100+ Philosophy Ideas, Facts & Insights by various Philosophers

Rationalism characterizes a wide range of philosophical topics.

• How do we know who and what we are? Rationalists claim the self is known through rational intuition, while the empiricist thinks that the unity of the self is illusory.
• What is the nature of cause and effect? Rationalists claim casual links are known through reason. The empiricist replies that it is because of habit that we know, for example, that a fire is hot.
• How do we know which actions are ethically correct? Kant argued that ethical worth could only be understood from a rational perspective. Moral evaluation takes place when rational agents consider their actions under hypothetical conditions.

• Believers Of God, both in east and west, believe that good, pious deeds and intentions are rewarded by God; many people do not receive their reward in this life.
• Hindus believe that Karma will ensure that their good deeds will be rewarded, while evil actions and desires will be punished, either in this life or in future lives.

Given the complexity of emotions, Robert Plutchik created the Emotion Wheel to visualize the complexity of emotions and help people identify and label their emotions. The Emotion Wheel uses color to depict discrete emotions and blends of emotion, uses their gradients to express intensity, and uses the geometric shape to reflect polarity (or similarity) of emotions.

The philosophy of idealism states that reality is something that exists on a mental level, and many or most of our outer experiences could just be imagination.

Undoubtedle foundational beliefs system demands Certainty as a quality of it.

So he generate doubt to the foundation of his old beliefs as many as possible to find something that is Certain. He doubt everything by formulating different Skeptical Hypothesis.

Τὰ πάντα ῥεῖ  (ta panta rhei, everything flows) is an ancient Greek phrase that summarizes “the philosophy of flux” proposed by Heraclitus. Otherwise called “the theory of impermanence” and illustrated by the element of fire, the philosophy of flux is a system that seeks to explain how the nature of all things is precisely change. In other words, the common trait which we can universally identify in all things is the fact that they are subject to constant transformation, as exemplified by the process of aging in living beings, or the ever flowing nature of a river.

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Philosophers classify these positions as “meta-ethical”. Stoicism is interesting because it doesn’t fit neatly into these four categories. Instead, it is a combination of intuitionism, empiricism, and rationalism.

Let’s imagine a world where moral virtue is king, and comfort and wealth are secondary. This is what the Stoics believed in. Our thoughts and actions become clearer as we grow and develop between the ages of six and eight. A combination of self-reflection and experience refines our instincts. It contributes to our understanding and decision-making abilities.

• This is that irresistible temptation we have to divide all kinds of things into two distinct and often conflicting groups, with an imagined gap in between.
• The gap instinct makes us imagine division where there is just a smooth range, differences where there is convergence, and conflicts where there is agreement.
• The gap instinct creates a picture in people’s heads of a world split into two kinds of countries or two kinds of people: rich versus poor.

This is the idea that innate characteristics determine the destinies of people, countries, religions, or cultures. It’s the idea that things are as they are for ineluctable, inescapable reasons: they have always been this way and will never change.

Remember that many things (people, countries, religions, and cultures) appear to be constant just because the change is happening slowly, and remember that even small, slow changes gradually add up to big changes.

• French philosopher René Descartes described wonder as the emotion that motivates scientists to investigates phenomena.
• Socrates said that philosophy begins with wonder - wonder leads us to try to understand our world.
• Richard Dawkins portrayed wonder as the core from which scientific inquiry emerges.

1. The people you interact with the most influence your behavior. Consciously consider whom you allow into your life.
2. Things can go wrong, anticipate worst-case scenarios to mitigate or avoid them.
3. Acting based on habit can lead to mistakes whenever the situations at hand mismatch the ones that led to the creation of the habit. 
4. Be as invested in building yourself as you are in building your professional life. Study yourself, have ideas, develop them and the relationships that further them.
5. Ignore the breaking news and focus on what’s in front of you.
6. Take pride in your work, but know that it is not all there is. 

