What is Philosophy?
Curiosity, they say, killed the cat. In philosophy, if one
is not careful, it can damn the soul. William Halverson, in the opening section
of his book on philosophy, links philosophy to curiosity. Curiosity – the
desire to understand and to know – lies at the root of all science and
philosophy.[1]
Human beings are very curious creatures. Our desire to understand and know lies
at the very center of who and indeed, what we our. In fact, it is the rational
faculties of the human species that separates us from the beasts of the field.
Who among us is not curious about the basic questions of life? In one sense,
philosophy is the human question to know and understand the mystery of life, of
reality.
Everyone does philosophy. Craig says, "Everyone has a
philosophy of life. That is not optional. What is optional and, thus, of
extreme importance is the adequacy of one's philosophy of life."[2]
While I am very sympathetic with Christian leaders and theologians in their
concern over the inappropriate use and influence of pagan philosophy within the
Christian community, I also understand that it is impossible to avoid the
practice of philosophy.
The Task of Philosophy
The task of philosophy is to understand and organize one's
view of life, of reality, into a system that has come to be known as a
worldview. The three branches of philosophy are commonly referred to as
metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. These areas are explored in an effort to
answer the most basic questions of human existence, of knowledge, and of
meaning. In short, philosophy seeks to organize a coherent and meaningful way
for how we should understand human experience. We call this system a
"philosophy of life" or a worldview.
One of the most famous philosophers of all time developed an
approach for what might be termed 'the critical task' of philosophy. I am
referring to Socrates, of course. "He became famous (or infamous) in
ancient Greece for accosting people on the street with inquiries about truth,
goodness, knowledge, and many other issues."[3]
The Socractic method is one of the most effective methods used to date in the
critical thinking process. It is just as valuable for philosophy as it is for
science as it is for theology. The critical task then of philosophy is to ask
questions in search of the truth. "The critical task of philosophy is to question truth claims whenever they may
be put forth – to ask, so to speak, by what right this or that belief is to be
accorded a place in the fund of human knowledge."[4]
The idea that we should not ask questions about any truth claims should strike
any rational person as odd. Every truth claim must stand up to the scrutiny that
it deserves. Otherwise, it looses it's right to stand alongside other truth
claims. The critical task of philosophy then is to purge the system of error.
A second task of philosophy then is the constructive task.
This is the task of making claims about reality, knowledge, and ethics, about
human experience. Halverson writes, "The second task of philosophy – the
constructive task – is to develop a picture of the whole of reality, in which
every element of man's knowledge and every aspect of human experience will find
it's proper place."[5]
This task seeks to unify man's knowledge into a cohesive system of thought.
What good can come from a system of thought if it is proven to be
contradictory? The task of constructive philosophy also seeks to provide for a
system of thought by which men can not only think, but also live in this world.
For what good is a philosophy of life if it cannot be lived out?
Understanding Philosophy
For good reason, there are a number of Christians that
express serious reservations about the idea of the study of philosophy. Far too
often, Christian leaders have been guilty of being uncritical of philosophical
assertions and have unwittingly mingled pagan thought with divine revelation.
The irony is hard to miss, but the fact is that many leaders are found to lean
on Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle far more than they do Paul, James, and John.
For this reason, philosophy has earned a bad reputation in many Christian
communities where the Word of God takes preeminence. While I agree that pagan
philosophy has no place in biblical theology, I cannot follow my brethren to
the point of ridding ourselves of philosophy altogether for the reasons stated
above. Philosophy is impossible to avoid. Even the view that all philosophy
should be avoided is a philosophical viewpoint. Yes, it may be based on one's
theology or on a particular theological interpretation, but nonetheless, it
remains that one is doing philosophy when they espouse such views.
One would be hard pressed to convince Solomon that all
philosophy was bad. Theological philosophy, biblical philosophy, or Christian
philosophy as we might call it, is not evil, nor does it have its roots in
pagan philosophy. The real value in philosophy is twofold in my opinion: it's
critical nature forces us to be excellent critical thinkers, or what Scripture
calls, exercising discernment. Paul says, "He that is spiritual appraises
all things."[6]
The word, "appraise", means to examine, to judge, to question.
Christians make a careful examination of all truth claims. This is doing
philosophy is the proper sense of the critical task mentioned above. It just
happens to be the case that Christian philosophy is anchored in divine
revelation. Christian philosophy has as its sole authority the divinely
revealed Word of God, and not the wisdom of Plato.
Biblical Philosophy
Once we understand what philosophy actually is, we can begin
to understand the value it brings to the Christian life. Philosophy is not ipso facto hostile to the Christian
worldview. Christians love wisdom. And the love of wisdom is essentially what
it means to do philosophy. When we understand that true philosophy does not
lead us to God, but rather is the product of true knowledge of God, we can
clear the path for acquiring a better understanding of this wonderful tool and
employing it for the glory of God. William Lane Craig admits as much when he
says, "Now in one sense, it is theology, not philosophy, which is the most
important domain for thought and intellect. As the medieval rightly saw, theology
is the queen of the sciences, to be studied as the crowning discipline only
after one has been trained in the other disciplines."[7]
To you O men, I call, and my voice is to the
sons of men. O naïve ones, understand prudence; And O fools, understand wisdom.[8]
Philosophy done theologically, done biblically, in submission to God's Authoritative Word can be of great use and worth to the Christian community. It can make us better thinkers, godly discerners, better apologists and evangelists.
[1] William
H. Halverson, A Concise Introduction to
Philosophy, 4th ed (New York: Random House, 1981), 3.
[2]
William Lane Craig and J.P. Moreland, Philosophical
Foundations For A Christian Worldview (Downers Grove, ILL: Intervarsity
Press, 2003), 11. While I do not agree with Craig's apologetic method, his
credentials as a philosopher are impeccable.
[3] Steven
B. Cowan and James S. Spiegel, The Love
of Wisdom: A Christian Introduction to Philosophy (Nashville, TN: B&h
Publishing Group, 2009), 2.
[4] William
H. Halverson, A Concise Introduction to
Philosophy, 4th ed (New York, NY: Random House, 1981), 6.
[6] 1
Corinthians 2:15 (NASB).
[7]
William Lane Craig and J.P. Moreland, Philosophical
Foundations For A Christian Worldview (Downers Grove, ILL: Intervarsity
Press, 2003), 3.
[8] Proverbs
8:4-5 (NASB).
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