WHAT MAKES A QUESTION

PHILOSOPHICAL
A philosopher begins his quest for ordinary questions

• What shall I eat? These questions are

• What should I wear the PERSONAL
• Where will I go for questions not (yet)
vacation? philosophical
question.
• Once in a while we find ourselves asking questions that
are not so common.

• These are the moments when we begin to ask further

beyond our everyday questions.
• Note the progression from the particular personal
question towards the philosophical questions raised by
Ariel.
• We can see that philosophical move beyond specific
concern.
• They are more and more abstracted from our everyday
concerns.
• But the story we had read Ariel’s questioning shows that
before one gets to the philosophical questions, one
begins with a problem that can not seem to be readily
answered.
UNEASE

Feeling of inner
discomfort comes from
the experience of not
being able to find
immediate answers to
the questions
 When we bravely and
patiently wait for answers to
these questions, we might find
our questions giving birth to
more questions
• Ariel’s case shows us that everyday we get visited by moments
of unease because questions that ask us to take some time to
reflect.
• However the invitation to think philosophically is easily
shrugged off because of the inconvenience that the unease
brings on us.
GABRIEL MARCEL
FRENCH PHILOSOPHER
1889-1973
GABRIEL MARCEL (1889-1973)
Philosophical
questioning begins
Point to something We share
with a metaphysical
unease

This form of unease

is describe as The scope of this
with
metaphysical questions
because

The scope of the Than what is

questions we ask immediately before Other human
cover something us, beyond what we beings.
broader and deeper physically see.
METAPHYSICAL UNEASE
CURIOSITY
STARTS WITH FIX EXTERNAL
OBJECTS WHICH I HAVE VAGUE
IDEA OF

METAPHYSICAL UNEASE
BEYOND THE PHYSICAL BUT
MORE INTERNAL
MARCEL

Many of us have become less sensitive to

this feeling of inner disturbance because
of what our world has become
Our questions

Do not go beyond those personal

question
The pace of our everyday lives

do not give enough room for moments to

think about questions like “WHAT IS
THE MEANING OF LIFE’?
(MARCEL 1960)
• Our world today hardly encourages the asking
of philosophical questions.
• Asking philosophical question is perceived as
a waste of time
• Because finding the answers entails a
commitment to openness.
• And this is the distinguishing mark of a
genuine philosopher.
• You can only be a philosopher if:

You have the courage to be open and

committed enough to pursue the questions

No matter how painful or

overwhelming it may be
In this world if the process of
questioning does not immediately
satisfy us with favorable results,
that process is deemed as
useless.