Embedded within osteopathy is a rich philosophical framework that guides its approach to health and disease

Central to this philosophy is the concept of the body as a dynamic, self-regulating organism capable of maintaining optimal function when in balance

The philosophy emphasizes the interconnection of structure and function, recognizing that disruptions in one area of the body can reverberate throughout the entire system

Rebalancing the musculoskeletal, circulatory and nervous systems, osteopathy seeks to facilitate the body's innate capacity for self-healing, holistic wellness and vitality

In the ancient world, it was common for humans to live as nomads.

• The nomadic Scythians lived in wagons. They were the most advanced equestrian warriors and possessed sophisticated weaponry.
• In the 12th Century, the advanced nomadic Mongols were seen as rebel people, yet they had the largest land empire in history.

Living your entire life in the place of your birth is relatively recent. The rise of agriculture and the domestication of animals led to more permanent settlements.

When most people think of philosophy, they believe philosophers simply argue about arguing. Philosophy is viewed as impractical and irrelevant to current issues.

In reality, philosophy is likely more useful and important to the average person today than any other time in history.

We cannot understand ourselves if we do not understand others. Getting to know others requires avoiding the twin dangers of overestimating either how much we have in common or how much divides us.

Plato wanted to know: how a society could get better at producing not military power but fulfilled people? 

• Athenian society was very focused on the rich and sports celebrities. Plato wasn't impressed: It really matters who we admire, because that influences our outlook, ideas, and conduct.
• Plato wanted to replace celebrities with "Guardians" who were ideally wise and good people and could be the model for everyone's development.

The quote "Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent" is from Wittgenstein's "Tractatus." In this philosophical work, Wittgenstein explores the nature and limits of language, asserting that language has a precise structure and can only be meaningful if it reflects states of affairs in the world. The quote reflects his idea that if something cannot be expressed within the logical structure of language, it is outside the scope of meaningful discourse.

In philosophy, Wittgenstein's ideas have influenced debates on the nature of language, meaning, and knowledge. In linguistics, his work has been influential in discussions about language structure and meaning. Cognitive science also draws insights from Wittgenstein's later philosophy, emphasizing language use in social contexts.

People used to think that thunder and lightning were caused by Thor and that poems and myths were true stories. But after people began to think more rationally, they realized that natural causes were responsible for these things, not supernatural ones.

The ancient Greeks, like the Romans, wrote poetry and told myths. The myths were about gods and goddesses, like Zeus, Apollo, Athena, and Dionysus. The ancient Greeks wanted to find out why things changed in nature, instead of blaming it on the gods. These people were called "natural philosophers."

The positive:

• The general will could ensure an equal society.
• Major inequalities would be absent.
• It would be a small society, as Jean-Jacques Rousseau feared a large country would not find the common cause.
• People would be able to act freely within a sphere decided by the general will.

The negative:

• Since the general will can be applied to almost any facet of life, the people, or legislator, may decide to create an oppressive society.
• Individual rights only exist as far as the general will thinks they should.
• If your interests differ from the general will, you can be dragged along.

In his book, The Critique of Judgment, Immanuel Kant explained that the ego collects every construct and mental representation that the individual carries out. Jean Paul-Sartre , for his part, had a very similar conception of the ego.

• Moral absolutism: Some people think there are such universal rules (that are always true) that apply to everyone. Religious views of ethics tend to be absolutist.
• Moral relativists say that if you look at different cultures or different periods in history you'll find that they have different moral rules; "good" refers to the things that a particular group of people approve of.
• Moral somewhere-in-between-ism: Most non-philosophers think that both of the above theories have some good points and think that there are a few absolute ethical rules, but a lot of ethical rules depend on the culture.

Material things aren’t the only measure of success, in fact, achieving happiness is the true measure of success.

The desire to be happy is the one thing that drives all humans forward in life, and self-discipline is of utmost importance in achieving that. After all, you will only be happy and content when you are in control of your life. The thing about happiness is that it is simply a by-product of engaging in activities you enjoy with people you like and respect.

The only way of expressing emotion in the form of art is by finding an "objective correlative". In other words, a set of objects, a situation, a chain of events which shall be the formula of that particular emotion. Such that when external facts, which must terminate in sensory experience, are given, the emotion is immediately evoked.

