Hypotheticals in philosophy are part of the reason I’ve been frustrated by philosophy in the past. My latest Praxis lesson was how to navigate hypotheticals, and appreciated that the article acknowledged that some hypotheticals are not helpful and do not need to be analyzed. Others, though, provide an opportunity for us as people to think about where our convictions and beliefs lie.  Good hypotheticals are qualified by two very different functions. Either they devise practical contingency or the help to achieve intellectual clarity. The first helps us consider different options while the other clears up different points of view and what they might mean – in a nutshell. So now…

Based on my latest Praxis lesson, I’ve been thinking about what philosophy is and what it means to study it. Based on the definitions I heard from others in the lesson, I came up with my own definition: The considering and thinking of all the possibilities and reasons for what happens in the world. It’s an imperfect, and incomplete definition, but I’m starting my first philosophy “class” this month so I’m giving myself breathing room on this.  I plan to come up with something new at the class -er- month’s end. A different but equal definition of philosophy is a love of knowledge and learning. I believe I qualify for this but…