This question pertains to the starting points of
philosophizing. In any human endeavor,
the point of departure is necessary since it is where you lay your compass for
direction or where you are heading into.
In the history of philosophy, philosophers have defined their points of
departure in philosophizing, as follows:
- Wonder – For Plato, the sense of wonder is what makes poets and philosophers alike. Wonder brings us to see ordinary things extraordinary. Most of the time, we treat things or persons for granted –an attitude that hinders us to become open to new possibilities of knowing such objects or persons in our experience. With wonder, we bear an attitude of a child, who ventures asking questions and is willing to learn from asking questions.
- Doubt – For Rene Descartes, known as the Father of Modern Philosophy, doubting everything is the best starting point in doing philosophy. It’s like building a building from ground zero –meaning, you need to clear the ground from everything that stands in it, i.e. old structures, before you start building a new one.
- Limit Situations are inescapable realities that cannot be changed but only acknowledged like death of loved ones. These are realities that are out of our control. But, our reactions to these realities are still within our control. Thus, in every limit situation, it is best to strike the balance within, and not be totally losing control of it.
- Metaphysical Uneasiness is to be unsure of one’s life, which is equivalent to Angst of Soren Kierkegaard. Metaphysical uneasiness is different from curiosity. To be curious is to start from a fixed external object (outside of me) which I have a vague idea of. Metaphysical uneasiness is beyond the physical, the external, and is more internal. Philosophizing here begins from the inner restlessness which is linked to the drive for fullness. In the words of St. Augustine, “my heart is restless unless it rests in Thee, O God.”
