Philosophy
"As for me, all I know is that I know nothing."
— Socrates
This remarkable statement, by a knower of Truth and the Greater Reality, reveals the basis of Wisdom. Those who have little ego and few illusions realize: what is known in this world, no matter in what detail, is often quite meaningless and worthless. The rather false world we live in is illusion built upon illusion, untruth built upon untruth, ignorance layered upon ignorance. Knowing that is wisdom. Believing everything you see is nothing more than living a lie.
All areas of knowledge were once considered proper subjects for philosophical enquiry. Even science had its basis in philosophical inquiry; Isaac Newton, perhaps the greatest scientific mind ever, questioned everything in this world from a spiritual perspective (including his religious beliefs), and sought deeper, intuitive insights, reaching for higher realms of understanding. But, over time, science has discarded philosophical investigation and carved out areas of "knowledge" devoid of philosophical or spiritual perspective. Philosophy, which means the "love of wisdom," deals with the deeper, fundamental questions in life: "What is the true nature of the universe?" "Of what is matter composed?" "What is human nature really like?" "What is a good life?" "Are humans free to decide their fate?" "What are the qualities of truth, goodness, and beauty?" "What do we (and can we) really know?" "What is the nature of reality?"
Compton's Encyclopedia states: "Is the world as people perceive it the basic reality, or do people perceive only appearances (or phenomena) that conceal basic reality?" "When the conclusions of 20th-century nuclear physicists are taken into account — especially their studies on atomic particles — the problem of the reality of the material world and how much can be known about it is confronted with new challenges and questions." We will address these philosophical questions.
People who like to think they already know everything, whether they adopt science, religion, or any other area of knowledge as their support — while being lost in this world's illusions and prevailing indoctrination — are quite ignorant. True Wisdom — inner knowing — is what all true seekers after knowledge desire. True self knowledge, devoid of ego, is to be prized above all other understanding, for if you do not know your self, if you haven't developed greater awareness within you, what do you really know? Socrates realized, one might know a great deal about the world, the "objective" agreed-upon reality, and still not know Truth. Knowing that — in itself — is realizing the Greater Truth.
So, it isn't necessary to know "everything," just enough to awaken to the greater reality, to find a true place to stand within you, to help you to prepare for what is to come — to detach from the world's illusions and problems, to free your mind or spirit to soar above this world. It has been said that even a man in prison can be free, if his mind is free; his spirit or soul is no longer trapped by the gross physical world. read more ...
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