Here I am once again in a philosophy course, being forced into determining the meaning of life and my place in it. This is my first submission to the class concerning my philosophy on ethics, both personally and professionally, my ideals on politics, spirituality, and education, and the philosophies of two different philosophers concerning these issues. I hope you enjoy! :-)
Introduction to Ethics – Philosophy of Life
Melissa Marie
Colorado Technical University Online
Professor Siamak Pouraryan
Ethics: The Hallmark of Leaders at All Levels
PHIL320-1103B-09
August 22, 2011
Abstract
Why are we
here? What is my purpose? Am I supposed to be doing something great with my
life? It has helped me to read the philosophies of others when considering my
own. I will share the philosophies of Benedict de Spinoza and John Dewey.
Spinoza, Dewey, I, and most anyone else philosophizes about life, their faith,
and the issues related to either. Not any one person has all the right answers
and not any one person is entirely wrong. I don’t believe that knowing ‘why we
are here’ and ‘what our purpose is’ is necessarily the point of asking those
questions. We are all here to be doing something, whether it will be great is
yet unknown.
Introduction to Ethics – Philosophy of Life
Why are we here? What is my purpose? Am I supposed to be
doing something great (or greater) with my life? These are all questions posed
to us within the task description for this assignment. These questions have
been given a significant amount of consideration at different stages in my life
and at each stage my answers change. It has helped me to read the philosophies
of others when considering my own. I will share the philosophies of Benedict de
Spinoza and John Dewey. I will compare and contrast the philosophies of both
writers with one another and with my own philosophies of life. Their
philosophies will in no doubt benefit my ideals and actions in the future. I
will share how they will benefit me in both my personal and professional life.
Benedict de Spinoza and John Dewey
In my search to put in words what I feel is a good
representation for the beliefs and philosophies I hold for myself and life in
general, I found the two that best represented those ideals to be Benedict de
Spinoza and John Dewey. The two were very similar in their philosophies and had
many overlapping ideas and theories, but each was an individual and had their
own take on life as it was presented to them by the people that had an effect
on them and in the individual experiences they had on their life’s journey.
Spinoza
According to the Britannica
Biographies information on Spinoza (2010), his Portuguese parents were among
many Jews who were forced to become Christian. Even though they were labeled as
Christian, they privately practiced their chosen faith of Judaism and were
eventually arrested, tortured, and condemned. They fled Portugal to become a
part of a community of Jewish people in Amsterdam that had also fled from
various locations to escape persecution. In his early adulthood, Spinoza met
many young men with many different religious backgrounds and became lifelong
friends with some of them. With this history, along with the death of this
mother before age six, its no wonder Spinoza became a philosopher known for
questioning religion in ways no other had yet done. He began to question the
historical accuracy of the Bible and came to write a book titled Prae-Adamitae, which means Men Before Adam in Latin. This book
discusses the idea that for there to be such a widespread of humans all over
the world, there must have been humans before Adam and Eve. This and other acts
of ‘heresy’ eventually got Spinoza formally excommunicated. He went on to
question and theorize about God, the Bible, science, nature, and related
topics. His basic conclusions led to a belief that miracles and the
supernatural are impossible because they are in violation of the laws of
nature. All such miracles or acts of the supernatural must have a ‘rational,
scientific explanation’. Despite all of the questions he posed on faith and the
Bible, Spinoza did believe in God and felt that God was the cause of
everything. He also believed that everyone should treat others as they would
want to be treated. Spinoza appears to invest a lot in love and faith and
ethics, but not so much in the dogmatic religion that often accompanies it.
