Opinion On The Act Of Philosophizing

The Act of Philosophizing – Josef Pieper
Written Essay
What is the author saying about this philosophizing?
What is your own personal opinion?

In the text given, Josef Pieper writes aboutwhat it means to philosophize by showing and comparing the act of philosophizing with metaphysics, Plato and religion while contrasting it with the common utility (the useful and material welfare) ofwhat he calls the work-a-day world. To Pieper, philosophizing means to transcend and leave behind work-a-day world, to take a “step beyond” the common utility and act in the common good which stridesin between both the work-a-day world and the “usefulness” world or the transcended world of philosophy. He talks about Plato´s character Apollodoros (a perfect example to show the transcend ofphilosophizing and how inutile philosophy is in the sense of immediate profit and application. Josef also quotes often St. Thomas Aquinas and talks about God, making it really clear that he was a Christian.For me, to transcend means to go beyond and wonder, this being critical for every human being to do at some point in their lives. As Plato would say, to reach the world of ideas full ofimmaterial entities and enjoy what of John Henry Newman would determine as the ‘free knowledge’ acquired while philosophizing. When Pieper talks about the common utility and common good it would be easy tothink they mean the same thing, when they actually don´t. The common utility talks about what is useful and essential; it is a very important term especially in this modern world. On the other side thecommon good differentiate itself, it is more of an individual and egocentric tenure. Everyone has their “good” their happiness and aims, to realize your “good” you have to question yourself,transcend the work-a-day world and as spoken before, philosophize to realize your capacities and what kind of moments of happiness stay with you (the short term material happiness or the real happiness.)...