Tum Philosophy padh rahi ho ?

A question that I have been asked so many times is 'Why Philosophy?'  Another question supplementary  to it has always been  'What is Philosophy?'  Is it literature ? or Is it religion ? 

There is a viral clip from Netflix series Taj Mahal 1989 regarding classes of Philosophy. Well, it is far away from reality of Philosophy classes and too far away from what Philosophy is. 

                                                                 Two other terms that will help in getting a clearer picture of Philosophy in Indian context are MPhil and PHD. Quite popular, almost everyone seems to have heard these terms but no one really knows what they stand for. For instance, Mphil stands for Master of Philosophy & PHD stands for Doctor of Philosophy. A student pursuing PHD in Mathematics would mean that after completion he/she would achieve doctorate of Philosophy in Mathematics.

 Now comes the wonder - as per traditional / conventional perception , Philosophy is nothing but  literature or something that is to be crammed and how it entered into Mathematics which is understood to be the most practical subject ever. 

Well let us figure it out.

Anyone may find on Google that Philosophy refers to 'Love for Wisdom'. However, Unlike the people around us who have biases for subjects like science & mathematics, Wisdom is ever inclusive, encompassing and respectful towards everyone.

Wisdom covers all aspects like What it is ( Metaphysics), How do we know it (Epistemology) and The morality to it (Ethics).

Philosophy is Mother of all subjects. Every academic discipline in the beginning was Philosophy only.  With due diligence, specialisation and time, disciplines began to be  codified. 

For example - The wisdom of numbers began to be categorised as Mathematics. The wisdom of chemicals came to be known as Chemistry. Similarly, Botany , Accountancy or Economics every subject came from one only. 

It is the specialisation that differs but the fundamentals remain the same. One way to look at this is understanding the Equilibrium. In economics , there has to be equilibrium of demand & supply while In human anatomy, it translates itself as homeostasis of an organism.  In ecology, we discover how ecosystems maintain their respective environments while in political science, we debate around the ideas of balance of power in national and international world of politics and peace building. 

It is no wonder in our life, we wish to follow middle path - a peaceful state of mind  with both material and spiritual elements where we we can take care of our careers as well as relationships. 

                                                                       So, anything and everything comes under Philosophy as it recognises each and every element of human existence including transcendence. It is not limited to just Satellites going in Space or to the God that we worship or to the tribes that we see around. Philosophy includes all and manifests itself in the form of say Tribal Philosophy, Philosophy of Science or Philosophy of Religion. In contemporary times , Philosophy of mind , law and technology seems to have acquired more relevance.

The papers of Philosophy include logic, ethics,art, aesthetics,language and thinkers across all traditions - Western , Indian , Greek , Continental & Analytical as well. From reading Dignaga( A buddhist philosopher ) to Hegel ( An idealistic western philosopher) , students of philosophy also study all kinds of isms with their origin, significance, applications and limitations.

Isms like humanism , existentialism or skepticism , the bird's eye view that philosophy helps its students to achieve is phenomenal. 

The most adorable and learnable quality that Philosophy  teaches is Acceptance , Respect & Celebration. One simple example can be used to comprehend this. In a world where more number of people identify with theistic view of world, philosophy shall always include the atheists , the skeptics , the charvakas( a school of Indian thought that priorities material wealth & emotional fulfillment), the hedonists ( school of thought focusing on pleasure) with due respect  and will ensure a fruitful discussion with learnings and understanding. 

Coming back to numbers & philosophy (we began with this), philosophy will provide the critical thinking skills for equations, will discuss what language conveys what meaning, will deliberate on its applications, will help in dissemination of its learning to students easily and when there is application of equations in practical human mortal world, it will guide her students to take the path of ahimsa  (non violence) and work for welfare for all organisms no matter animate or inanimate. 

No matter what thought process you have , No matter the ideology, No matter the profession, No matter if you are a human being or not, you are accepted in realm of philosophy. There is something in it for all with care for all. Philosophy cares for a soil particle as much as she cares for a shinning star and she genuinely cares for humans too- for their happiness. 

How can anyone resist falling for the subject ? It is an absolute honour to study it - matter of absolute privilege!  From the timeless wisdom of vedas to phenomenology's epoche - it has been a long yet beautiful journey!