The
proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for attaining wisdom and
discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and
prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to the
simple, knowledge and discretion to the young— let the wise listen and add to
their learning, and let the discerning get guidance— for understanding proverbs
and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. (Proverbs 1:1-6)
Philosophy
is the love of wisdom. When I try to read philosophy books, I generally end up
thinking that the writer is on a mission to use as many words as possible to
say either something that is so simple as to be obvious, or nothing at all. For the student of philosophy, however; it is
often seen as the road to wisdom and understanding of the universe (including
ourselves), and therefore as the means to fulfillment or happiness.
One of the things understood by ancient philosophers was that happiness was the result of moderation of virtues. Too much of virtue was harmful. So was too little. When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, he wrote of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” His understanding, at least of happiness, was informed by the Greek philosophers. Happiness is dependent on properly balanced virtues.
In Galatians and I Corinthians, Paul addresses this issue. To the question of whether we should be bound to the law (virtue) or to disregard the law (license), he rejected the Greek teaching of balance or moderation. Instead, he said the answer is love…for God first and foremost, for our neighbors, and for ourselves. For Christians, wisdom is considered a good thing, but Christianity doesn’t teach the love of wisdom, it teaches the wisdom of love.
One of the things understood by ancient philosophers was that happiness was the result of moderation of virtues. Too much of virtue was harmful. So was too little. When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, he wrote of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” His understanding, at least of happiness, was informed by the Greek philosophers. Happiness is dependent on properly balanced virtues.
In Galatians and I Corinthians, Paul addresses this issue. To the question of whether we should be bound to the law (virtue) or to disregard the law (license), he rejected the Greek teaching of balance or moderation. Instead, he said the answer is love…for God first and foremost, for our neighbors, and for ourselves. For Christians, wisdom is considered a good thing, but Christianity doesn’t teach the love of wisdom, it teaches the wisdom of love.
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