The Untidy Business of Thinking - Part 1: The Three Questions that Define Existence

The Untidy Business of Thinking - Part 1: The Three Questions that Define Existence

Every person is already a philosopher to some degree. We all operate using inherent values that guide our lives. Most of us also hold a general view of what the world looks like. Perhaps we believe a god created everything, or conversely, that chance and natural selection govern existence. These fundamental beliefs represent answers to basic philosophical problems. Philosophy, as a subject, simply means reflecting more deeply on these initial answers and their interrelations.

Philosophy is extremely difficult to avoid, even when actively resisting it. Someone claiming “Philosophy is useless” must measure its utility against some previously accepted value system. Explaining why philosophy is useless requires talking about humanity’s capacity to deal with complex questions. Such a person then immediately becomes a skeptical voice within philosophy, not outside of it. This skeptical tradition extends from the earliest times to the present day. A more reasonable criticism suggests philosophy is too dangerous. This objection acknowledges that how people think alters things profoundly.

The Inescapable Core

Three foundational questions define human existence. These inquiries organize fundamental philosophical debate.

The first question is “What should I do?” This concerns the values and actions guiding our lives. For example, the ancient Greek text Crito explores this very question through Socrates’s personal predicament.

The second essential question is “What is there?” This addresses the nature of reality. It asks whether we are solely complex matter or possess non-material souls or spirits. This inquiry is framed in the book as “What am I?”.

The third question activates the moment we become self-conscious about the first two: “How do we know?” This asks how we determine truth—whether by observation, consultation, or introspection. Edward Craig’s Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction addresses each of these three questions in its opening chapters.

The scope of philosophy has historically varied considerably. Recently, it has become both narrowly defined and broadly meaningless. Its scope narrows when thriving disciplines, such as physics and psychology, separate from it. Philosophy often retains the difficult inquiries, the questions we are unsure how best to formulate.

The Purpose of Reflection

Sometimes philosophy seems strange or abstruse. This peculiarity arises because good philosophy embodies a distinct worldview or set of values. Unless this outlook matches one’s existing, unreflective views, the new ideas must seem peculiar. Good philosophy expands imagination by presenting alien concepts.

The purpose of philosophy is not singular. Historically, much philosophy aims for some form of salvation. Buddhists seek enlightenment and relief from human suffering. Hindus pursue a similar escape from the supposed cycle of death and rebirth. Epicureans offered a recipe for maximizing pleasure and minimizing suffering within this one life.

Lasting philosophy usually results from deeply felt beliefs or pressing motivations. Classical Indian philosophy arose from the internal struggle for intellectual supremacy between Hindu schools and Buddhists. Thomas Hobbes’s political theory emerged from the aftermath of the English Civil War. Descartes wanted medieval views to move aside for a modern conception of science. These thinkers did not merely solve minor puzzles; they entered debate aiming to change civilization’s direction.

The Great Human Shock

Philosophy began with a profound crisis for the human species. Our ancestors were animals acting purely on instinct. They then acquired the capacity to ask why things happen and to reflect on their own actions. This awareness was subtle at first, such as a hunter realizing a scent indicates recent passing prey.

Knowing these connections proved useful; it tells us what to expect and increases control over events. This beneficial tendency soon expanded to difficult questions, such as influencing rainfall. Such inquiry might generate the thought that a drought resulted from a human failure, perhaps offending a rain-deciding being. This launched humanity into belief in the supernatural and the investigation of nature.

Previously unquestioned life became suddenly full of mysteries and choices. Philosophy is the sound of humanity trying to recover from this crisis. This perspective defends philosophy against the claim that it is a narrow intellectual game. The open-ended adventure involves trying to recover our vertical footing, even if we are unsure where the vertical is.

Starting the Conversation

This book serves as a very short introduction to philosophy. It uses three classic texts to illustrate the main question types. These texts demonstrate that philosophy spans continents and centuries.

The inquiry “What should I do?” is explored using Plato’s Crito from 4th century BC Greece. This text, written by Plato (born around 427 BC), discusses a dilemma that still feels immediate 2,400 years later.

The question “How do we know?” draws on David Hume’s Of Miracles from 18th-century Scotland. Hume, who lived from 1711–76, sought to study human nature through wide-ranging intellect.

The question “What am I?” is examined using an unknown Buddhist text, King Milinda’s chariot, written between 100 BC and AD 100 in India.

The reader must approach these texts slowly, reading reflectively. One does not need esoteric training to join the philosophical debate. Because everyone is already a philosopher, one’s native intelligence has a work permit here.