Philosophy: A Definition on Canvas – Kristina

The philosopher strives to find the liberating work, that is, the word that finally permits us to grasp what up to now has intangibly weighed down in upon our consciousness.

The object of philosophy is the logical clarification of thoughts. Philosophy is not a theory but an activity. A philosophical work consists essentially of elucidations. The result is not a number of “philosophical propositions” but to make propositions clear. Philosophy should make clear and delimit sharply the thoughts which otherwise are, as it were, opaque and blurred.

– Ludwig Wittgenstein

These two quotes I’ve chosen are saying that philosophy is thinking and finding answers that make our heads, and the world around us, just a little bit clearer. Philosophy is asking questions, and trying to come up with answers. These answers serve to put another piece of the puzzle together for us, therefore providing us with a clearer understanding of the world around us..

The goal of philosophers is to create a full and complete understanding of the world around us. As we question, we get answers, and as we live, we come up with ideas and beliefs that are central to our understanding of the world and ourselves. Philosophers aim to create their own personal philosophy to live by, using those answers and beliefs and ideas, and to end up with a complete conclusion about the world around us.

My painting is meant to represent this. The coloured strands twirling up are our different answers and beliefs and ideas, all intertwining and coming together to build a tightly-knit, golden ball of threads: our personal philosophy. The golden knot is where we hope to end up through this process, and to end up there, we need to achieve with a deep and complete understanding of, well, everything.

The background in the painting is meant to represent the clarity we hope to eventually achieve. When we first start questioning the world, our understanding is murky. But as we start coming up with answers and start filling in the spaces, the murkiness begins to clear, and as we near the golden ball of total understanding, the whys and hows of the world around us become clear.

Only through endless questioning and answering can a philosopher ever hope to reach that golden ball of understanding. It’s a question in itself if the golden ball is even reachable, after all, won’t there always be more and more questions? But even without promise of ever reaching that golden ball, a true philosopher will always question, and always find answers, and maybe, one day, reach that ultimate goal of total understanding.