My belief is: If I can’t explain it, I don’t really understand it. Philosophy is a vague term that means the study of basics wisdom. Basics can go off into numerous branches of studies so I want to avoid the branches at first and start at the trunk with  generalizations.

I see two areas of philosophical study: the pragmatic and the speculative. The study of destinations is based in speculations. Religion and science try to delve into these issues. Why are we here? How did it all start? Where will we go? Since no one can time travel back or has an eternal body that can travel to the afterlife and back to ask questions, the majority of these studies don’t have conclusions that can be verified. What you believe in these area is less based in truth and more based in trusting the source. It is funny to me when factions debate these topics and ridicule each other since there is no data accurate enough to base one’s feelings of superiority.

Pragmatic philosophy tries to answer two questions: What goes wrong with individual humans and what is the best route to happiness for the same. There are written accounts of history for the social aspect and numerous studies of the in-depth psyche of the individual to draw from. Some of these studies are amazingly accurate and others a bit vague or off-based. But we can examine collectively how they apply to our time. Religion and science both have contributions to this area. Good conclusions can be formed philosophically that take the best points from every discipline. The studies only get complicated when we speculate on circumstances and motives. These two variables are usually where people get stuck.

A person has to decide if they have information that can be defended and if it is worth their time to do so. Discussions about destinations are based in faith. Pragmatic discussions are based in experience and knowledge. Either one can be enjoyable if done in the right spirit.