Studying philosophy is probably one thing most people won’t even imagine doing. But when you are students of a social, cultural or philosophy department, this is a compulsory subject to take. It is part of social science to understand world ideas and world thinkers. Every period of time is marked with a specific way of thinking set by a group of “great minds” to represent the whole society.
No matter how “sickening” the subject might be to social science students, they still have to go through it and learn – at the very least – the basic structures of mind and philosophy that shape our world the way it is.
Anyway… why is philosophy so terrifying to many college students?
Probably it’s because this subject don’t simply teach us things. It digs into our brains and sometimes breaks down the values and ideas we have believed for ages. Who would want to study the ideas of Nietzsche, the atheist, who declared that “God is dead” when we are devout believers in God? Who would want to explore Schelling’s antrophomorphism while we do not believe in – or even reject the idea of – an animistic universe? Who would want to understand Derrida’s deconstruction theory whereas we believe in one solid construction on which our entire life is founded?
College students hate taking philosophy because they are afraid to believe in things they are not supposed to believe. They are anxious about undergoing clashes of ideas in their heads. They worry about turning into psychos.
But I have had a great lecturer on philosophy in campus, who gave his students a tip on studying philosophy without the fear of getting a bang on the head that usher them into a mental ward. He said, “When you want to study someone else’s idea, first open in your mind a blank new sheet of paper.”
Alright… imagine your mind like a book. You’ve got your principles of life that contains the values you believe in and the faith you’re holding on to. You’ve got religion, integrity, social norms, values and codes of ethics written in one page of the book. Now, turn that page and open a new, blank one.
There is nothing in this page… not a single dot of ink. Studying other people’s ideas is like writing on that blank page, filling it up with the thoughts of world thinkers without needing to wipe out your own beliefs or write a jumbled message on your personal page. You see?
They are written on different pages!
And when it comes to studying another philosopher, all you need to do is – once again – open another blank page.
In the end, you’ll end up with a book that is rich with understanding and wisdom of all ages, written and kept in the depth of your mind – and still keep your beliefs and values unmarred by other people’s influences.
Of course, there are times when you do agree with some philosophers’ ideas and decided to adopt those ways of thinking into your own. In that case, you add new values into your personal page. And, when you do, you’ll suddenly realize how rich and flexible your mind has grown in the course of time.
Let’s be open to new ideas. Turn a new, blank sheet of paper today!
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