(Spinoza, Benedict de, 2010)
Spinoza’s theories about
religion and spirituality cross over to his views on politics and society. He
felt that people have an innate drive to be a part of a political society. This
is a response to their needs and values. The general public has a need to have
an authority to rule over them to protect them from the violence and chaos that
is present in nature. Religion assists government in that it offers an
absolute authority that requires obedience from its followers and eradicates
the potential for any rebellion against that authority unless they feel there
is reason to fear for their lives. In that case, they will rebel and take their
chances within the wilds of nature. Spinoza believed in free will and that
there should be no authority figure in control of anyone’s thoughts, speech, or
writings unless it interferes with the state. He was a very rational man, an
intense philosopher, and felt that the rational and scientific mind can coexist
along with a spiritual faith in God. The laws of religion, nature, and society
should be collaborative, not combative. (Spinoza, Benedict de, 2010)
Dewey
Flanagan (1994) writes that John Dewey grew up
as the son of the proprietor of the local general store. That general store was
the location for many discussions concerning state and local affairs. It must
have been those discussions that led him to have such strong philosophies
regarding politics and education. Dewey’s educational outlook had two main
perspectives; one positive and one negative. On the negative side, he felt that
the traditional, desk-bound approach to education was ineffective and would not
yeild the results educators should hope for. On the positive side, he felt that
regular, day to day life experiences were the true educators. A child could
learn all they he or she needed to fulfill their social, economic, cultural,
and political needs just be being part of a community. School institutions were
meant to be socializing institutions and education was meant to be a social
process. Bernstein (1999) writes its best when wrote that there should be a
happy medium “between mindless emotionalism and equally mindless conformity.” There
should be a balance between creativity/self expression and obedience. If a
child is given the drive to learn, teaching a child is no longer a difficult
task. The responsibility for learning is now on the child doing the learning
and not the educator. The responsibility of the educator is to spark a desire to
know within that child and offer the creative environment and social
circumstances in which the child will learn. School should prepare a child to
learn how to live life now, not necessarily how to live in the future. That
will teach itself as the child experiences school as a student of life,
experimenting the principles they learn and using their creativity as an
approach to learning. Basically, the idea is to teach a child to think and to
want to learn. The information learned becomes a secondary priority that pretty
much takes care of itself if the other teaching methods are successful.
(Flanagan, 1994)
Hookway (2010) writes that John Dewey was one
of the most important of the ‘classical pragmatists’. He also states that pragmatism
works as a mediator between those that adhere to scientific facts and those
that prefer to aspire within their religious or romantic values. This allows an
existence in which science, morality, and religion can co-exist without
competing with one another. Pragmatic method requires that logic and ethics are
used in scientific study. It also requires that each and everyone of us can
legitimize our different beliefs or methods, because any number of our beliefs
or methods could turn out to be flawed. To get along as a society we must all
be able to differentiate the difference between knowledge and opinion and
between fact and faith. Doing otherwise would be unethical and be a waste of
precious time. (Hookway, 2010)
Dewey believed in true
democracy and true equality amongst everyone. According to George and Clarence (2010), his philosophy
was to experience “democracy as a way of life.” Dewey considered democracy as
an “active process of social planning and collective action” which effect all
areas of life. He felt that democracy should be a source of moral values that
would guide social institutions that promote the personal growth of all
individuals within humanity. He seemed to have envisioned social institutions,
like government, to be more philanthropic and less authoritative. With a
democracy there would always be room for improvement, as everyone involved
would be fallible and have need for revision and correction. A democracy would
involve an equal collaboration to address the common problems of the society.
It would involve each person to think and act with “social intelligence.”
(George & Clarence, 2010)
Comparison and Contrast
of Spinoza and Dewey
Both Spinoza and Dewey had life experiences that drove
them to question what they had been taught by society to be the correct ways to
think and be. Spinoza was subject to religious persecution and the death of a
parent. Dewey was surrounded by free thinkers discussing their differing
perspectives on common subjects and went on to attend multiple universities to
earn his Ph.D. and eventually become the Head of the Department of Philosophy,
Psychology, and Pedagogy at one of them, according to Flanagan (1994). Even though Dewey grew up with a much more pleasant
background, he was still able to think with the same level of depth Spinoza
presented with. Some may feel that to have such a wide perspective on life and
its philosophies, we must all suffer. I don’t feel that is so. Each of us
merely needs to be given the opportunity to shine. For some, that opportunity
is dire life experiences and the drive to survive. For others, being given the
opportunity to think freely, be creative, and live with consistency and love is
plenty to instill that drive to see, feel, experience, and be more.
