Can philosophy be learned and largely understood or is this understanding something either one has or doesn't?

Question

Or perhaps it's a matter of experience?

Answer 1

I think it is all of the above.  As we go through life, we pick and choose think that interest us, and, for quite a few people, including myself, philosophy is a very interesting subject.  It also seems to me that we can make a pretty good case that, because we have a large brain, we were created/designed/whatever to look for purpose or meaning in our lives, and this is where philosophy comes in.  

Answer 2

I think an answer to your question is "both".  

I think Philosophy can definitely be learned, especially if you are sitting down in a classroom situation and being spoon fed what a professor thinks you need to know.  ( I am not knocking that method... just saying )

But in addition, I also believe that Philosophy can be something you are born with.  I say this from experience, as I feel like I was born with that desire in my heart.  I have always been someone who "thinks too much" and "analyzes" everything.  And up until the last year or so of my life, I don't think I related any of that to Philosophy.  I just thought that was my curse.  Now that I have an understanding and know it is Philosophy, I crave and want to discover even more, as far as it relates to me and growing in my higher consciousness.  

Thanks for reading!

Answer 3

A large part of "Philosophy" is just people obfuscating intentionally trying to seem intelligent.

We all, with time, develop a personal philosophy of life.

It is good to keep in mind that one's personal philosophy may just be total hog wash.

Answer 4

Being philosophical is as natural to every human being as having emotions, reason, and temper tantrums.

Our faculty of epistemology is "switched on" by the trauma of birth, even if the baby is born in the "less traumatic" situation of a water birth. The reason is because now that he/she has been born, the mind must go to work identifying and classifying all the new and exciting things in this new world. Identifying and proving the identity is the nature of epistemology.

But what epistemology identifies is the existents of metaphysics, and ethics, and to some degree later in life to political science and the aesthetics of art.

So you have 2 choices: you keep on running on automatic, never knowing formally if your ideas contradict each other when examined by formal logic; or you can take classes and learn how your faculty of epistemolgy operates, and what your metaphysical sense of existence is.

But don't be misled by thinking that if you don't study it you don't "have it." It is as natural to the human mind as breathing is to lungs.

Answer 5

Philosophy is the examination of everything. Everyone has different opinions and thoughts, and hence it cannot just be 'learned'. It takes time to develop ideas and objectivity through inquiry and examination of things.

Answer 6

It's easy enough to learn the philosophies of others, but the trick comes in understanding the reasoning behind them - without that the conclusion is essentially meaningless.

For example, sciences (notably physics) used to be called natural philosophy.  We can today easily learn and apply Newton's equations, but whilst this is useful for engineering or whatever it doesn't tell us anything about the equations themselves, and why they "are"  

I believe that's the fundamental question behind philosophy - why things "are" and what they could be.

Answer 7

Well,you certainly need to be curious enough as a person.I don't know whether intellectual capability(as long as it is not quite below average!) has a lot to do with the matter.

Answer 8

Keep your mind open and wear your heart on your sleeve.Life's lesson will teach you all you need to know,live by your own personal philosophy and integrate other peoples if they touch you inside.