PHILOSOPHY The Thinker is a bronze and marble sculpture by Auguste Rodin, whose first cast, of 1902, is now in the Musée Rodin in Paris; there are some twenty other original castings as well as various other versions, studies, and posthumous castings. It depicts a man in sober meditation battling with a powerful internal struggle.[1] It is often used to represent philosophy Historical information Originally named The Poet, the piece was part of a commission by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris to create a monumental portal to act as the door of the museum. Rodin based his theme on The Divine Comedy of Dante and entitled the portal The Gates of Hell. Each of the statues in the piece represented one of the main characters in the epic poem. The Thinker was originally meant to depict Dante in front of the Gates of Hell, pondering his great poem

What is it? Philosophy is everywhere. Open a newspaper and you may find one person explaining her philosophy of business and another his philosophy on scoring goals. You often hear expression like “that’s life” or “ things happen” but even though these sound philosophical they are actually empty of conviction and reflection and are not philosophical positions. Humans are philosophical beings. Have you ever asked questions like: Who am I? Are we alone in the universe? What is real friendship? Why do bad things happen to people I love?

When you think about right and wrong , wonder about the meaning of love, how people should live, about a supreme being, the possibility of life after death or the meaning of life – you have entered into the domain of a philosopher. It is important to note that philosophy is not a magic key that will unlock the secrets of human existence. It does however provide the opportunity to evaluate , discuss and reflect on some intriguing questions and fascinating answers.

So then what is philosophy? The shortest definition is it is “thinking about thinking.” or rational critical thinking. The word “philosophy” however comes from two Greek words: Philein - meaning to love and Sophia – meaning wisdom. Thus, philosophy is the love of wisdom.

Note wisdom has little to do with knowing facts, common sense, or being intelligent . It has to do with being insightful about human existence and above all realizing how little humans really know. Coming to this realization is a necessary – and sometimes painful – first step toward achieving wisdom. Taking this step sets the stage for you to begin philosophizing.

DIEING TO WONDER Throughout history philosophers have encountered resistance and fierce antagonism. Socrates (who we will discuss in greater detail later) is the most famous philosopher who was executed for his profession. But, there were others also: Hypatia who lived ion Egypt during the 4th century, regarded as the greatest philosopher of her day was hacked to pieces by sharp shells by angry monks. Giordano Bruno, was an Italian philosopher , scientist and poet who angered the authorities in 1600 by speaking out. As a result he was burned at the stake with a nail through his tongue.

PHILOSPHER’S APPROACH Example: most people rarely give the concept of time a 2nd thought. This is not the philosopher’s way. They ask questions like: does time really exist? If it does what is it? Their task is not merely to simply understand concepts but to they and understand what exists and the nature of that existence. The objective of philosophy is autonomy which refers to one’s ability to freely make rational decisions for themselves. Philosophy asks people to become autonomous thinkers by thinking for themselves and developing their own positions based on well-reasoned arguments.