Philosophy
Philosophy is defined as the study of ideas about knowledge, truth, the nature and meaning of life. The word “philosophy” comes from the Ancient Greek φιλοσοφία (philosophia), which literally means “love of wisdom”. The introduction of the terms “philosopher” and “philosophy” has been ascribed to the Greek thinker Pythagoras.
Most scholars have observed two approaches to this endeavor. Truth is either proven by using our senses OR it is an intrinsic aspect of our being. Another definition is “the Pursuit of wisdom or a search for a general understanding of values and reality by chiefly speculative rather than observational means or an analysis of the grounds of and concepts expressing fundamental beliefs.
I decided to become familiar with all the philosophers of the ages to see what they thought. I read “The Everything Philosophy Book” by James Mannion. After reading it cover to cover, I decided to start a philosophy club here in Columbus, NC.
Welcome to Sagers!
Our Charter:
The pursuit and application of Truth in our lives.
Sagers is a developing philosophy club located in Columbus, North Carolina. VE is planning to expand it to the virtual community and invites you to check us out. Each member becomes a spokesperson (or “Sager”) for a recognized philosopher and is required to become an expert on their chosen “Sage”. At each meeting or on-line forum, one Philosopher (“Sager”) is chosen to facilitate the discussions. An exchange of like and opposite views are briefly presented. All Spiritual beliefs are welcome. Dialogue (not debate) is our only rule. By the end of the session, we will have listed the areas of commonality and the areas of differences between each philosopher that our member “Sagers” represents. This can help all of us understand another way of looking for the “Truth”.
At the end of the discussion, the facilitator summarizes all views and participants are now more familiar with the many schools of thought. Respect for all views are required. Active listening is important. Fellowship is encouraged. Enlightenment is pursued! Look for details in the coming months to join us on our journey!
What is a Sager?
Main Entry: sa·ger/ Function: noun / Inflected Form(s): plural sa·gers / / Etymology: Middle English from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *sapius, from Latin sapere to taste, have good taste, be wise; akin to Oscan sipus knowing, Old Saxon ansebbian to perceive,First Known Use: 14th century : (taken from the fictitious VE Dictionary of new meanings and vocabularies designed for the 21st century and beyond)
Sagers started as a response to the lack of true meaningful dialogue in our society today. Public Servants have turned into Politicians. Faith has turned into Religion. Teachers and Mentors are forced to lower standards. Parenting was once a preparation responsibility but now it is a protection duty.
History of Our Club
The evolution of our species is moving from development to decline. It is time that the neighborhood get back to critical thinking and create a better society right here in our own back yard. The great thinkers of the ages can be a wonderful and rich place to start. Different times, different languages, different cultures, different peoples but the same ideal: we all wish to pursue the beauty and purity of Truth.
How can I get started?
Start by finding your favorite philosopher or thinker and read up on their vision of the world. Then, become a Sager! I have chosen to become a Sager for Kant because he wanted to use both the reasoned approach AND the intrinsic approach to seek the Truth. He was killed for that view because both sides saw him as a threat to their “school” of thinking. Below is a list of the 75 most popular philosophers.
A Sager is a person who has studied a great thinker and can explain the basic beliefs of that philosopher. The Sager may or may not be in complete agreement with the Sage they have chosen, but may carry similar opinions on the mysteries of life.
Pick one to look up and then follow the 1-2-3 lookup guide below. Or you can go to the Stanford on-line philosophy webpage here to learn more about them. Once, you have picked one, contact us and we can start to add you to our discussions. Stay tuned!
- Copy a name below,
- Click here to go to the Stanford on-line philosophy web page.
- Paste the name in the search box to go to your choice.
- Peter Abelard
- Anselm of Canterbury
- Hannah Arendt
- Thomas Aquinas
- Aristotle
- Augustine of Hippo
- Averroes
- Avicenna
- A.J. Ayer
- Francis Bacon
- Pierre Bayle
- Simone de Beauvoir
- Jeremey Bentham
- George Berkeley
- Boethius
- Albert Camus
- Marcus Tullius Cicero
- Confucius
- Donald Davidson
- Democritus
- Rene Descartes
- John Dewey
- John Duns Scotus
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Epictetus
- Epicurus
- Michel Foucault
- Gottlob Frege
- G.W.F. Hegel
- Martin Heidegger
- Heraclitus
- Thomas Hobbes
- David Hume
- Edmund Husserl
- William James
- Karl Jaspers
- Immanuel Kant
- Soren Kierkegaard
- Saul Kripke
- Thomas Kuhn
- Lao Tzu
- Gottfried Leibniz
- John Locke
- Niccolo Machiavelli
- Moses Maimonides
- Karl Marx
- John Stuart Mill
- G.E. Moore
- Friedrich Nietzche
- Robert Nozick
- William of Ockham
- Parmenides
- Blaise Pascal
- C.S. Peirce
- Plato
- Plotinus
- Karl Popper
- W.V.O. Quine
- Ayn Rand
- John Rawls
- Thomas Reid
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau
- Bertrand Russell
- Jean-Paul Sartre
- Arthur Schopenhauer
- John Searle
- Adam Smith
- Socrates
- Baruch Spinoza
- Henry David Thoreau
- Voltaire
- Alfred North Whitehead
- Ludwig Wittgenstein
- Mary Wollstonecraft
- Zeno of Elea
Below you will find links to other perspectives.
These are not necessarily specific to philosophy but more descriptive to how varied the human experience can be!
DNA:
Where do we come from? As a conversation starter, Sagers challenges you to explore your ancestry. You may be surprised to find out where you are really from!
