What is the difference, if any, between philosophy and religion?

[Kuzcotopia]

Do you find it important to be able to distinguish correct information from incorrect information?
Do you find it important to be able to turn information into knowledge?
Do you think it is important to be able to think critically?
Do you think values, ethics and morality play an important role in society?
Do you believe that the sciences can and should be used in a way that benefits society?
Do you believe it is important to understand the way language connects us to reality?

If you answer yes to any of these, then you agree that philosophy has *actual relevance* to people who aren't philosophers.




Ethics is part of philosophy, most of those are questions of ethics. Why is human trafficking wrong for example? This relates to fundamental philosophical questions regarding the rights of people. The practical solution may require all kinds of different inputs, but identifying it as a problem is a philosophical question.

You mentioned "How does it ensure a equitable stake in the distributions of goods and services?" philosophers such as Adam Smith, Freidrich Hayek, John Maynard Keynes and Karl Marx have proposed different solutions to this.

There is no 'according to philosophy' as it is an enormous and diverse field of enquiry though.

Not yet.

I'd like you to answer the rest of my questions first. . . . I'll settle for the last three:

What moral system would you use to confirm that these issues require a solution? According to your philosophy, what is your responsibility as a citizen to do something of value to stop or prevent these problems? Are you, in fact, taking those steps right now?

Full disclosure, my previous post was missing a word. Apologies. I added it in bold.

But if we are going to determine if philosophy is useful, I need to know how you use it in the decisions and actions of your life.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Why can't a philosophy have a religion?

I debated between saying "doesn't" or "can't"... regardless, if a philosophy takes claims (e.g. the tenets of a religion) as true without critically examining them, it's a pretty sorry, useless philosophy.

 

[Jeremiahcp]

I debated between saying "doesn't" or "can't"... regardless, if a philosophy takes claims (e.g. the tenets of a religion) as true without critically examining them, it's a pretty sorry, useless philosophy.

Are you implying that religion takes claims as true without critically examining them?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Are you implying that religion takes claims as true without critically examining them?

No, I'm saying that if someone has a particular endpoint in mind as the end of their journey, their pursuit of truth isn't an honest one.

 

[Jeremiahcp]

No, I'm saying that if someone has a particular endpoint in mind as the end of their journey, their pursuit of truth isn't an honest one.

I could agree with that, I have similar views. You find truth by starting at the start; not by starting at the end.

 

[Augustus]

What moral system would you use to confirm that these issues require a solution? According to philosophy, what is your responsibility as a citizen to do something of value to stop or prevent these problems? Are you, in fact, taking those steps right now?

1. My own (although this is largely a product of culture)
2. People should do stuff to stop bad things or help others
3. I do things to help others, but not as much as I could or should

But if we are going to determine if philosophy is useful, I need to know how you use it in the decisions and actions of your life.

I think you are missing the point. Did you expect an answer like 'I use Bentham's utilitarian model of ethics'? Philosophy is not simply a niche activity carried out by professors in dusty libraries. My point was that you can't untangle philosophy from society as a sort of abstraction. Philosophy influences you whether you care about it or not.

An example for decision making:
When making decisions regarding my health, I prefer to make decisions based on scientific evidence. If you do also, then philosophy is relevant to you. Science doesn't exist without philosophy.

If you think science is important, then philosophy is important.
If you think ethics is important, then philosophy is important.
If you think knowledge is important, then philosophy is important.
etc.
etc.

 

[psychoslice]

I would say that philosophy is an inquiring knowledge, learning more and more, whereas religion is nothing more than a single belief that isn't allowed to go any further, its more or less dead.

 

[Kuzcotopia]

1. My own (although this is largely a product of culture)
2. People should do stuff to stop bad things or help others
3. I do things to help others, but not as much as I could or should




I think you are missing the point. Did you expect an answer like 'I use Bentham's utilitarian model of ethics'? Philosophy is not simply a niche activity carried out by professors in dusty libraries. My point was that you can't untangle philosophy from society as a sort of abstraction. Philosophy influences you whether you care about it or not.

An example for decision making:
When making decisions regarding my health, I prefer to make decisions based on scientific evidence. If you do also, then philosophy is relevant to you. Science doesn't exist without philosophy.

If you think science is important, then philosophy is important.
If you think ethics is important, then philosophy is important.
If you think knowledge is important, then philosophy is important.
etc.
etc.

Sort, I got busy. . . Then when I was ready to reply, I can across this article:

The Soul of the Scientist of Man

It uses a lot to Neitche to show the difference between philosophy and science, and both you and the article have convinced me!

The article also caused me to reread Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. . . Which used to be one of my favorite writers (and still informs by moral stances today, if I'm honest). One of Cat's Cradle's main themes is about the amorality of technology and scientific questions.

In any case, I'm willing to concede that philosophical and moral inquiry is necessary to temper and understand the implications of scientific and technological advancement. . . But in practice I still don't think many people use it.

The challenge is how to be active with your morality and effect actual change and still find time to understand reductively where your motivations come from. . . Not sure how to find enough hours in the day!

 

[MonkeyFire]

Religion is philosophical, but philosophy isn't necessarily religion. Both religion and philosophy use faith.