Philosophy is a complex and fascinating field of study that deals with fundamental ideas and concepts. Here are ten common philosophical concepts that everyone should be familiar with.

"Happiness is simply the absence of desire. Happiness is not about the achievement of pleasure, but the lack of desire. Happiness is the state you enter when you no longer desire to change your state." - Atomic Habits, James Clear. 

" Desire is a contract you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want." - The Almanack of Naval Ravikant

• Understand who you are: A personal philosophy requires self-awareness, a desire to understand, and the ability to learn
• Commit to looking for meaning and discerning what makes sense to you.
• Follow your interests, and improve your basic understanding of life and living it.
• Keep expanding your thinking. Study other philosophies. Gather philosophies from other people and books.

As with most political philosophy, the real concern is how his big ideas are considered in our society.

Whenever we discuss topics like what it takes for a government to be legitimate, if modern society is good for us, or what we think should be subject to a vote, we draw from the same topics Rousseau considered.

Philosophies such as existentialism start from the individual and their meaning process. However, meaning is not only what I decide it to be - it is what we as a group discover, communicate and implement daily.

• Plato argues that the ideal state should be ruled by philosopher-kings, individuals with a deep understanding of truth and justice.
• He believes that only they can create a just society.

The fundamental philosophy governing all philosophies and scientific analysis is the ability to be skeptical and to question. The inherent doubting and protesting of the supplied evidence is a way to validate anything that holds water.

It’s on the bleeding edge of technology, on the bleeding edge of art, on the bleeding edge of communication.

Specific knowledge is highly specific to the situation, it’s specific to the individual, it’s specific to the problem, and it can only be built as part of a larger obsession, interest, and time spent in that domain.

Premise 1 : I have an idea of God as an infinitely perfect being.

The source of this ideas are:

Fictitious

Adventitious

Innate

Not Fictitious because fictitious ideas are imagination, and imagination is a combination of elements from sensory experience. Therefore, it lacks the quality for a certain, infinite and perfect idea of God.

Not Adventitious because Adventitious ideas are arises from external stimuli or experience. Therefore, it also lacks the quality for a certain, infinite and perfect idea of God.

The first two options may be subject to doubt (Meditation 1)

• Instead of thinking about the world in a linear way, curious minds think in maps.
• They practice networked thinking and combinational creativity, and find delight when discovering an unexpected connection between two ideas.
• Their mind is a garden and the world a giant playground where ideas can seed their imagination.

• Curiosity, observed in all healthy babies and young children, serves as an adaptive mechanism guiding us to explore and seek new experiences.
• While universal, the degree and focus of curiosity vary significantly among individuals and can evolve throughout one's lifespan.
• Research highlights that systematically curious individuals, characterized by adventurousness and creativity, tend to be less risk-averse and actively pursue exploration.
• This diverse group shares common habits that foster personal and professional growth, making curiosity a lifelong journey of discovery and development.

Philosophy isn't just about big ideas; it's a tool for personal development. Engaging with philosophical concepts can expand your perspective, sharpen your critical thinking, and deepen your understanding of life's complexities.

Summary

The tendency to believe that (much like the Straight Line Instinct) that seemingly innate and past characteristics determine the “destiny” of people, things, groups, institutions, or cultures and that they will remain the same.

Factfulness:

• If things seem like they’re not changing fast enough, the same rules from the Size Instinct apply: Comparing and divide
• Talk to Grandpa - Simply asking about what things were like only two generations ago will surprise you with how much change is felt.
• Update your knowledge - Some information changes more quickly than others.

It's part of the Swedish culture. It means “Not too little. Not too much. Just right.”

The concept encourages an overarching balance across our lives: everything in moderation.

The argument for God's existence of Rene Descartes are the Trademark Argument (Ontological) and The Causal Argument (Cosmological).

