The suffering of wisdom

Author: Wei Xuelai, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-11-01
Features: Philosophy originated in ancient Greece. In ancient Greek, the word "philosophy" means "love of wisdom." In modern life, people generally misunderstand philosophy. Those who criticize philosophy demand that it prove itself as a science, while those who defend it try to prove that it is or should be a science. In reality, both misunderstand the nature of philosophy. Because philosophy is not like natural science, measuring and demanding it by scientific standards is the main source of misunderstanding. Philosophy originates from the highest ideal of the human spirit attempting to transcend its own finitude and reach the supreme realm of freedom—the problem of "ultimate concern." Since the object of philosophy is infinite, philosophical questions, whether factually or theoretically, are dilemmas without definitive answers, only various different ways of resolution. Despite this, the human spirit is destined to endlessly question these dilemmas. This is the meaning of "the suffering of wisdom"—through experiencing this suffering, humans become what they are. Therefore, philosophy is the history of philosophy, and the history of philosophy is the history of problems. Philosophy is not a process of knowledge accumulation like natural science; philosophical questions have no definitive conclusions, only diverse ways of resolution. Thus, philosophy is not "learned" like knowledge but "thought" into existence. Only when we enter the dimension of philosophical questions and regard them as our own can we think into the realm of philosophy. This is what The Suffering of Wisdom is about.