Ideas as Tools
essay written by ben bussewitz
Philosophy is a great tool in
which we systematize structures of understandings and beliefs to provide a
basis for our overall ways of looking at the world, particularly the window
with which we see fundamental and central aspects of life.
In this regard, could we not say
that our philosophies are edifices of ideas, or thought, by which we sift
through our perception, conceptualization, and interconnection with people,
places, and things?
Why, alas, I think it could be
done.
Therefore, we see, our vantage
point of all our reality is processed through our ideas about philosophy.
Philosophy, in its ancient roots unto our present times is used to give us a
basis for looking at and understanding the central, most important questions we
have about life: What is life's meaning? Where do we come from? Is
there an afterlife? Does God exist? What defines our actions or
thoughts good ones? For that matter, what is the basis of ethical
decision-making? What does it mean to achieve happiness? What is
the meaning of love? What is the meaning of our transactions with various
individuals besides ourselves, alternative earthlings? What does it mean
to merit a successful life? What are the qualities and aspects of life
that retain importance despite our aging and into elderly adulthood, like an
old wine that is crisp and vintage?
I see I have all these answers in
a way that makes sense inside my head and fits comfortably and stylishly for
myself, and I hope you do too. Either way, though, I entreat you to read
on, as I discuss the meaning of ideas as tools.
To set aside philosophy for a
minute, we see that architecture is considered one of the fine arts. When
someone consults books and professors studying to construct beautiful and
durable buildings, the person familiarizes himself with the ideas of
architecture that provide a basis for her or him to build. The basic and
complex ideas consisting the discipline of architecture allow the person to be
knowledgeable and learned in the process of making buildings, bridges, dams,
houses, tree-houses, dog-houses, government compounds, what have you, in the
architects kit. These canonical ideas are utilized, then, as the tools,
that enable the architect to be a good creator of structures that withstand
wear and tear. And once they learn these studied ideas, the person who
creates structures can use his own wit and creative functions to bring about
creations that are classically hers or his.
Indeed, God created man in his
image; this is a central piece of Christian wisdom. There are different
ways to interpret this idea that is based on Scripture, and one of those ways
of understanding, is that God, who is the Creator, made man and woman to be
able to create. As God creates everything from the universe to the
beautiful sunrise, so does man create a poem to interpretations of Socrates the
Gadfly to windows from where to wait for the day to take off and take shape to
houses to his personality to his meaning to his fate. Humankind creates
shoes and horseshoes and leather boots and goloshes. Humankind
creates music and painting and sculpture and novellas.,
It is the kind wisdom bequeathed
to the aspirers of the skill of painting artwork from the masters that it is
important to study the technique involved and the history of artwork prior to
aiming to achieve a good or great artwork oneself. Indeed, without this
basic knowledge of the ways the professional and master painters utilize their
brushes, good artwork is verily not possible. The techniques of painting
and the history of artwork are both matters that are composed of: ideas.
And then with virtue, attentiveness, practice, and hard-work, one is able to be
herself a painter of a good artwork. Thus, the individual will have the
ideas that enable to bring about into the creation a great painting
herself. Therefore, the ideas paramount to
painting (along with the practice and all the good work the artist does)
are the available means to put to work the creative gene, i.e. provide
the tools that make the painting come alive with
vivaciousness, beauty, aura, and life.
With these two examples that are
a couple of the classical examples of the fine arts, we see that ideas can be
understood as central to the tools toward accomplishing an endeavor, even great
feats. It applies to poetry, sculpture, and plays as well. We study
the ideas (the rudiments, the history, the craft, the application— the art
and the technique) and with our toolkit we bring our good and great works to
life.
..
Doesn't the idea of
"ideas" seem especially important and paramount to philosophy?
Well, why not?
..
..
The way in which ideas are thought about and brought forth
is in the mind and also in the mind’s central apparatus within the person and
within the person’s place in the world.
The person sees something that is engaged upon, important to his thought
apparatus, and adjust accordingly in his mental faculties. He sees the way it is going, he sees the way
it is, he says the way he understands we are.
He is presented with circumstance, in a window of his understanding of
his scenario and scenarios, and he is facing, either presently or vaguely, his
ultimate fates. These are
important. And they are thought in a way
that is unique and essential to the person, in the lens of his philosophies.
This is then, important to study philosophy, for all
people. Although it is not essentially
necessary to find a meaning in that which is meant, it is better to do it in a
way, usually, that is derivative of the best philosophers ways of looking, ways
at constructing, ways of conceptualizing, ways of compartmentalizing, and ways of understanding
meaning.
The noble and beautiful channel of the river of faith, that
by which we have streamed upon our justification, the compartment of being that
makes us centrally happy and peaceful and useful and paramountly understood is
in our beautiful happiness that is that we have come upon the joy that Jesus
lives in us, with us, and has taken our sin away through his beautiful feat of
our understanding in the eyes of his fate, and then upon which he resurrects
from the grave, lives again, and he has ascended into heaven. We rest in peace that on the Last Day, we
will be entered, embarked upon a blissful time in an endless place, in the
perfect unity of God, we are justified.
We have the peace of grace. This
happiness, this joy, this undying and eternal window of gratitude for that we
shall live eternally, in peace and grace and beautiful happy, is that what we
are most founded upon, our home-abode edifice that is built on the solid ground
of the blood of Jesus. He has suffered
greatly, that we shall live, and for him, for his love of us, we are eternally
and gratefully thankful in halleluiahs of endless praise. ..
Upon this understanding, this window by which we see our time on earth
and the thereafter, this way of happiness in our being, as we enjoy the
streets, the fountains of glory, the happy river, the fragrant pasture, the joy
of earth, this is the foundation of our worldview, which is the outgrowth of
our philosophies, the mode in of which we find grace in ourselves and happiness
and our world.
The key zealous life of joy, the unfelt inside of a empty
stocking on Christmas Eve, the tidings
of preening the farm, that which we upkeep: this is the time that we have. This is the time that we are thankful. This is the time that we sing.
And we are happy endlessly.
Ideas, these show us the way. We never walk the way we intend without
one. We never walk a way we intend
without one. The way we walk is decided
by our fate and our connection to it.
And our mind helps us navigate and direct.
We see, then, tools, help us understand.
We see, then, tools, the tools of philosophy, help us make
sense.
And we clearly ascertain in our perception that philosophy
is a vehicle to make sense of the best parts of life, the parts and the whole.
- B.J.B.
