Aside from the standard sortie of Intro classes that it seems college freshmen must take, what has happened to the eternal quest?

It is as if everything is frozen in place in terms of the world's perspective. That or noone cares enough about what other's might think on Life, The Universe, and Everything that they no longer share.

I find myself feeling it on my own part. Is it just my cynism? Perhaps. Hmm.

*goes off to think*

People are saturated with philosophy daily. Because there is no longer a huge academic influx doesn't mean that people aren't still asking the same questions. Maybe they're just expressing them in different forums. There are also a lot of people caught up in the here and now they don't feel they have time for the why and how.

nope, nope....

itz all because Philosophy is going through a huge shift at the moment.....Continental philosophy is no longer top-dog......the last "great" continental philosophy was Existentialism......well, maybe Nihilism, but Nihilism is nuttin' but a rip-off of Existentialism and Nihilism is fuckin' retarded, and i blame it for the death of continental philosophy.....

anywho, itz all about Analytical Philosophy these days.....which has itz key points of interest, but i don't fuckin' like it....itz too mathematical (i.e. deductive reasoning, inductive logic, valid arguments, etc.....Law would be a key example of how analytical philosophy can be applied)......only 10% of the Universities in USA still teach Continental Philosophy.....i was lucky to have attended one......although we had our fair share of analytical philosophers.....

anywho, i think most continental philosophers that are still kickin' are just waitin' to see the next big philosophy.....but the problem is, most people who still seem interested in continental philosophy are peeps like us (although i have a BA in it) and a handful of goth-pseudo types and some random intellectual people; however, it seems that they love to read it, but don't really grasp all of it, and therefore can't really help much in the great philosophical conquest......except for all those LORD OF THE RING nerds who write expanding philosophies about a fuckin' retarded ass series of books and movies....pathetic....

anywho, yeah.....analytical philosophy is tryin' to build itself up, while continental philosophy is just waitin' for sumtin' to happen.......but you can't really say philosophy is dead today, for look at how it has expanded throughout the years

Pre-Socratic thinking (only really notable philosophical interest is the theory of the Correalation of Opposites) and then Socratic thinking (we all know what happened there....like itz some big fuckin' deal.....[for the record, i hate Socratic Philosophy])

then came Medieval philosophy....which some there's some key peeps here....especially theologians like Augustine (The City of Angels) and Aquinas (Questions of the Soul)....i don't know much about Medieval Philosophy, but it seems nuttin' really great happened here except with theologians, as that whole "DISOBEY THE CHURCH AND DIE!!!!!" rule kinda scurred a lot of people....

then Modern Philosophy.....which basically has itz roots with Descartes, and then the rest came along....Kierkengaard, Hume, Locke, etc.....all who were primarily concerned with understanding humanity.....and then came what many considered the greatest philosopher, Nietzsche.....who did do a lot.....and then there's a lot of others strewn about....Hiedegger, Sartre, Camus, and some others i can't recall off the top of my head....

anywho, Modern Philosophy is still considered relatively young....seein' how long the other philosophies seemed to have lasted......although Descartes essentially birthed modern philosophy, it was Hume, Locke, and the such that really gave us the quintessential feel for it.....and it was Nietzsche who really popularized it.....but there have been some other movements and such.....like Philosophy of the Mind, which Descartes obviously started, but it was the off-shoot of Dualism that really molded this philosophy....Epiphenomenalism, Substance Dualism, and then the Psychological Sciences progressed it even further, especially Behaviorism....

and of course some others, like Philosophy of Desire.....Philosophy of Emotions (as we talked about, isn't popular, if even existing really, but i think it could be one of the next big movements)....and then there's Politcal Science, and the Philosophy of Politics.....and the ever recent Philosophy of the Internet, which isn't real popular and i think full of shit.....

but yeah, there ain't been much.....although reportedly rumored, the breakthrough in science (especially molecular science) might pave the way for some new philosophies....

also, you must always remember to link science and philosophy together....when philosophy has a big change, science seems to follow closely behind......

