INTRODUCTION

TO THE
CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY
OF LIFE

Discussion Paper
Name: John Allan T. Pasana Subject Instructor: Sir Reynald Lismoras

Course and Year: BSN-2 Date Submitted: 09/10/21

Instruction: Explain your answers. Please do not go beyond 200 words for each
item. (50 points each)

1. What do children and philosophers have in common?

Wonder – a thing which allows individuals to ponder, doubt, and

feel a sense of astonishment, is what binds both children and philosophers
alike. Due to a plethora of perplexing problems and the intricate design of
this universe, human beings, most especially children and philosophers,
yearn to explore and know more about the essence of everything around
us. To quote a famous astronaut named Neil Armstrong, “Mystery creates
wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand.” This
simple yet notable adage basically asserts that it is owing to our curiosity
that we are and will always be going after things far beyond our reach.
The crux of the matter is that the feelings brought about by wonder
enables children, philosophers, and even most of us to take some time to
gaze at the heavens above, contemplate the purpose of our existence,
and passionately seeking missing pieces to complete the puzzle. It was
centuries ago that we thought the sky’s our limit but as time went by, we
realized that it’s barely just a fragment of what’s more to come. To
recapitulate everything, wondering about various things can help us
unlock unknown terrains and bring forth a promising tomorrow.

2. Philosophy is the search, not the possession of truth. (You could

also highlight the epistemic/intellectual virtue being underscored
here.)

A prominent figure in psychiatry and philosophy named Karl

Jaspers once said, “Philosophy means to be on the way. Its questions are
more essential than its answers, and every answer becomes a new
question.” This maxim implies that the goal of philosophy is not to grasp
the absolute truths of the universe or to have all the answers to our mind-
boggling questions, but rather to achieve a more rational thought and
understanding that there will always be one version of the truth, no matter
how many people try to change it. Oftentimes, we do everything for the
sake of enhancing levels of knowledge, bringing forth scientific
advancements, and generating diverse ways to make life more
convenient. There are instances wherein we philosophize on various
things to know the truth about it. The scorching question is, do we really
have the capability of knowing the truth from what is not or are we leading
ourselves to believe that what we know is the truth? At the end of the day,
I stand in believing that philosophy itself is a medium for us to reach a
level of understanding that the truth will always exist even if we possess it
or not.