Every person on this planet has a philosophy. The philosophy that one has relates to and includes everything in their comprehension. A philosophy is a way of thinking about something. Regardless of how strongly one denies the illusion that they are not philosophically driven they do have a philosophy (and in fact, that is their philosophy).
A philosophy is not some hallucination or dream. It is a logical process driven by the interaction between the Quadrant 1 & 2 parts of their brain. It may be seen as the union of deductive and inductive thinking.
Ayn Rand, the objectivist philosopher is often quoted on the subject as follows.
“A philosophic system is an integrated view of existence. As a human being you have no choice about the fact that you need a philosophy. Your only choice is whether you define your philosophy yourself by a conscious, rational disciplined process of thought and scrupulously logical deliberation. – Or you let your subconscious accumulate a junk heap of unwarranted conclusions, false generalisations, undefined contradictions, undigested slogans, unidentified wishes, doubts and fears. Thrown together by chance but integrated by your subconscious into a kind of mongrel philosophy and fused into a single solid weight: self-doubt, like a ball and chain in the place where your mind’s wings should have grown”.
There is not much to add to Ayn Rand’s eloquent expression on this subject. The salient points that she makes here are that:
- Your philosophy is an integrated view of existence where thoughts, words and deeds are congruent.
- Your philosophy is the result of a conscious deliberation of critical thinking and not a ‘bumper sticker’, cool and quirky popular jingle.
- Your philosophy gives your mind its wings and empowers you to reach far greater heights than the average person.
The challenge herein is with the double-edged sword of your Quadrant 1 part doing the huge possibilities whist at the same time your Quadrant 2 part sifting through your immense pile of beliefs which are entwined with your rational mind and its power of reason.
