Ideology

I believe that religion and philosophy are compatible ideologies that help many people live their lives in a purposeful manner. They also lead to the beliefs that we all hold, however they are not the same thing. You could say that religion might lead to philosophy or philosophy might lead to religion. It all depends on how the two are defined and how they fit in a person’s life.

One definition of philosophy states that it is a system of thought based on inquiry. Accepting this, we can clearly see through Socrates’ and Euthyphro’s dialogue how philosophy can come about through questioning things such as morality, principles, ways of life, and all the important answers that one would question or want to know in life. In the story, Euthyphro was accusing his own father for murder. Appalled by this Socrates questions him on his principles, such as what he thinks the gods would honor, and what is holy. What the implications of our actions are and why we do them and what reasoning we have for doing them are questions we can ask ourselves through reasoning such as some of the philosophical methods similar to the ones that Socrates and the other great philosophers used. It is by questioning that we can find answers and discover our true selves and our motives. It is by knowing oneself that one can change themselves or push themselves to do better. I would think this could lead to a religious experience of a sort, where one might come closer to God by first getting to know themselves through reasoning.

Although faith might be blind, practice of certain principles requires discipline which can be found through philosophy, which is a discipline of the mind. Another definition of philosophy is that it is a system of values by which one lives, which can also be reached through religious manner, so to that extent you could say they could be two paths to the same destination, or similar if not the same thing. It would be as if in a prayer, the philosopher would be asking for God questions while the religious person would be asking for other things or praying for people.

Religion can be stated to be the belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and of the universe. Similar to what William James was talking about in his text, the Reality of the Unseen, where he talks about a supernatural order, an order made up of religious objects that we believe to exist such as deities and other things. When he talked about the presence that entered his room, that uncanny experience of the unknown, such as a ghost or a spirit, something like the presence of another person in his vicinity disturbed him. Belief in things like this, such as ghosts and in spirits and deities such as the Holy Spirit in the Christian Church or in Krishna of Hinduism are things that we actually cannot see but do exist in reality to many people, if not for themselves alone.

Many people do not question the faith that they choose to believe in they often question other people’s faiths or practice of worship. Such as a Christian might question a Muslim’s practice and likewise the other way around. The two people, although both religious might find themselves in a dialogue or questioning each other about the other’s beliefs in order to reach some understanding or in order to convert the other and to their religion. One purpose to many religions is to convert people which done properly would be through philosophical methods, such as questioning until the right answer is achieved, the Socratic Method some might say would be a way to convert others.

This goes to say that although philosophy and religion are slightly different they help each other out and go hand in hand. While the reality of the unseen might go unknown except through faith and belief in these objects that we perceive, we can find out much through philosophical methods and until our faith and our souls reach a point of ascending the reality of the “seen” into the unseen, we can accept philosophy as a means to achieve a religious experience. And we can also accept religious faith, values, and practice as a way to live a philosophical life.