Objective reality is on the top because we can perceive a Perfect triangle, but I'm actual reality and eminent there is no perfect triangle, as all triangles in reality is composed of material that can be curved, erase of something. A perfect idea of triangle only exist in Objective reality and it can be called Infinite-objectibe reality, were the idea of objective reality is extended to the infinity. So, this reality is in beyond the other ideas objective reality.

Stoicism considers philosophy not as an abstract intellectual pursuit but as a practical way of life. It involves self-examination and continuous self-improvement. By practicing philosophical principles and reflecting on their thoughts and actions, individuals can develop wisdom, resilience, and inner strength.

Plato was the first to separate the "world of things" from the "world of ideas." Ideas are the underlying reality of any particular object, and the world of ideas is more fundamental and real than the world of objects.

• Specific knowledge cannot be taught, but it can be learned.
• Specific knowledge is found much more by pursuing innate talents, your genuine curiosity, and your passion. 
• You do need to be deep in something because otherwise you’ll be a mile wide and an inch deep and you won’t get what you want out of your life. 

Nietzsche observed that we start to become the person we focus on. We start to resemble our enemies and indulge in the very things that we hate in the other person, absorbing the thoughts and feelings of those associated with us.

We see that philosophy dates back to ancient Greeks. Later on, the Romans also laid hands on the subject and practiced a great deal of philosophy.

The nature of philosophy itself, a venture of asking questions about the universe we live in, the life we live and nearly everything conceivable to human mind, makes one ask the question: In an era where information is at the tap of buttons, do we need philosophy?

It may seem quite reasonable that in the ancient Greek and Roman era, philosophy was important in generating information and acquiring knowledge.

Parmenides was a pre-Socratic philosopher from the city of Elea in Magna Graecia. It is believed that he lived during the late sixth or early fifth century BC, and he is considered the father of metaphysics, having founded the very prominent Eleatic school of philosophy. He originated from a wealthy family, being a well known and influential person in Elea.

In the 18th century, intellectual discourse moved from universities to coffeehouses and salons where debate of politics and philosophy took place.

Here, nobles and other wealthy financiers intermingled with artists, writers, and philosophers seeking patronage and opportunities to discuss their work. Controversial philosophers who were denied the intellectual freedom to explore their ideas could gather here and develop their critiques of existing norms and institutions.

Heraclitus, born in the year of c.535 BC, was a native of a city called Ephesus, which was located inside the territory of the Persian Empire, and not much is known about his life. Some of the stories and registered recollections about him are now proven to be fabricated; however, it is believed that he was a man who gave up on his privileged life in order to become a misanthrope hermit and self-taught philosopher. He was a scholar in the matters of materialism, cosmology, empiricism, rationalism, metaphysics, mysticism and logic.

Any fine minute there arrives a notification on phone from a social media app you click it, time passes by 40 min. You can't let anyone hook away your time, it is your only by-born wealth. 

Philosophy can be fun! If you think philosophy is all heavily intellectual, overwhelming, abstract, or existential-crisis-inducing, take a moment to ponder if a hot dog is a taco. 

1. Are you currently dreaming, and how do you know? 
2. Do memories exist even if you forget them? 
3. Does grass feel pain when you step on it? 
4. Can trees feel pain? 
5. Does 1+1 always equal 2? 
6. Would it be ethical, unethical, or neutral if time travel were possible? 
7. If time travel were possible, would it be wrong to change history? 
8. What is the purpose of humor? 
9. Why are jokes funny?

Kant, the famous philosopher, postulated we never have an experience of the "real" world (the noumenal word). Our cognition does not conform to the world, but rather the world conforms to our cognition.

We never see the tree as it really is but rather experience our perception of the tree.

Kant argued that our minds are not simply passive receptacles for sensory information. Instead, we actively construct our experience of the world by filtering it through our hyper-priors (innate cognitive predispositions). Like our concepts of space & time, our categories & our moral principles.

Epicureanism is about a psychological shift that life doesn't need to be as complicated as we make it. We're just animals with basic needs.

We have the tools to satisfy our desires and the resilience to endure hardships. When that fails and we're dead, we won't care.

