When I was younger I did not see any relevance of philosophy for everyday life and politics. The economy and the financial institutions are optimizing their profits. Politics are busy with the implementation of subsidies and regulations, maximizing tax income and keeping the people busy, afraid and comfortable enough to stay in line and not start any revolutions. At the same time, scientists and universities are trying to deliver everything that the economy and politicians are requesting and paying for. Do we need any more than that to have a good life? Do we need any orientation or understanding of what it is all about?
The older I get the more I am convinced that we desperately need more orientation. Maybe it is just my impression, but the lack of understanding is resulting in more an more bizarre and extreme situations. We are confronted with circumstances that challenge our interest of making our own decisions. The gap between how things are presented to be and what is actually happening is growing. What is said is more and more often the exact opposite of what is done. It becomes more and more visible that the problems and solutions communicated to us are more illusion than reality, and certainly not containing the full picture. Politics have been working this way for a long time, and the belief that everything is different in todays world is collapsing.
When the structures in the outside world are eroding and becoming more and more aggressive, it is time to take a step back. Of course most of us grew into these structures and are deeply integrated. It is the same for me. I did actually consider for a time to move into a cabin deep into the woods, be self-sufficient and leave it all behind. But I would not contribute much to the world by doing that, I might as well have been born as a squirrel. I like squirrels, don’t get me wrong. But I have come to the belief that as a human being, with all the abilities given to us, I should make use of them. And when I now say taking a step back, it means questioning the beliefs that I have adopted as a child and young man. We all breathe in the world as children, taking what is given to us. As we get older, if we want to become mature, we must learn to become aware of those beliefs and step by step take a closer look at them. We must start using (ergreifen) our ability to work on our worldview, adjust it by slowly uncovering and observing and integrating reality.
This is where philosophy comes into our life. The love for wisdom is the very foundation of science and knowledge. The part of philosophy that everyone has heard of and usually takes for granted is logic. The logic is deeply embedded into the way we think. Everyone is capable of it, some have cultivated it and some have adopted a belief that logic is beyond them. Another major part of philosophy is epistemology, the theory of knowledge. Or, as it is called in German, the theory of Erkenntnis. Erkenntnis is deeply intertwined with who we are. Our mind is defined by its activity of combining the sensory inputs with the concepts and ideas that it finds in the world of thinking. This activity is called Erkenntnis. Awareness and understanding of this process is the foundation of every scientific method.
We use Erkenntnis to create a worldview. I want my worldview to be corresponding with reality, and would assume you want the same. We all have our individual worldview. Erkenntnis is not a job for a small elite of scientists, but the life purpose for each and every individual human being. Your worldview is yours and yours alone, and you are responsible for it. Rebuild and develop it as best you can. Take inspiration, but always strive to understand what you hear. Especially when you disagree, take time to dig deep and find the belief that causes your disagreement. Once you uncover this, you might get to the realization that you should drop it. If you only take in confirmation for your worldview, you will fail to evolve it. If you want to know yourself better, find out what is keeping you from understanding the things you reject. Each time you get to know yourself better, you can move your worldview one step closer to reality.
As soon as you exercise philosophy, you start evolving from a piece in the game of politics to an individual, to a human being. You become what you are meant to be.