The Inherent Delights & Dangers Of Philosophy
‘See to it that no one carries you off as spoil or makes you yourselves captive by his so-called philosophy and intellectualism and vain deceit (idle fancies and plain nonsense), following human tradition (men’s ideas of the material rather than the spiritual world), just crude notions following the rudimentary and elemental teachings of the universe and disregarding [the teachings] of Christ (the Messiah).’ Colossians 2:8 (Amplified)
And yet I love to study the philosophers of the ages and their writings – whether it be Aristotle, Plato, Cicero, Demosthenes, Homer, Hippocrates, Aeschines, Plutarch, Montaigne, Machiavelli, Aurelius, Seneca, Spinoza, Hegel, Kant, Kierkegaard, Bacon, Nietzsche, Emerson, Thoreau amongst many others.
But if you allow yourself to be swayed wholeheartedly by any of these great writers and thinkers, without rightly dividing it against truth, then you could possibly find yourself in the company of those who have yielded to a mindset that is warped, and at times misguided.
When I spend time in the company of great thinkers I make sure that my internal moral and spiritual compass is set – so that I can chew on what is good, that builds, that adds to my life, and which makes me a better contributor to my society and my family. The rest I simply spit out or put aside for another time.
However, there are rare times when I will pick up a volume written by a particular author, like one I recently found, that the author spent his time criticizing everything and everybody. I tossed it aside.
I choose to read those works that build – not destroy. We live in a negative enough world without me feeding on such a distasteful mind meal.
A true leader in the world of philosophy, in my opinion, is one who constructs.
Obviously, the basis of my own philosophic thought is firmly founded upon the teachings of the Bible – and there are many philosophers throughout history who concur with that stance. But I allow my mind to open up to those who may not have had the same convictions – for in the midst of differing thought patterns and beliefs, structures can be discovered, gems of wisdom can be found that add value to my life and to those with whom I communicate.
For as I travel through the dangerous waters of philosophic teachings, I am confident that my vessel will carry me safely to my distant shore – for it is anchored in faith, established in hope, and guided by the wind – which is the very breath of God.