Translated from Latin, 'under the aspect of eternity' is a phrase from philosopher Baruch Spinoza.

For Spinoza, philosophy teaches us to look at things, such as our own suffering and disappointment, as though we were looking from high down at the earth. From this high perspective, our troubles no longer seem so insurmountable.

Moral and Ethical Guidance: Religions often provide moral and ethical guidelines, offering a moral compass for individuals. Belief in God can be a source of guidance on what is considered right or wrong.

Search for Meaning: People may turn to religion in their search for meaning and purpose in life. Believing in God can offer a sense of purpose and a connection to something greater than oneself.

One of the oldest philosophical questions is the meaning of living well. Philosophers have delved into the hidden complexities of how should one live and what is the concept of the good life.

Being honest, trustworthy, kind, and principled is one way to express one’s goodness, in the moral sense. Being virtuous, righteous and selfless has always been given priority over the other ‘good’ things like pleasure, wealth and power.

Descartes proposed the Level of Reality, This hierarchy is based on the perfection of the Ideas in their own.

Objective reality - is the reality that something has as ideas or representation, or reality that an idea or representation exist.

Formal Reality or actual reality - are the reality that is actual and not just represent.

Eminent reality - is the reality of an idea that is not active but has a potential for its actuality (to formal Reality).

Nietzsche, a controversial German philosopher, fell out of favour due to his ideas about the ideal, superior man, described as the ‘overman’ who can and should foil the weaker man, were used by the Nazis.

His ideas pertaining to nihilism form his most popular doctrines and philosophies.

Such as Heraclitus, Parmenides only wrote one known work, often referred as On Nature, and only some fragments of this work have survived the test of time as well. The writings of Parmenides are credited for containing the first sustained argument of philosophy and one of the first digressions into the concept of being. The influence of Parmenides is undeniable, his views are still relevant to this day, and the rivalry between him and Heraclitus is still brought up in many philosophical discussions and studies.

“There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that you are not the voice of the mind - you are the one who hears it.” 

“Eventually you will see that the real cause of problem is not life itself. It's the commotion the mind makes about life that really causes the problems.” 

“To attain true inner freedom, you must be able to objectively watch your problems instead of being lost in them..."

“Everything will be okay as soon as you are okay with everything. And that’s the only time everything will be okay.”

• The Untethered Soul, Michael A. Singer

What you’re choosing in a philosophy of life are the lenses through which you look at the world.

Hence, once you adopt your new pair of glasses, this philosophy of life will translate into reality for you.

Ancient Greek philosophy consists of four schools, who each proclaim that they hold the secret to a happy and fulfilled life. These schools are Stoicism, Cynicism, Skepticism, and Epicureanism.

Stoicism forms the foundation of cognitive-behavioural therapy. Scepticism and Cynicism have become diluted. Epicureanism has a modern and easy to follow "Four-Part Remedy" to life.

It is a belief that only the current, ongoing phenomena are relevant. It assumes that the past and present are just stories and mental hallucinations. The only thing real is the present moment.

According to the 19th-century philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, the physical world is just an image, a perceptual representation of the world in the mind of the observer, and it is not how the world actually is.

Philosophy of food is found on the idea that food is a mirror.

Eating reflects the making of a self - the many decisions and circumstances that lead us to eat the way we do. Philosophy of food mirrors on the ethical, political, social, artistic, identity-defining aspects of food. It makes us think and reflect on our diets and eating habits.

• Acknowledge the reason behind the emotion. Do not defend yourself. Give an objective answer.
• Be confused to buy time for both of you. If someone is swayed by emotions when asking, ask to repeat the question.
• Offer the questioner the floor if he wants to share his perspective, but don't let it control the audience. Address it later on.
• Tell the truth about the question's impact.
• Dodge it and deliver an eloquent response.

Philosophy deals with concepts that are abstract and universal. Much effort goes into redefining definitions of ideas such as justice, equality, and freedom. These abstract ideas spread to ground-level activists and politicians who, over the years, materialize these ideas that reshape our lives.

