The provocation that provokes the action

Be suspicious of theories that cannot be questioned, as the “murder” of philosophy emerges in the action of agreeing with something...

Philosophizing is tearing apart other people's convictions with disconcerting questions that make us rethink what we are talking about. It's showing the flaw in the argument, it's the constant mining in search of the precious truth. Sometimes it seems to be very uncomfortable and even generates disputes.

After all, who is willing to have their truths put under threat?

Generally, philosophers said that they found truth as if it were something absolute. They were seen as supreme beings, worthy of followers (like artists who are admired by their fans), compromising philosophical activity.

Many people see philosophy as a cure for their problems. Others use it to support their truths through rhetoric. Incredibly, it can be used to sell truths and a well-constructed idea is capable of selling anything we can imagine, making us believe that banning or releasing something is beneficial or harmful to society.

Therefore, it is important to use Philosophy as a constant critique of narratives. Be suspicious of theories that cannot be questioned, as the “murder” of philosophy emerges in the action of agreeing with something without first having made an in-depth observation about it.

The investigation is important to find possible logical errors and inconsistencies in the construction of rational sets of rules.

Thus, it is worth mentioning that Pythagoras coined the term Philosophy with the meaning of love of wisdom, search for knowledge – not least because knowledge would be for the gods and for human beings only the effort to find it.

When someone claims to have found the truth, question it immediately. Conforming to pre-established ideas can lead us to the abyss.

Anyone who agrees with everything is submissive, vulnerable and manipulable. Only sycophants or mediocre people accept things as they are (so Aristotle also said).

Finally, it is not by chance that many ideologues consider Philosophy a misery, because instead of proposing an absolute conviction, it verifies as a space probe that explores other spaces in the universe. It is not in order to permanently conclude something, but provokes beliefs in the subject – however, in many cases the myth still persists.

Jorge Gomes.

Pedagogue.