In its original sense philosophy means love of wisdom. Regardless of its etymological meaning, philosophy is a discipline that was born in the West as a response to the mythical approaches of Greek culture, which meant replacing the magical mentality with a new way of thinking, the rational one. On the other hand, philosophy can be analyzed according to the different branches that comprise it (metaphysics, logic, epistemology, ethics and other areas). It should not be forgotten that philosophy has evolved based on the historical reality of each stage of humanity. What has been said so far refers to the academic approach to philosophy. However, there is another way to understand this knowledge, the philosophy of life.
What is a philosophy of life and some examples
We can define the philosophy of life as those fundamental principles and ideas that govern a person's life. Thus, if I say "my philosophy of life is based on love", whoever listens to me has a rough idea about what my general approach to life is.
Imagine a deeply Christian person. In this case, his philosophy of life is inspired by the values of Christianity (loving your neighbor, complying with the commandments and with the precepts established by the tradition based on the old and the new testaments). A good example of a Christian philosophy of life would be the one carried out by missionaries, since their religious beliefs are projected into their own lifestyle.
When you talk about philosophy of life with a certain meaning, you are affirming that some values or ideas serve as a guide for life. Consequently, the philosophy of life has a practical character, since it is about putting into practice a series of principles and values.
Let's suppose that a person does not eat any product of animal origin, since he practices veganism. In this case, their philosophy of life is very clear, since it starts from a general principle (respect for animals) and this person does not do anything that could harm or harm any animal, including their way of eating.
The banal use of what is a philosophy of life
If someone says "soccer is a whole philosophy of life for me" we understand what they are saying (that they are passionate about soccer), but it is a banal use of what is properly a philosophy of life. The fondness for something can be very important to one but it does not seem appropriate to confuse a specific hobby with a philosophy of life.
It is excessive and somewhat absurd that the concept of philosophy of life can be applied to anything (going out at night with friends, spending time with social networks or playing bowling). When this happens we can speak of a trivialization of the concept of philosophy of life.
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