Comparison and Contrast of My Philosophies
to that of Spinoza and Dewey
Religion
Both Spinoza and Dewey had a need to learn the truth behind
everything. They believed that proven fact should rise above all theory and
this applied to all facets of life; religion, politics, education, and any
other common issue shared amongst those belonging to a society of people. Each
felt that we should all be able to get along as individuals that adhere to
scientific fact, have a love and respect for all things natural, and are
inspired by religious, romantic, and spiritual faith. Spinoza questioned the Biblical views that
both got his parents persecuted and him eventually excommunicated. Dewey was a
leader in the pragmatist method and implored people to find ways of
legitimizing each other’s differences, because in fact, everyone feels that they
are the correct faith or ideal and, in theory, any number of us that believe we
are correct can actually be wrong!
I love this philosophy of faith and life. It allows each of
us to love each other as Earthlings on a journey on the same Earth as one another,
but grant each other the acceptance of being individuals with different
experiences that lead us to believe as we do. Each of us has an effect on each
other that helps us all grow and prosper. We are here to love and care for one
another and to care for our home, Earth, while doing so. It’s our intentions
that matter more than our beliefs. If our intentions are good, no matter how
bad we fail, good prevails.
Politics
No matter how much we try to keep matters of the state
separate from matters of faith, it is impossible to do so entirely. People in
authority and people within a political society will always have their
decisions motivated by their belief structure. Spinoza felt that we all have an
innate drive to be governed and we live as a community to meet both our safety
needs and our social needs. The only thing that makes anyone do any differently
is if they feel that society brings them more potential violence than fighting
existence alone would. Dewey was a big supporter of a true democracy both in
government and as a way of life. Government is supposed to be an institution
created to benefit humanity. It is a way to collaborate about views on common
issues and correct problems as they arise. In a true democracy, morals would be
the guiding force, not financial gain.
Once again, I agree with these philosophies. As I experience
what our government is like today, I feel that we are so far from their idea of
democracy that we shouldn’t even use that label when describing our political
system. Our democracy seems more like an authoritative system with the guise of
democracy. Our electoral system is a production to fool those that need to be
guided into believing they have a true power over decisions made. We should all
be a deciding factor, not just a means to vote for someone who votes for
someone that actually makes all the decisions for everyone. No doubt, our
country is much more free than most, if not all, others, but to me that is no
excuse for being as we are. We should either strive to be better, even when we
are best, or not strive at all.
Education
While Spinoza doesn’t seem to have written much on his
philosophies of education, by reading his philosophies in other areas I would
have to believe that his philosophies near those of Dewey’s. Spinoza’s early
inquiry about the facts behind the histories presented to him in the Bible is
proof that he believed in free will and free thought. His avoidance of
religious dogma would also be evidence that he would be opposed to the
traditional school settings of modern day. Dewey’s philosophies on education
were much more prevalent in my research. Dewey believed in a more organic type
of learning experience. Children should be given opportunities in life to learn
and be free to explore their desire for truth and knowledge. Children shouldn’t
feel trapped by an institution and force-fed information. Schools are meant to
teach social skills and a minimum level of obedience. Life in itself should be
more than adequate in proving the knowledge a child needs to learn. Children
merely need a seasoned guide to assist them through it.
If I were to describe my philosophy of education, it would
be Dewey’s ideals verbatim. I have two children, one of them is almost three
years old and the other is almost six years old and autistic. I am seeing the
effects the modern educational system is having on youths all around me. I see
it in the young adults taking over political positions, managerial positions,
pastoral positions, and so on. Most seem to lack the basic social skills and
life survival skill they should be taught before adulthood. People in service
industries don’t make eye contact. We no longer have government officials. We
have politicians. In my opinion, schools should teach children how to get
along, not how to overlook bullying. Schools should teach life skills and the
desire to learn, instead of forcing children to sit at a desk and stay alert
through lecture after lecture then go home to wade through hours of homework.
