Philosophy in two words

1. 89

   Paragliderposted 9 years ago

   Stuff is.
   
   Seriously (!) if you had to impart a meaningful philosophical idea to a young person but you were restricted to two words, how would you improve on my attempt?
   
   Stuff is.

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   1. 58

      Mark Knowlesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      S h i t happens.

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      1. 85

         gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I AM.

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         1. 58

            Mark Knowlesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            That's the best one so far.

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   2. 96

      FlourishAnywayposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Flourish Anyway

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      1. 0

         Beth37posted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I like that.

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   3. 61

      Silverspeederposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Relativity happens

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   4. 76

      Quilligrapherposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Bliss heals.

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      1. 81

         snakeslaneposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         "Bliss heals" is nice.

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   5. 81

      snakeslaneposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Not to try to improve on your two-word catch-all philosophy challenge, but I've always been fond of the I Chingism:   Perseverance furthers

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   6. 60

      Sinbadsailormanposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Live & Learn

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   7. 60

      Sinbadsailormanposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Live & Learn

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   8. 0

      mbuggiehposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Love knowledge.

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      1. 61

         Daniel J. Neumannposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I like "Be present" & "Love knowledge." I'd tweak both (because I can't help myself) to "Experience now" & "Love wisdom" (wisdom is slightly different than knowledge, but there's a tight correlation).
         
         Also, what about "Embrace possibility"?

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            Beth37posted 9 years agoin reply to this

            I like Love Wisdom and Embrace Possibility a lot.

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   9. 85

      HollieTposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Dig deeper

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   10. 39

       arifhidayat1990posted 9 years agoin reply to this

       energy and smart...

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   11. 76

       DoubleScorpionposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Live Life

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       1. 61

          Daniel J. Neumannposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          "Examine Deeply."
          
          
          Socrates claimed "The unexamined life isn't worth living."
          
          We can only live our lives if we're engaged with it, actively putting meaning into it.

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2. 0

   Beth37posted 9 years ago

   Love God.

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3. 58

   A Troubled Manposted 9 years ago

   Be Honest.

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4. 89

   Paragliderposted 9 years ago

   Hmmm,  the trouble with 'shit happens' is that it's horribly clichéd. 'I am' allows for the possibility that no-one and nothing else exists, in other words it is a restatement of Bishop Berkeley's Idealism which is generally regarded as an intellectual cul-de-sac. 'Love God', 'Be honest' and 'Flourish anyway' are more in the nature of commandments than philosophical propositions. I don't think you encourage philosophical thinking by instructing people on how they should live.
   
   Though I do like 'Flourish anyway' as a maxim
   
   So, seriously (!), I'm still flying the flag for 'Stuff is'
   
   Next?

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      Beth37posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      seems more like a fact than a philosophy.

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   2. 77

      Kathryn L Hillposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      - reality exists

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      1. 89

         Paragliderposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         reality exists is a good reminder that there is a real world and universe 'out there' and the purpose of life is to interact with it.

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            Beth37posted 9 years agoin reply to this

            So then maybe your philosophy should be three words.
            
            Interact with reality.
            
            Hurry delete this thread and start over. No one's looking.

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            1. 77

               Kathryn L Hillposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               No no.
               two words:
               
               Illusion isn't

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                  Beth37posted 9 years agoin reply to this

                  Illusion isn't... what?
                  Clearly that sentence is missing at least one word.

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                  1. 77

                     Kathryn L Hillposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                     well, four words would be better then:
                     *illusion is not reality.
                     *some stuff is real.
                     *some stuff is unreal.
                     *reality is always real.
                     *illusion is always unreal.

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                     1. 0

                        Beth37posted 9 years agoin reply to this

                        Well we've cleared up illusion. I guess it's time for bed.

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                        1. 77

                           Kathryn L Hillposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                           ...we've helped some young people, I think. ( And I'm sure they can handle more than two words...)