relatively speaking, there's 3 types of science to have existed........Ancient Science (which called into questions "GODS") and then Christian Science (which called into question "GOD") and then Modern Science, or what is sometimes refered to as the Mathematical Science (which calls into question "FACTS AND TESTS")

same for Philosophy.....Ancient Philosopy (such as Greek and Eastern thought) and then Medieval Philosophy (especially the theologians....[again showing how strong of a threat the Church really was]) and of course Modern Philosophy....

so itz still happening.....but you're right, Philosophy today seems to be frowned upon....you tell people you're a philosopher or love philosophy and they immediately go "What a waste...." or "What can you do with that?"......so yeah.....one of the key problems is so many ignorant people link Philosophy to Religion (or beliefs in general) when in fact, Philosophy is actually linked to Science.....

but there will be developments on Philosophy.......but the only time it will truly hit the world signifigantly, and changes our current method of philosophy, it stands to reason that science will do the same.......however, the new Analytical Philosophy seems to have been birthed from Science.....which is somewhat of a first for the world of Philosophy....

So where do you think this huge shift will come from?? Continental philosophy? I suppose that's the only place it can come from unless there are some great leaps in science. Do you believe there is scientific knowledge not shared with the general public that would bring a change in the progression of philosophical thought?

If the alien conspiracy theorists are right, and our gov't is secretly in contact with aliens, that could cause a huge shift in the way people think.

well, yeah...if you're a continental philosopher....continental philosophy is that which is interested in enlighting the world, discovering what truths exist, what it is to be a human, and all that fun stuff.....analytical philosophy is all x U y ==> y U z = x <==> z
that kinda stupid ass shit.......anywho, yeah, that'd be where the next big shift is....and like i said, science and philosophy are sisters....philosophy is older and usually leads the way, but the mathematical sciences today are expanding greatly.....however, many believe science today is nothing more than a new religion (i'm one of them) and it stands to reason that when mathematical science changes into some sort of new method of science, philosophy will be there right with it, and in fact be the cause of it.....

like i said, so far there's been relatively 3 methods of science and 3 methods of philosophy.....when and what the fourth method for each will be is anyone's guess, but it stands to reason that philosophy will change first.....science is usually stubborn to do so

and their epistemological cousin: religion?

Epistemological.............hehehehe. I had to say that out loud.

Science has no motivation to evolve and develop any metaphysical concepts that can't be made into a commodity. Well, actually, that's what the Scientologists do, isn't it? hmmm.

SIX you are da bomb !!
It's all in kind of a flux and philosophy is just a victim of the times ..It's not dead it's running rampid in HOLLYWOOD !! but yea the schools which are having a hard time just keeping MUSIC and ART cant show ppl where philosophy makes MONEY !!

But It's Alright !! Some us will never stop using our gray matter lol !!

Laziness.
People don't dare think outside the box.
Arguing against Einstein? Insanity!
Frowning at gravity? Craziness!
Perplexing about the basic building blocks of life? OMG WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!

The eternal quest has been butchered and shoved aside by societies expectations of how a person must live their life. Nobody cares about how or why they got here anymore, or to question anothers ideals or religion. I know I'm making sweeping generalisations but its evident that being classed as "different" (not conforming to ANY subculture, be it Goth, Punk or prep) is not something that anybody wants to be labelled as, and thinking differently than the rest or questioning so called "theories or facts" isn't what people want to hear.

Wow,I'm glad I'm not there. I'm pretty odd but I'm also usually intelligent enough not to open my mouth when the result could be total alienation. I think a lot of people don't share their real thoughts for fear of ridicule and others are to busy, tired or programmed to think at all. Philosophy is still alive and well and sleeping in the local park under a pile of newspapers.

*whistles*

Is Philosophy dead? You, as in errantrogue, who started all this contemplation on the so-called highest of contemplations, called it "the eternal quest". Yeah, and Sic made a run-down of the history of "philosophy" with neat little classifications that I don't totally agree with, as I've been taught in the very strange tradition where "continental philosophy" is called "ancient/classical" philosophy and "modern philosophy" with the medieval just an extension of the classical, and "analytical philosophy" is just not even philosophy, and then we have the bombardment of the French theorist with their post-modern, hyperreal, critical bullshit babbling-- which isn't so bad, sometimes, but when I'm in my classical mode, I tend to deride it, and I just had a "Medieval Philosophy" discussion so I'm in a derisisve sort of mood.