The system is broken. Not enough of those in power feel as I do, so as a mother
and a student of life, it is my responsibility to make the appropriate
decisions for my children. If I cannot find what I feel to be an appropriate
institution for my children to prosper and learn within, they will be taught by
me in the school of life and home. I will prepare my children to love life,
love learning, always seek truth, be accepting of others, have a sense of pride
in our differences, have a true concern for our Earth and all of its
Earthlings, and, of course, always have faith, love, and hope!
Beneficial Contributions
of Spinoza and Dewey to My Future
Personally
Personally, the philosophies of Spinoza and Dewey have
already had beneficial contributions to my life. My philosophy includes a
responsibility to the planet and to all of the planet’s inhabitants. My
philosophy includes keeping a faith in the spirit that resides in all living
things and that gives way to the free thought and free will of humanity. I
celebrate our differences and understand that tolerance is merely a stepping
stone to acceptance. Things do not get better overnight. I may not even get to
see the best humanity will be, but I get the opportunity to be a part of it and
to help it along while I am here. Who knows what happens when we leave here;
only those that have already left. Until that moment I join them, I will choose
to focus more on what is now and not was is potentially to happen later. I will
look forward only far enough to keep hope and faith and love in the present. I
owe much of that philosophy to these two men and their pioneering life
philosophies.
Professionally
As a professional, I believe that it is necessary to be
employed in an institution that is best aligned with my philosophies. I want to
be doing what I love and helping humanity and the Earth while I do it. I want
to be surrounded by others with a common goal, but perhaps, a different
perspective and spin on things to contribute. I feel that a profession should
support a family, not act as an adversary to it. So, if I am employed, it will
be in an organization that shares this philosophy. I will not sacrifice my
family to make financial gains for myself or anyone else. Both Dewey and
Spinoza witnessed living life while ensuring the life continues. With Dewey’s father
working with the general store while having real life discussions with its
patrons and Spinoza witnessing his parents continue to practice the beliefs
they had while trying to survive being tortured by the intolerance authorities
in Portugal, each knew that no matter what road they took they had to keep
their true faith and search out the truths related to life and their faith to
be joyous in life. I, too, believe this and will use this to keep true to
myself when others have authority over me and my faith in myself and my ideals
is put to the test.
Conclusion
Spinoza, Dewey, I, and most anyone else philosophizes
about life, their faith, and the issues related to either. Not any one person
has all the right answers and not any one person is entirely wrong. I don’t
believe that knowing ‘why we are here’ and ‘what our purpose is’ is necessarily
the point of asking those questions. We are all here to be doing something,
whether it will be great or greater is yet unknown. Just having the desire to
ask ourselves those questions implies we feel that we should have purpose and
attempt to achieve some level of greatness. Both the phrases ‘having purpose’
and ‘achieving greatness’ are subjective and mean something entirely different
to everyone. The only person that can ever answer those questions is the
individual being questioned, but they will not be able to answer this question
until it doesn’t matter to them anymore. The greatest achievement is acceptance
of what is true in reality without feeling a desire to change any of it in any
way. Anyone that achieves that is done here and can move onto the place or
plane of existence in which all the answers lie. In the meantime, we will fill
our existence with knowledge and debate and fulfill our desire to want to know all
the answers; hopefully gaining some experience, wisdom, connection, love, and
faith along the way.
References
Spinoza, Benedict de. (2010). Britannica
Biographies, 1.
Bernstein, A. (1999, December 9). Our Schools vs.
Our Children's Minds. Retrieved from Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights:
http://www.aynrand.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5370
Flanagan, M. (1994). A Brief Background to John
Dewey. Mary Immaculate College, Education Department. University of
Limerick: http://www.admin.mtu.edu/ctlfd/Ed%20Psych%20Readings/dewey.pdf.
George, D., & Clarence, H. F. (2010). Dewey, John.
Britannica Biographies, 1.
Hookway, C. (2010). Pragmatism. (E. N. Zalta, Ed.) The
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy,
http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2010/entries/pragmatism/.