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   3. 58

      Mark Knowlesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Yeah, but I like I am now.

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5. 89

   Paragliderposted 9 years ago

   If we allow Latin words, we can improve on 'I am' -
   
   Sum, es
   
   meaning:  I am, you are
   
   but I still prefer  stuff is 

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   1. 77

      Kathryn L Hillposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      It might fly on a T shirt.
      - or not.

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   2. 0

      Beth37posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I still don't get it.
      
      Of course "stuff is".
      
      Metal shines. People are. Dogs exist. Fire burns.
      
      This really doesn't seem like a philosophy to me.

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      1. 77

         Kathryn L Hillposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         He is on the other side of the world partaking in afternoon tea perhaps...Is it sunny where you are, Paraglider? It's after ten at night here.
         Now is.

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6. 90

   Zelkiiroposted 9 years ago

   My ass.

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      Beth37posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      That, I get. (And you can keep it.)

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7. 89

   Paragliderposted 9 years ago

   Yes, it's sunny here. It's 10 a.m. and about 35 Celsius only as the summer is almost over. And I'm at work
   
   Why 'stuff is'?  It is not a philosophy but it is what it purports to be - a philosophical idea, especially if you interpret stuff to mean not only physical objects like stones but also forces like gravity, concepts like relativity, human constructs like law, events like birth and death. It's all stuff, and affirming its being in two simple words is a celebration of all of it, and possibly a reminder against self obsession, since there is so much more than self.

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8. 0

   HowardBThinameposted 9 years ago

   Seek Freedom

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9. 61

   Daniel J. Neumannposted 9 years ago

   Hey Paraglider,
   
   It's been too long since we've had a conversation.
   
   My answer to your question is another question: "How come?" Or perhaps "What for?" Both submissions are a protracted form of a single word to sum up philosophy (the love of wisdom): "Why?"
   
   Art and philosophy have always tried to answer that simple question: "Why?" For what reason do we exist? How come we sense the world at all? Can we put a purpose to our ability to reason?
   
   It's always a pleasure deeply examining life.

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   1. 89

      Paragliderposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Daniel -
      
      I've not been around HP so much lately. Good to see you!
      
      how come? or what for?
      
      The spirit of enquiry - I like it

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      1. 61

         Daniel J. Neumannposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Dave,
         
         Yeah. Same here. I've got my own blog (danieljneumann.com) now, so I rarely interact with hubpages anymore. Maybe that's a mistake.
         
         Cheers,
         
         Dan

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10. 89

    Paragliderposted 9 years ago

    Quilligrapher and Snakeslane - good morning, both

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    1. 81

       snakeslaneposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Hey Dave, Goodnight! 10:48 pm here...
       How can I squeeze 'Be here now' into two words?

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       1. 0

          Beth37posted 9 years agoin reply to this

          Be present?

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          1. 81

             snakeslaneposted 9 years agoin reply to this

             Yes!

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    2. 76

       Quilligrapherposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       And the very same to you, my friend.
       

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11. 59

    bBereanposted 9 years ago

    Pondering existence.   
    
    I've spent a good part of my pondering existence, pondering existence.

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    1. 77

       Kathryn L Hillposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Pondering stuff that is.
       Heres a latin one:
       Ppl dunno
       It means: People don't know very much stuff.

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12. 77

    Reality Bytesposted 9 years ago

    Carpe Diem

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    1. 81

       snakeslaneposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Nice

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13. 89

    Paragliderposted 9 years ago

    So many of these offerings are very nice. I like them all. However, I still think that it's best to avoid the imperative form of the verb. i.e. best not to instruct, but simply to state something ponder-worthy(!)  If someone says to me, 'seek knowledge', the rebel in me immediately says 'seek it yourself!'
    
    I've been dipping in and out of the ramifications of Q's 'bliss heals'.  It raises so many lines of inquiry...

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14. 82

    Taliskerposted 9 years ago

    words change

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    1. 61

       Daniel J. Neumannposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Quaerere veritas.
       