Unless you are aware of them and notice the intellectual forces shaping and dictating how you view the world, you are helpless and will be influenced by them.

Aristotle argued that we become what we habitually do. If we spend our days thinking of everything that has gone poorly and how dark our future appears, we can think ourselves into misery.

While we should pay attention to the many injustices to be righted, we can also make the world a better place by being aware of the good things it already affords. We can change ourselves into the kind of people who seek out and celebrate things we can be thankful for.

Tywin excels in "Machiavellianism” - being duplicitous or deceitful in order to get ahead: “The end justifies the means”.

Tywin Lannister isn’t brutal for the sheer sake of it; he tries to be moral if possible, but strays from the more righteous path in order to achieve results. 

A philosophical concept in ethics that suggests treating others as you want to be treated. It emphasizes the importance of considering others as the ultimate goal rather than as a means to an end.

“Some things are within our power, while others are not,” wrote Epictetus, the Greek Stoic, in a line we’d be justified in dismissing as obvious, if it weren’t for the fact that we ignore its ramifications every day, and suffer as a result. In every situation, there are things we can control and things we can’t, and struggling to control the latter is a recipe for anxiety and stress. “Partial control”, like the kind we have, say, over our 3 year-old’s behaviour, can be broken down into two: we usually have total control over what we say or do; and none, technically, over how he or she reacts.

Today there is almost general agreement that society has lost nothing by the decline of philosophical thinking, for a much more powerful instrument of knowledge has taken its place, namely, modern scientific thought.

Rationalism is the philosophical idea where reason is the ultimate source of human knowledge.

It stands in contrast to empiricism, where the senses are enough to justify knowledge.

Now, after proving the existence of distinct and clear ideas as the standard for truth, Rene Descartes addresses the potential existence of material outside of the self and God.

First, Descartes proposed that there are three sources of ideas:

Innate - Ideas that are within us 

Fictitious - Ideas that come from our imagination

Adventitious - Ideas that come from experiences of the world.

Rene Descartes also concluded here that an absolutely perfect being is a good, benevolent being therefore God would not deceive him. It settles some of the unresolved problem of skeptical hypothesis from Meditation I.

(As of the moment of this meditation "I" or "a thinking thing" and "God" is the only thing that sure to exist)

Rene Descartes argues that our idea of God did not came from the Fictitious, Adventitious and Innate ideas, he insists that the Idea of God is came from God itself and he used the levels of reality to prove it.

Premise 1: I exist (as a thinking thing, Meditation II).

Premise 2: My existence must have a cause.

The only Possible Ultimate Causes are:

Myself

I always having existed

My parents

Something less perfect than God

God

1. No society tolerates a type of education that undermines its own stability. Indian philosophy of education also aims at strengthening its society.

2. Educational philosophy of a country depends upon the concept of man and the values it considers worthy of human pursuit.

3. Early Indian education was dominated by religion. Body was neglected. How it is not so.

4. The most significant feature of the ancient Indian outlook on life was its comprehensiveness. It sought to hold all levels of life in common unity.

The conclusions of the previous Meditations that Rene Descartes or "I" and "God" both exist eventually lead to another problem:

"If God is perfectly good and the source of all that is, how is there room for error or falsehood?"

In other words, "If God is perfect then why there is a mistake in the world?"

(This meditation IV is dedicated to answer that specific problem.)

Philosophy teaches us to think critically and question the status quo. In an era dominated by social media and digital communication, developing the ability to analyze and evaluate information critically is crucial.

In a world constantly changing and evolving, the timeless insights of philosophy remain more relevant than ever. Philosophy offers us a framework for understanding ourselves, our relationships, and the world around us, guiding us through the complexities of modern life.

Rene Descartes states that there is a possibility that his limited knowledge prevents him from understanding why God chose to create him so he could make mistakes.

Therefore, there might be a reason but because of our limited knowledge, it is ncomprehensible.

Socrates is considered the creator of classical Greek philosophy. He is famous for engaging in debates with the 2 types of wise people of the day:

• material philosophers who tried to explain what the world is made of
• sophists, interested only in rhetoric and not in truth.

