Introduction to Ethics – Philosophy of Life

  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/.