emphryio

I believe Beethoven said in reference to slowly going death in his late twenties that he was too old to try becoming a philosopher.

I'm wondering if people who become interested in philosophy maybe do so because of some personal pain they have suffered in their life.

In reference to that I would like to point out the following:
<a href="http://iidb.org/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=44&t=000450" target="_blank">The cat on the moon</a>
I put it in miscellaneous because I thought it was so at the time. But now that I think about it. It's a better fit here. (Not to mention the almost complete lack of any meaningful response it received there.)

Anybody else have intense pain they have suffered that might have started them on the path of philosophy?

[ April 01, 2002: Message edited by: emphryio ]</p>

emphryio

BTW, X was a completely seperate person. Maybe he wasn't completely relevant but I tried to write it as a story not as just my feelings. I tried to tie it to a specific time, not completely disembodied feelings spanning a decade or so. Therefore I decided to talk in specific about a crucial time in the story and give it more concreteness by introducing another character. A character who's actual name I don't feel I have the right to divulge.

Ierrellus

emphyrio

In a short work, I believe it was DIAPSALMATA, Kierkekaard talks of the pain involved in the creative voice. That work might comfort you.

Ierrellus

emphryio

My god! my god! my god! I DON'T NEED COMFORT!

Arggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I give up.
Whoosh, whoosh and more whoosh.

tronvillain

No, I think I've just always been interested in philosophy.

Samhain

Same with me as with tronvillain. If you look at philosophy and the rest of the world, what else truly asks the "important" questions. Many take these things for granted, it should be the desire of main to seek out knowledge that drives a man to question everything, but sadly, this it is rare that the common man actually does. There usually is no question to them when it comes to the things which many philosophers question, it just is for them. Of course, as demonstrated by many of the infidels here, there is hardly anything (if anything at all) which just is. If you think hard on philosophical questions, many other questions seem dimmed in comparison. Life takes on another perspective (or at least it did for me) since before my interest in philosophy I lived somewhat as a mindless drone (at least that is how I see myself now in comparison). What financial state I will be in in five years to come doesn't really concern me as much, but the questions which seem to pervade man are the only questions which seem important now, and they give life a new meaning for me. The pursuit and love of knowledge and wisdom are really the only things which are important. It is better to know something than to be something.

Of course, in response to the original question, some may turn to philosophy as some kind of retraction from pain, but I don't think it is done in vain, either. Once someone starts questioning, even because of personal pain, it becomes hard to stop.

Doubt is a terrible thing to some, it starts one on an endless pursuit to destroy that doubt, but we realize that the more we know, the more we doubt.