30min Essay: "Personal Philosophy" (Hesselbein & Camus)
"Practice self-awareness, self-evaluation, and self-improvement. If we are aware that our manners - language, behavior, and actions - are measured against our values and principles, we are able to more easily embody the philosophy, leadership is a matter of how to be, not how to do. " --- Frances Hesselbein
" Those who lack the courage will always find a philosophy to justify it. " --- Albert Camus
What is philosophy? This is a question that has intrigues many people over many generations. The issue with that question is that is assumes that there is a definite answer that will fit easily into the human experience - everyone's human experience. This is not a small endeavour as individually our values & ethics pertaining to global and intellectual dilemmas usually are never defined by answers to philosophy. In saying that, the essence of philosophy and how it interrelates into the everyday presentation of morals, beliefs & convictions is in of itself the best definition to what philosophy is. By analysing the ways in which philosophy is embodied and differentiates across people, we arrive at a better understanding of what it is & its value to us all.
Hesselbein highlights the importance of embodying the physical over the metaphorical attributes of philosophy and argues how this distinction provides the foundation to a better life. This is an interesting idea as it draw attention to the definitions we put on paper for philosophy and contrasts it to the legitimate ways in which these principles can be embodied. Here, this quote emphasises an awareness of the physical renditions of philosophy and how our movement through space, interactions with others as well as the inner dialogue we have are a better resource to measure "values and principles" as they directly exemplify the core tenants they represent. By self-evaluating, we arrive at a place of better judgement. By being self-aware we understand our place in the grand universe and by self-improving we seek out a better life for ourselves. In a nutshell, Hesselbein illuminates the importance of "walking the walk" and how the answer to "what is philosophy" doesn't lie on a piece of paper but in the ways in which a person carries themselves in the world. This analysis of philosophy suggests that the physical and self-actualising attributes of philosophy is the scaffold through which morals and principled behaviour can be judged. The value of a sect of philosophy is based on the extent to which behaviour is expressed and how deeply that drives, motivates and determines an individual.
Camus takes Hesselbein to another level and suggests that inherent behaviours that we all possess drive the study of philosophy - a quality that a person possesses (or lack thereof in this case) is the motivator for understanding behaviour. As opposed to Hesselbein's "walk the walk" mentality, Camus opinionates that a person's personal philosophy is meditated by an already actioned-upon behaviour. To a certain extent, there is overlap in both ideas. A person who lacks courage will move in the world such that this philosophy is embedded in their every action (Hesselbein's thesis), but Camus' understanding of philosophy suggests that the physical is influenced by the metaphorical. This concept is in line with Camus' overarching ideas on philosophy, having written about the interplay between essentialism vs existentialism in his other work. This contrast between Hesselbein and Camus fortifies the individualistic nature of defining philosophy and shows how even philosophers approach this topic uniquely vehicling their own experiences/paradigms.
Overall, Hesselbein's ideas on the actualisation of philosophy via the physical movement of the metaphorical highlights a dynamic foundation to philosophy. It suggests that an individual's morals/principles are not dictated by a script but the way in which they undergo representing them. To a certain extent, this is contrasted to Camus who suggests that we search for metaphorical explanations for our actions and that drives the philosophy we use to define ourselves. All in all, we arrive at an understanding of the complexities associated with defining philosophy and how individual interpretations provide a holistic explanation to a topic that is intrinsic to us all.
" Those who lack the courage will always find a philosophy to justify it. " --- Albert Camus
What is philosophy? This is a question that has intrigues many people over many generations. The issue with that question is that is assumes that there is a definite answer that will fit easily into the human experience - everyone's human experience. This is not a small endeavour as individually our values & ethics pertaining to global and intellectual dilemmas usually are never defined by answers to philosophy. In saying that, the essence of philosophy and how it interrelates into the everyday presentation of morals, beliefs & convictions is in of itself the best definition to what philosophy is. By analysing the ways in which philosophy is embodied and differentiates across people, we arrive at a better understanding of what it is & its value to us all.
Hesselbein highlights the importance of embodying the physical over the metaphorical attributes of philosophy and argues how this distinction provides the foundation to a better life. This is an interesting idea as it draw attention to the definitions we put on paper for philosophy and contrasts it to the legitimate ways in which these principles can be embodied. Here, this quote emphasises an awareness of the physical renditions of philosophy and how our movement through space, interactions with others as well as the inner dialogue we have are a better resource to measure "values and principles" as they directly exemplify the core tenants they represent. By self-evaluating, we arrive at a place of better judgement. By being self-aware we understand our place in the grand universe and by self-improving we seek out a better life for ourselves. In a nutshell, Hesselbein illuminates the importance of "walking the walk" and how the answer to "what is philosophy" doesn't lie on a piece of paper but in the ways in which a person carries themselves in the world. This analysis of philosophy suggests that the physical and self-actualising attributes of philosophy is the scaffold through which morals and principled behaviour can be judged. The value of a sect of philosophy is based on the extent to which behaviour is expressed and how deeply that drives, motivates and determines an individual.
Camus takes Hesselbein to another level and suggests that inherent behaviours that we all possess drive the study of philosophy - a quality that a person possesses (or lack thereof in this case) is the motivator for understanding behaviour. As opposed to Hesselbein's "walk the walk" mentality, Camus opinionates that a person's personal philosophy is meditated by an already actioned-upon behaviour. To a certain extent, there is overlap in both ideas. A person who lacks courage will move in the world such that this philosophy is embedded in their every action (Hesselbein's thesis), but Camus' understanding of philosophy suggests that the physical is influenced by the metaphorical. This concept is in line with Camus' overarching ideas on philosophy, having written about the interplay between essentialism vs existentialism in his other work. This contrast between Hesselbein and Camus fortifies the individualistic nature of defining philosophy and shows how even philosophers approach this topic uniquely vehicling their own experiences/paradigms.
Overall, Hesselbein's ideas on the actualisation of philosophy via the physical movement of the metaphorical highlights a dynamic foundation to philosophy. It suggests that an individual's morals/principles are not dictated by a script but the way in which they undergo representing them. To a certain extent, this is contrasted to Camus who suggests that we search for metaphorical explanations for our actions and that drives the philosophy we use to define ourselves. All in all, we arrive at an understanding of the complexities associated with defining philosophy and how individual interpretations provide a holistic explanation to a topic that is intrinsic to us all.
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