The book is written in order to point out
the indispensable duty of every human being to decide for a reflective and
searching attitude in life and to concentrate the whole courage one is capable
of in the search for truth about the possible meaning of one’s life.
In Part One the author stresses the
absolute necessity of the effort mentioned above if one wants to find the
meaning, destiny and the place in the scheme of reality. In Part Two the author
gives a brief statement about the nature of man, human knowledge and
possibility of superficial and erroneous thinking. The final chapter entitled:
Roads leading to nowhere is a warning against skepticism and unjustified
limitations of the powers of the human mind which in a way of speaking may lead
to a sort of “mental suicide.”
REVIEWS
I found the book: The Courage to Think
For Yourself to be extremely awakening. It shines a spotlight on the lack of
thought and meaning that most people carry through their lives, including myself
at times.
The Courage to Think for
Yourself. It is important to reflect once in a while and reevaluate our priorities. We can
strengthen our minds by doing so. Often we are so set in our ways that we are
like robots, forgetting that we need to
give our brains a “tune- up.” There are
endless distractions in our day to day lives, most of which are complete
nonsense, yet we dedicate our time and
energy to these things. It’s important to challenge our-self and question our existence. Reflection allows
us to reinvent ourselves in our way of thinking.
– Caithlyn H.
We indeed do need courage to think
because as the author states in the conclusion quite simply : in order for man
to realize his own destiny he or she needs the courage to think for himself.
This same theme is also mentioned in the Preface of the book: “Passion for
truth, determination and courage are
inevitable duties of every honest
person.” Those statements lay the framework for the reasoning why we need the courage to think for ourselves. The beauty of these
statements is that they can be read and interpreted in different ways and
different levels. One does not need to be a philosopher to realize that we as humans need to have
meaning in our lives, otherwise why should life be worth living at all? It is
not until we begin to think for ourselves that we can start our journey to
search for truth and fulfill our human destiny.
–Henry G.
I must begin by saying that this book is a must to read for everyone. I believe the
what the author is saying and agree with the view in this book. … It gave me
insight and awareness in terms that I realized that certain things in my life
have philosophical solution and insight why certain people behave in their ways
in life. When I was a small boy, my aunt
used to say that my favorite
words were what and why always.
What is this, what is that and so on. But as Aristotle said already centuries
ago that every human being desires to know by nature and seeks answers.
- Ch. Ok
Courage to Think for Yourself? Many
questions immediately are raised here,
and as Socrates would say " an unexamined life is not worth living.” In
fact when you think about it you are philosophizing! One of the things that separates humans from other animals is
the ability to ask questions like the
one mentioned above. Thinking is hard to
do and as it turns out we only use small
portion of our brain capacity to think. Many people go through life adopting
the culture , believes and even religion
in their immediate surroundings because it is easy and it requires little
effort. Marketers know this and they sell it to us. Oppressive governments know
this too and they censure the
dissemination of true information, closing off avenue to thought. This is why
it is so important to be open minded and evaluate what is being fed into us - otherwise we are directed , manipulated and
enslaved by others.
-J.W
We have a mind to think for ourselves and for our own decision making. I agree with the book, The Courage to Think for
Yourself, by Leszek Figurski. .A human does not have to live a life for
pleasure seeking nor should we live our life on earth for others. We are born with a mind and
ability to think for ourselves and make the right choices in life. To live a
meaningful and rewarding reflective life a person must develop some qualities
and habits necessary in the philosophical search for meaning and truth. It also
is a goal and aim towards which we should be moving during our lifetime.
- A.S
Reading the book really made me think. I am
a person that does not think very much for myself . I always ask someone what
do you think I should do about it? Or what do you think about it. I get
manipulated in to doing things I really
should not do, nor do I want really to do. I came to realize that I need to
start thinking for myself. I started
meditation, and It really works. I don’t have anyone now manipulating me
anymore. I think now for myself and for my own decision.
- A.D.
To start with , if one does not have the
courage to think for oneself one becomes
a follower instead of a leader and one gets lost in the everyday mundane
existence of just going through life but not really living. Having the courage to think for yourself and to act on those thoughts takes
commitment on many levels. You have to
take time and think ideas to the end .
Only then you can follow your own
goals and determine your own conduct in matters which are important for you.
The power of independent thinking is what
makes us humans and defines humans among other species living on this
planet.
- E. MB.
What do you think about it? Please reply. Thanks
About the Author
Leszek Figurski, M.A., Th.L, Ph.D., studied theology and philosophy at Gregorian University in Rome, Italy and received his doctorate in philosophy from Fordham University, New York. He taught philosophy and theology at Mercy College, Felician College, Seton Hall University , St. Peter's University, New Jersey. Over the years he prepared students to pass various admission tests, helping students in writing on different philosophy/theology papers. He helps students to understand the fundamental philosophical concepts, logic, critical thinking, ethics.He also teaches Latin, German , English languages He teaches online worldwide or face to face in Manhattan, New York. He is the author of many articles published online. His other books: Finality and Intelligence . Is the Universe Designed ? He is co-author with Irena Ciszewska of the book in Polish language: Odwaga krytycznego myślenia. W poszukiwaniu sensu życia. Currently he is working on the book: God or no God. Did Science Make Believe in God Obsolete?
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