As the clock strikes 3:00 AM here in the Atherton study lounge, my mind wanders freely and probably somewhat irrationally. I have decided to take a brief hiatus from discussing and synthesizing the arguments of prominent philosophers in order to articulate some of my own musings. I think that this is an essential part of philosophy, more so than any other. Of course, it is important to study the ideas of others in order to gain some perspective, but ultimately each person must figure out what he or she believes and actively think and question all aspects of the world. So now, I shall let my somewhat sleep-deprived mind roam free to really think about whatever it decides to construct.
So something that I have recently been tossing around in my mind is the idea of questioning, specifically what questioning is and whether or not it is important. Whether you are asking a question about a homework problem and questioning the purpose of life, you are always seeking to learn something new or achieve some decisive state of wisdom. We question all of our actions, the actions of others, and sometimes we even question why we are questioning those actions. I would like to try to argue both sides of the issue and really get to the root of whether or not questioning is valuable at all.
First for the pro-questioning standpoint. Questioning is the reason for studying philosophy. Actively questioning the status quo of society or really any construct of perception opens the mind up to new ways of thinking. For example, I think of biology, which tells us that cells are the basic components of living things. That makes sense through our perception as humans, but what if we consider the possibility that we are the “cells” of some other greater entity that we are unaware of. Biological cells seem to function to maintain viability for themselves while also serving the greater purpose of composing the human being. Who is to say that we humans are not self-fulfilling creatures that serve some greater purpose that we know nothing about? That cannot now, nor ever be proven to be false by any scientific means. We are limited by our perception of reality, and nothing can circumvent that sad truth. The value in asking questions like these and thinking about things that seem unconventional is simply that it helps the mind to exercise and make new connections that make for a more open-minded, thoughtful person.
My own counterargument to that preceding paragraph is simply that questioning serves no real, concrete, quantifiable purpose. Sure, expanding our minds sounds attractive to us, but that is not necessarily a valuable happening anyway. While questioning leads to new questions and expanded ideas, there is no actual destination that questioning can possibly reach. Because we are limited by are perception, questioning can be frustrating, as it leads nowhere in the end. As we continue to explore the possibilities of reality that our minds come up with, we are unable to actually reach any sort of answer, and we are almost always left with more questions than we started with. Therefore, should we even try to question anything because our efforts are fruitless nevertheless? That is certainly possible, in my opinion. In terms of the question of humans acting as “cells” of a greater being, I could counter-argue that this type of thinking has no purpose because we can never actually validate that assertion. Maybe we should just focus on what we know and experience around us and work within the confines of society and our own level of perception. Maybe that is more useful than questioning anything at all.
Well, there you have it – my arguments for and against questioning reality. Decide for yourself which argument resonates more with you. Or better yet, don’t. Think of your own arguments, and try to develop your own internal philosophical conflicts. It can be fun!
That’s all for now. Stay fly, and goodbye!
-Dan