He believed wisdom has to have relevance for the individual. While the materialists focused on truth and less on relevance, the sophists were only concerned with relevance while ignoring truth.

Socrates believed the person needs a philosophy that is both relevant & truthful.

Our brain uses Bayesian inference to update beliefs, but without all possible evidence, it relies on free energy minimization. This aligns beliefs with reality, as explained by the Free Energy Principle.

• Bayesian inference: updating beliefs based on evidence
• Free energy minimization: aligning beliefs with reality
• Free Energy Principle: shaping our perception of the world

Rene Descartes argues that Mathematics for example geometrical ideas, these cannot be misconstrued or combined in a way that makes them false but the other that have Extension, Duration, and Movement can be.

Aristotle used the idea of nature to explain that which defines the essence of something. The essence is the properties that define what a thing is. For example, the essence of water will be its molecular structure.

Then to act in accordance with nature means to consider the actual definition of each thing.

Relativism is the idea that views are relative to the perspective. This idea can be applied to morality or truth, where some argue that there are no moral facts or absolute truths.

Cultural relativism is the idea that the morality of two different cultures cannot be compared.

Contrary to presentism, eternalism is the belief that all moments in time, past, present and future are equally real. Some eternalists believe that because of the nature of time, in this case that time exists as a whole, not in separate parts, the existing future already exists in a set and final manner, and therefore we are only capable of experiencing the future, not able to change it in any way, which one could interpret as the existence of fate. Modern scientific theories seemingly support the eternalism over presentism, but with our ever-developing understanding of the universe.

The most well-known form of nihilism, existential nihilism is focused on the assertion that life has no inherent purpose, goal, or intrinsic value. (Intrinsic value is the idea of something having value in and of itself.) Simplified, it’s the belief that life is utterly pointless. The difference between nihilism and hedonism is that pleasure, or joy, is seen as worthless as well, and therefore is often characterized as leading to a feeling of despair. Some modern interpretations of existential nihilism conclude that precisely because your life has no intrinsic value, goals or purpose.

Hedonism is centered around the belief that pleasure is the only thing that has intrinsic value. Basically, a hedonist makes pleasure the ultimate goal of any and all of his actions and choices in life. Hedonism is perhaps the philosophy that is closest to our original instincts, in that it embraces the response of pleasure to things like eating and fornicating wholeheartedly. Instead of bringing morals into the picture, it focuses on feasting on pleasure, a sensory response that probably played a vital part in our survival as a species.

According to Aristotle, the ultimate aim of human life is to be happy. The biggest thing that holds most people back from pursuing their dreams and being happy is a lack of self-discipline. If you cultivate self-discipline, set clear goals, and begin doing the things you already know you should be doing, nothing will keep you from achieving success.

Remember, success isn’t an accident—you need to have the discipline to work hard at it.

And only with self-discipline will you have the drive to persist through the hardest obstacles in your path to success.

Philosophers are interested in asking whether an idea is logical–rather than simply assuming it must be right because it is popular and long-established. - Alain de Botton

A philosophy is the guiding compass of life.

Great philosophers were top scientists throughout history, and even the concept of science is based on the philosophy of empiricism, which states that the true basis of knowledge is sensory information.

The world is rich in exotic ways of looking, understanding and living life, because of the various kinds of philosophies that one can seek guidance from.

• The True North Group: You have a compass for life and know which direction is the correct way. When asked about your philosophy of life, you could explain it immediately & concisely.
• The Dusty Compass Group: You have a compass for directing your life, but you don't always know how to use it. You may have a loosely organized philosophy but may not use it to filter & direct your experience.
• The Inbox Group: You may not have a compass. Life may be about something, but you don't know. Your approach is to deal with life the way you manage email: directing your attention to whatever is in your inbox.

Pragmatism — as opposed to perfectionism — does not share the same paralyzing hang-ups; it takes what it can get.

Our pursuits should be aimed at progress, no matter how much it’s possible for us to make.