THE PLACE OF PHILOSOPHY IN THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF MODERN HUMAN

ABSTRACT

This article is devoted to the search for the meaning of philosophy in the life of a modern person, understanding the problems of perception of philosophy by modern society. Questions about the relevance of philosophy in human life are raised.

Keywords: the place of philosophy, the meaning of philosophy, the consciousness of modern human, the meaning of life, understanding philosophy.

In the modern world, not everyone is ready to reveal the soul of philosophy and accept it as knowledge necessary in life.  People do not always recognize its role, are not always able to understand the essence and significance.  Many are skeptical of philosophy, putting other knowledge first. It is worth realizing that philosophy may not be called a science, but any science without philosophy is only a lifeless mechanism, “And if a scientific text is a monologue on a highly specialized topic that can be heard and translated into things and external forms, or may not be heard, then a philosophical work is a passionate sermon, a call become a follower, change yourself and heal the world” [1, p. 2]. Because of the detachment from philosophy, a person perceives it as something complex and incomprehensible, which does not have significance and meaning worthy of study. But philosophy permeates the whole life of a person, it is in it that the meanings and essences of things and phenomena are revealed, it is philosophy that searches for answers to questions about the essence of a person, his role and the meaning of his being, contributes to the formation of a worldview. As Rene Descartes wrote: “Philosophy, since it extends to everything accessible to human knowledge, alone distinguishes us from savages and barbarians, and every nation is the more civil and educated the better they philosophize in it; therefore, there is no greater good for the state than to have true philosophers” [4, p. 302]. Philosophy can be accepted as a manifestation of human nature, considering a person as a being in need of searching for the meaning of life, things and phenomena, in connection with the awareness of the finiteness of being and the reasonableness of his being. Human life and philosophy are intertwined, since philosophy exists and unfolds in a person’s mind, philosophy needs a person as much as he needs it. Nikolai Alexandrovich Berdyaev argued that: “Man is not eliminated from philosophy. The cognizing philosopher is immersed in being and exists before the cognition of being and existence, and the quality of his cognition depends on this. He knows being because he himself is being” [3, p. 14].

Speaking about philosophy, one can face the problems of defining it, delineating boundaries, establishing the beginning and the end. In addition, problems, ideas and concepts of philosophy can have different meanings depending on the author or the philosophical school they are interpreted in, which only causes indignation among people who are not attached to philosophical knowledge. It should be understood that here a person chooses which opinions to adhere to, based on their life positions and mentality, relying on reliable facts and laws of nature. An important problem is that sometimes people do not recognize philosophy, simply not noticing it around, taking the philosophical understanding of the world for everyday knowledge.

Education in the modern world plays a huge role in human life [6], therefore it is worth paying special attention to the role of philosophy in the educational process. Philosophy should be taught even in schools, since from childhood people begin to ask the most important questions about the essence of their being, to comprehend themselves in the world, to look for their place and role. The search for the meaning of life and being is the task of each individual, and the views adopted by someone may differ from the views of others. The problem is that this is a very complex process. In childhood, a person learns about the world and at first much is still unknown to him, in adolescence he is passionate about his interests, growing up he plunges into routine, postponing these searches for later, and after that you can completely lose the meaning of searching, because you can live quite like that. However, man is by nature a rational and cultured being who views the world through the prism of values. By refusing to search for meaning in life, a person devalues his own life, deprives himself of the opportunity to open up in this world, to realize himself and his potential, since the search for the meaning of life is the knowledge of himself. In addition, it is philosophy that can guide a person in his search. It is also worth noting that the child is not always able to see the meaning of a particular subject and a simple explanation of “need” will not be able to bring understanding and awareness of the need into the child’s mind, but will only cause more doubts and misunderstanding. Philosophy explains the importance of sciences for a person, their place and role, which could affect the child’s attitude to certain disciplines, studied by him at school and arouse interest in their study. “Thus, philosophy, being a rational form of social consciousness, acts as the basis for the formation of a philosophical culture aimed at the formation of a scientific worldview, analytical thinking, improving the ability of the intellect to maximally transmit and perceive information and self-reflection” [5, p. 35]. In the educational process, a significant role is assigned to the teacher, on whom the student’s attitude to the subject largely depends [7]. A teacher who recognizes the role of philosophy is able not only to present educational material, but also to reveal its essence, convey the meaning, building logical reasoning based on the material. Philosophy is the art of decent disposal of knowledge, so necessary in education for both teachers and students themselves.

Philosophy has a special influence on human thinking, representing not only knowledge, but also a method of constructing thought. A person who uses philosophizing as a method of cognition constantly asks about the essence of this or that thing or phenomenon, thereby forming his own idea of the world. Philosophy, as the “love of wisdom” encourages a person to study the world and sciences, expanding his horizons. The world, for a person looking for answers to questions about entities, becomes more interesting, and in an effort to know it, a person reveals himself, finds his place and meaning in the world. The world, for a person who has found his meaning in life, no longer seems alien and hostile, it becomes more understandable. In addition, the philosophical understanding of being is based not only on methods of sensory cognition, but also scientific methods, such as: analysis and synthesis, abstraction, generalization, induction and deduction, analogy and modeling, philosophy uses the principles of logical construction of thought, here it is important not only to approve a certain statement, but also to justify it. Thus, philosophy is not only a subjective opinion and requires rational understanding and following the principles of cognition. N. A. Berdyaev recognized that: “Philosophy is a school of love for truth, first of all for truth” [2, p. 8].

Summing up the above, we note that philosophy is a form of human mental activity aimed at a rational understanding of the world and human existence in it, but based on the analysis conducted, it can be concluded that when faced with philosophy, a person may experience difficulties and distrust of it. Despite this, philosophy remains an important and necessary knowledge that has a beneficial effect on a person and his life.

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