Philosophy: The Logic Borne From Consciousness

Here we present an argument of how the humanities, such as art and especially philosophy, are a by-product of logic, which is the essential utility of consciousness.

Our physical universe is a logical being, it follows a set of rules dictated by physics, chemistry, and biology. Consciousness, although clearly being allowed in the universe, sets itself apart from the other perfunctory procedures inside the universe – consciousness has the ability to ponder unrealistic situations. For example, as a physics student who has learned about the current laws of physics, nothing is preventing me from considering a universe operating under a different set of physical laws, something that I am only able to do due to the presence of consciousness.

Consciousness is made more special in that logic is its first derivative. While I will not say that humans are the only beings able to display logic, as a plethora of discussions exists arguing that animals are not only conscious to some lesser degree but also may act logical,  humans certainly seem built with it innately. Look no further than our creations. Science (obviously), the humanities, and even terrible Youtube comments are chock full of examples. Let me explain;

The Mona Lisa: A conversation between da Vinci and Mona Lisa must have taken place where Mona Lisa must have consented to be painted by da Vinci – this is a logical exchange. da Vinci’s use of color, and setting of mood and tone are logical questions that he must have asked himself. Even, how small the picture should be to hide all the details that fuel conspiracy theories is a logical question. The strength of the brush strokes is also a logical process in the sense that Da Vinci had a vision in his head that he wanted to realize and he went about creating his masterpiece methodically.

Terrible Youtube comments: This too is a logical process. A person has to engage their knowledge banks for how to speak fragmented english, parse together an poorly conceived idea, and ultimately realize it by engaging their hand-eye coordination in order to type out that message.

Abstract philosophy is perhaps the most logical creation of mankind. Think about it. Firstly, philosophy is not a scientific pursuit. Yes it has the same smoke and mirrors of following the scientific method at times, and yes philosophy has empirical backing at times. However, what I mean is that philosophy is not inherently scientific. Scientific ideas have their foundations, and their limits, by being descriptors of the events that occur within the universe. Science is a catalogue, an enumeration, and an attempt at explanation of all the observable phenomenon located within the universe. Science – namely physics, biology, and chemistry – is restricted by the universe. That’s not to say that our current versions of science is completely factual either.

In fact, science is based off of beliefs, but it’s basically like saying if the sun rises in the east and sets in the west everyday without fail then there is a 99.999999999$\cdots$% chance that it will happen again. Why is it not 100%, well because there might be an intricate game going on that in fact the sun is being pulled by Apollo’s chariot across the sky from east to west and one day Apollo might say, “screw it, let’s do it backwards today and freak everyone out.” Since I can’t 100% rule out that Apollo is not inside the sun driving it like a car, there is some doubt and that doubt manifests itself like an absurd close-but-not-equal-to-100 percentage. That being said, scientific hypotheses, in general, have the ability to be verifiable since events cannot occur that would go against the rules set forth by the universe. This same logic cannot be said about philosophy because, before being borne from a thinker’s mind, philosophy does not exist.

So how is philosophy a logical pursuit? Well, a philosopher has to engage in a thought that, at its heart, is self-consistent and non-contradictory. Not only does the philosopher have to satisfy those criteria, they have to methodically elaborate on an idea that perhaps never has existed before. This process of expounding requires a level of tact and deep thinking that is inherently logical.

Furthermore, philosophy answers questions that science, often times, cannot in a logical manner. For instance, what is the best form of government? This is a question that can be objectively answered by science by looking at, say, the happiness of the citizens, the economic prosperity and do on. But, “what forms of government can there beor “what is the purpose of existence” are questions that science is unable to answer. The scientific method fails because of its inability to be speculative in a logical way – a trait at the heart of philosophy.

So to conclude, the most remarkable fact about philosophy is that, before being borne, it does not exist in the universe. But after it comes into being, it becomes a logical construct. While, logic might be the main consequence of consciousness, philosophy is not just a by-product, it might actually be the poster child.

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