored with the “slander” he always offered. To have put up with this man would have been horrendous.
It’s not that he didn’t make good points. He managed to bring together concepts that wouldn’t necessarily be thought of together. It’s the type of logic that’s essential for higher level learning, actually.
And I learned that before even touching Socrates.
As I stated before philosophy created science. It opened up dialogue and asked questions. Science sought to find the answers. The asking of questions is philosophy. The finding them is science.
Socrates never thought it possible to find the answers within life. Weighing the amount of knowledge actually available to humans during his life… To them the sun was Apollo. It’s not that no one suggested otherwise, but no one believed in the sun not being Apollo. To believe in something other than what the “gods” are attributed to would be a one way ticket to “Hades”. Scientists were already figuring things out, but were not allowed to offer the knowledge in the truest sense. It was hidden behind a veil.
So Socrates offers me nothing really. It’s the type of thoughts I already run around with. My seeking of answers matches him. But there are actual answers to gain. Because I am not limited by a society that refuses the chance to find the answers. For him the only way he could find the truth out was with death.
Maybe I’ll go read Siddhartha again. I’ll probably get something out it. Not even sure how many times I’ve read it by now. But even if the English one offers nothing, I have the German original text to work through.
Any suggestions as to books or authors? Nothing that follows typical form. If I can guess the ending before the book begins, I’m not interested.
Cat Hartliebe 