Philosophy is Wonder
By Kelly Perez, 2014


What is philosophy? 



In that respect, Philosophy is a noun. But, in actuality, philosophy is not always something you read but something you do. 

Step back thousands of years to Thales, who suggested that water was the fundamental substance of everything, and without it, you die. It seems like an innocent thought, but for him it was revolutionary!

The Bantu empire called the water god, Chicamassichinuinji. The Egyptians granted this magnificent title to Bairthy, the goddess of water. Hebo is the God of the Yellow River in China. But for the Greek Thales, in the raging waters lived a powerful god named Poseidon. These gods stirred the waters, fed the sea life, and warmed the underbelly of the pirate ships. The gods told Thales the nature, purpose, and function of water. Thinking of what the water could be was not a matter he needed to concern himself with. Why think when the gods will feel for you? The god's word is absolute and ineffable. But is it? He thought. 

A thinking Thales sat at the water's edge contemplating the words of the gods. What is water? What purpose does it serve? What function does it hold? When is water good? When is water bad? Who can control the water? Is the water in the ocean the same water as in the creek? Is the water on the east bank of the creek the same water as on the west bank? Can you step in the same water twice? Would water exist without my observing it? Does water exist in the same manner for me as it does for the Bantuians, Egyptians, and Chinese? 

Thales concluded that water is an organic ecosystem of life that extends far beyond the shoreline - and human thought. Water lives in him and in you, and the trees and plants. Water exists in the sky and in the ground. Water is life. Water is the fundamental substance of everything. He did all this while thinking. 

Therefore, Philosophy is thinking.


One day in class, my cat-like ears heightened, and my stance was still. My eyes fixed on the elderly professor in his relaxed, collared shirt and limp tie. He peered into the inattentive classroom through his sheep-like eyes, searching for any sign of life. He didn’t realize I, too, was doing the same,e but in his direction. How did this joker get a degree? Did he find a university offering a tuition discount, perhaps? He didn’t know this, but I was ready for his long-winded Socratic arguments that beat students into intellectual submission. I knew there were no convincing men like Aristotle who would argue that the Forms were superior to nature, nor would I have any luck convincing the professor that Sartre was a prime example of an emo teenager lost in his nothingness and stubborn willpower. I was familiar with this class from previous students. I had this in the bag.

It was his misleading appearance that pulled me into a false sense of certainty. It was my arrogant belief that I knew who I was, and I could not be convinced otherwise. Before I knew it, he disarmed my intellect, rattled my reason, and arrested my soul! Why do I love being a Philosophy student? Why spend countless hours under the direction of a professor hell-bent on assigning me paper after paper? Why bother with quotes and lectures from the past? It was not long ago that I would have grabbed a degree in anything, just to get through university. Then I enrolled in a class that would seal my fate: Existentialism. 

During the course of the class, my professor asked us to read “No Exit” by Jean-Paul Sartre. I found myself reading it straight through without stopping. Three people end up in Hell. A Hell I've never imagined before that moment. Each character consoles themselves about their death through interactions with others. Only after long contemplation did I feel a connection to each one in the story. Garcin is portrayed as a weak, cowardly, self-serving character. He doesn’t care about his scorned wife, and I enjoyed the factthat he suffered in Hell. To her, Inès openly admits to the cruelty of others for pure pleasure. Because of her honesty, she quickly became both an object of scorn and of passionate admiration.” Finally, there was Estelle, poor, poor Estelle. Her sin was selfishness that resulted in adultery, murder, and suicide. I felt no compassion for her, nor did I understand her motives. Ultimately, they spend all of eternity vying for validation from one another. Seeking validation —something we do not overtly see, but if we think hard enough, we look for it every day. 

Throughout the course, I kept returning to this story, each time seeing something new.
 I began to understand the many layers of consciousness that lie behind this mysterious term, Existentialism. I started to grasp the simple truth that we live in a hostile world where only our choices matter. We unconsciously project our choices onto others. Garcin, Inès, and Estelle lived their life the only way they knew how. And in the end, they couldn’t blame anyone but themselves. The story conveyed a truth about oneself. The story reflects the choices we make that result in the unthinkable. In other words, our past decisions reflect our present state, while our present choices ultimately shape our future. 

Once you look at the essence of who you are, you begin to see your true self. You start a dialogue with your true self and rediscover dormant aspects of yourself. And once you see your true self for what it is, from there, who you become is limitless. I love that aspect of Existentialism. I no longer viewed writing papers as a chore but a chance to explore philosophy and, more importantly, myself. That understanding spread throughout me like an antidote. It saturated my mind, changed how I worked and studied. I wanted everyone to be aware of Sartre’s theories. I wanted to talk about our unconscious minds. I wanted people to see that we all share a common root. 

Philosophy is not just about arguments and debates, and the caricature of cranky professors with pipes and unkempt mustaches is an unfortunate cultural by-product of cranky, mustached, smoking professors. Philosophy is the key to unlocking the shackles that smother your curiosity, your wonderment, and your sense of self. Philosophy is not just a subject you learn. Instead, it’s a lifestyle of wonderful, insatiable curiosity that will,l if you let it, alter your way of being in the world.