Philosophy, etymologically, means "the love of wisdom". Wisdom is an eternal search, you're correct, but humanity is always trying to figure out what the fuck wisdom is. I figure the simple answer is that philosophy will die with the last philosopher, and I consider myself a philosopher (poor, nutty, and mentally and physically masturbates too much), so I'm still breathing and it's all good. But that would be too trite and demeaning. Current "modes" of philosophy claim that there can be no grand "big" philosophy anymore, we've already tried the unified theories of existence, replaced them with the multiplicitous theory of existence, and then replaced it with the nothingness theory of existence. We are left with the multiplicitous, wavering between many, and none, and one, turning ourselves towards distraction and absurdity in a world where wisdom seems to be less and less a concern. However, all so-called "great" philosophers always seem to thrive during times like these, so who knows, perhaps there'll be another great asshat to pick up the torch, and shine on.

I hope this infuses your mind with a little more hope and a little less jaded resignation, errantrogue. Philosophy can't die, dude, as long as there's still some people in the world who give a shit, who have reasonable mental capacities, and who are willing and ready to use 'em.

Briefly on science and religion, mentioned later on in the thread:
Chronologically, religion came "first", then philosophy, then science. In my explorations of all three, it appears that religion is salvific and/or community-based, science is knowledge-based, and philosophy is contemplation-based. However, there are many overlappings betwixt the three, because all are, in some way or another, paradigmatic, as in they're frameworks on how people see the world.

I can babble on s'more, but I've got a discussion on Rousseau in ten minutes, and the walking is a tad far. Also, I haven't read the entirety of the reading, especially the part for today, so I plan to be a true philosopher (despite it being a political science class), and bullshit my way through.

*salutes*
VIVA LA PHILOSOPHIA!

who are you and where have you been?

we shall discuss many things in the future.......

*bows with a flourish*
I am the Fucktard, otherwise known as DarkProfanity. I've been on hiatus because every time I returned to DarkForum it always changed hands, and into less competent hands, with anal posters who spewed inane drivel and had petty rivalries and didn't know how to lighten up and simultaneously have serious discussions.

I look forward to many, many discussions... ah, the addiction of forums... IT BEGINS ANEW!!!

*ominous rumbling music*

Pariahs of other peoples thought. You know what so pisses me orf about your little pigeon holed society of philosophical elitists, you seem to embrace the view that simplicity is trite. You pull a piece of the puzzle out of the whole picture, dissect it, chew it up and spit out some meaning for it's existence that's based on it's separateness and not its purpose. You concentrate so much on the detail you forget the meaning and motivation. You forget the humanity that is the subject of your theory.

*whistles*

Whoa dude, these "pariahs of other peoples thought" sound like morons that live the very simplicity they eschew, or find "trite".

okay, chill out, breathe....breathe....BREATHE!!!!!

"simplicity is trite".....i rather like that....

problem is, it doesn't hold sway....every philosopher has their philosophy(s).....i mean, minimalists themselves think simplicity is an eternal truth....not trite....

but, i mean, look at science....what would science have to say in regards to simplicity? what does a government have to say in regards to simplicity? you damn well better believe they think itz trite, and with some reason too! if we didn't concern ourselves with details, everything would be so much easier......life doesn't work like that.....

but in regards to philosophy.....like i said, there's some philosophy out there which holds simplicity in high regards......take behaviorists (who don't believe in the metaphysical), or nihilist, or minimalist, or empiricist.......

as for pulling a piece out of this puzzle.....what is this puzzle? whatz the picture? nobody knows.....everyone is pulling out pieces trying to solve it....religion, science, philosophy, society, etc, etc, etc.....

Sorry about the little spit. But I'm still obviously not explaining myself very well. See if I can give a little analogy.....A scientist working in deepest darkest Africa on a vaccine for a virus is not aware that Fred in the U.S., Giorgio in Italy and Pedro in China are working on the same virus. None of them are aware that Harry working in the space observatory saw a small cluster of meteors hit in the particular areas the virus was found and none of them know that Father Timothy of the