It is that time of year again! In 2022, World Philosophy Day has fallen on Thursday 17th November. We could not be more grateful for the continuation of Ethica and we are excited for yet another year of deep and fascinating philosophical inquiry.
World Philosophy Day is celebrated annually on the 3rd Thursday of November. It aims to:
promote the contribution of philosophy to approaching humanity's challenges,
increase public recognition of the importance of philosophy, and
celebrate philosophy's place in academics.
Here at Ethica, we all love philosophy. We love philosophy so much that, whether through our academic journal or our blog, we work to introduce curiosity and contemplation into more and more people’s lives.
In celebration of World Philosophy Day, we have gathered statements from individuals on the Ethica team, sharing what philosophy means to them.
We often go through life taking everything for granted – ethics, meaning, and reality. Philosophy helps me diffuse many deep-seated barriers and find striking beauty and utter
weirdness in my everyday experiences.
Emma, Co-Editor-in-Chief, Head of Publicity
For me, philosophy means questioning. So, think of everything as a rabbit hole to go down into. It has led me to dead ends -- That's okay, now I know that they shaped how I was thinking more than the answers. Having this attitude in life has, as I conceive it, allowed me to be more flexible and critical. Most importantly, it put me in touch with my knowledge and beliefs, and myself.
Quique, Blog & Website Officer
I study philosophy because it helps to provide me with the knowledge and thinking to decide how exactly I want to live my life and to decide on the type of person that I want to be. My favourite kind of philosophy is moral philosophy- as it is primarily focused on working out how to live well. I love comparing the works of all the different moral philosophers out there and making my own decisions about what I agree and disagree with. I think my favourite thing about philosophy is having the freedom to develop your own thoughts, as well as having the chance to explore the thoughts of others.
Megan, Advertisement, Publicity and Communications Officer
Philosophy is a way of channeling my endless existential thoughts into something useful.
Will, Democracy and Finance Officer
Much like Plato’s allegory of the cave, philosophy to me feels more than just a subject that I study academically; to me, it is a way of life. It provides perspective, conversation starters, developing beliefs and viewpoints, interacting with other people’s ideas, but most importantly, it provides me with a coping mechanism for all the many, perhaps unanswerable, questions I find myself focussed on in my everyday life. Although I may never find these answers, philosophy is my attempt to cope in an uncertain world.
Katie, Editor
For me, philosophy is not some solitary task, done abstracted away from the sort of society that we belong to. Those works of philosophy that have moved me to think in new ways or moved me in an emotional sense have been the sort that recognised that philosophy allows for antagonising and engaging with the confusions and ambiguities that living with other people always throws at us.
Greg, Editor
Philosophy is what makes me sleep at night. To know there are thousands of years of a long line of intellectuals which have debated over the same questions which previously made me sleepless, has given me peace of mind. In this sense, to be a philosopher is to
understand the complexity of what goes beyond the daily life, to embrace its disarray and ultimately to seek some sort of resolution with it all good enough to put one's mind to rest. Thus more than a discipline, philosophy is a refuge to the intrinsically unsettled ones - it makes them not feel as powerless over the randomness of life.
Laura, Editor
You can also read last year’s statements here.
We have told you what philosophy means to us, so— what does philosophy mean to you? Feel free to share in the comments below!
Emma
Co-Editor-in-Chief, Head of Publicity