       That's latin for "Seeking out the truth" or "To search for truth."

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       1. 90

          Zelkiiroposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          Actually it would be "veritatem quaerere."
          
          "Quaero" means to seek or look for, yes, but if you know anything about Latin, you'd know that verbs go at the end of their clause. "Veritas," however, is being used as the object of the verb in this phrase, and so it should be in the accusative "veritatem." And there you have it.

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          1. 89

             Paragliderposted 9 years agoin reply to this

             lupus lupe lupum lupi lupo lupo
             lupi lupi lupos luporum lupis lupis

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             1. 81

                snakeslaneposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                as she waits with bated breath for a reply, any reply...
                a case, OK, I got the jist, but seriously, how do you know these things! (paraglider)

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                1. 89

                   Paragliderposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                   I'm blessed (or cursed) with a very retentive memory - My head is full of useless stuff I learned in and out of school a million years ago. I'm not conscious of it until something triggers a spontaneous recall. Not really a useful 'skill'! 

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    2. 89

       Paragliderposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       That has many layers of meaning - nice

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15. 76

    lone77starposted 9 years ago

    Some interesting pairs.
    
    How about,
    
    "humility empowers"
    
    Without some degree of humility, no one ever learns anything. They're otherwise too busy being right and a "know-it-all." Without humility, the only thing that excels is ego.

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    1. 89

       Paragliderposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Good one

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    2. 0

       Beth37posted 9 years agoin reply to this

       What a great bit of wisdom that was.

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16. 89

    Paragliderposted 9 years ago

    As well as having some fun along the way, we came up with quite a nice collection of offerings. Here they all are, together:
    Stuff is.
    Sh*t happens.
    I am.
    Love God.
    Be honest.
    Flourish anyway.
    Reality exists.
    Sum, es.
    Now is.
    My ass.
    Relativity happens.
    Seek freedom.
    How come?
    What for?
    Bliss heals.
    Perseverance furthers.
    Love knowledge.
    Be present.
    Love wisdom.
    Embrace possibility.
    Pondering existence.
    Ppl dunno.
    Carpe diem.
    Dig deeper.
    Words change.
    Veritatem quaerere.
    Humility empowers.
    Live life.
    Examine deeply.
    
    Good night

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    1. 61

       Daniel J. Neumannposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Collaborative poetry.

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    2. 81

       snakeslaneposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Groovy man!

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17. 0

    Beth37posted 9 years ago

    Do or die.
    
    Crap! That's 3 words!

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    1. 89

       Paragliderposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       You can join the first two together:
       
       door die
       
       Now it's two

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          Beth37posted 9 years agoin reply to this

          I hate it when a good door dies. So sad.

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          1. 61

             Daniel J. Neumannposted 9 years agoin reply to this

             It would be especially sad if it was a door on the Heart of Gold (of Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy). They're always so cheerful.

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       2. 0

          jonnycomelatelyposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          That could read "Open Sesame"

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18. 0

    MysticMoonlightposted 9 years ago

    Just be.

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    1. 0

       Beth37posted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Add the word "quiet" and that was my mothers philosophy for me.

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19. 0

    Brenda Durhamposted 9 years ago

    Who's "they"?

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       mbuggiehposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Them that are not us...

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    2. 61

       Daniel J. Neumannposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       The doors on the ship, Heart Of Gold, are all programmed with a "cheery disposition." That is the "they" I meant to say. :-)

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20. 0

    Brenda Durhamposted 9 years ago

    I meant that the question  "Who's 'they'?"   is a valid two-word philosophy, or description of philosophy, however the case may be.
    But thanks y'all for responding!  haha 

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    1. 61

       Daniel J. Neumannposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Hahaha. Oh. I read that wrong. But that's a cool contribution to the discussion. It makes me think of "Us versus Them." :-)

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          Brenda Durhamposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          

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21. 68

    aka-djposted 9 years ago

    Have faith.

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