What are the Contradictions of Philosophers?

One of the most prominent characteristics of human beings is that they have a mindset full of contradictions. No human being's thoughts, attitudes and behaviors are stable, in other words, they are not static, but are in constant motion (mobility) depending on time. There is no human being who is not in contradiction with himself/herself. Because every thinking brain produces contradictions. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar! 

Since the leaders and philosophers who shaped history are human beings, they have contradictions in the sea of life and thought. Contradictions in ideas and behaviors are an inevitable sociological reality in human nature. We have a proverb in Anatolia: "Be what you appear to be, or appear as you are." 

But like life, human beings change over time and their thoughts change accordingly. In this article, I will not talk about the contradictions of normal people, but about the contradictions of some of the people we call philosophers who shape our thinking. The reason for this is that I want to tell our people once again that there is no perfect human being. To live is to be in constant contradiction. A person who is not in contradiction is only a dead person.

When we look at the lives of great philosophers, we can often see contradictions between what they wrote and what they lived. This is a natural state of affairs. If we look at the lives of great thinkers and theoreticians, we can find their contradictions, mistakes and shortcomings, just like everyone else. It is especially normal for a person who thinks and theorizes to have more contradictions than anyone else. Because this is the dialectic of life, it constantly flows within its own dialectical whole.

In Anatolia, they say, "Do as your teacher (Imam) says, not as he does!" Undoubtedly, this saying explains very well the dialectics of life, the contradictions and denials in the flow of human life, and it applies to everyone. If we take a brief look at the lives of all political thinkers, we can see that they are not exempt from this saying. It is not the contradictions within the intellectual world of these thinkers, but the contradictions between theory and practice, or between what they say and what they do, which is the sociological reality of life. Because contradiction is inevitable. It is a natural reality, especially for a thinking, questioning human being. Since man is a thinking being, it is normal for him to always be in contradictions, and it is against the nature of things for him not to be. A person who believes in scientific "dialectical materialism" but is not in contradiction is neither scientific, materialist nor dialectical. He believes without questioning as if he believes in a religion. 

Marx, for example, was developing a theory that shook the world and he supported class struggle. However, he refused to actually participate in the Paris Commune, which he himself supported intellectually, and responded to calls to do so by saying "I am a man of the desk". And he was right! His thoughts were already in the field. It is, of course, a contradiction to call on everyone else to resist and fight and to exempt oneself. But this can be seen as normal in the dialectics of life. 

William Godwin, one of the greatest philosophers of anarchist thought, described the institution of marriage as "the most abominable of all monopolies" in his magnum opus "Political Justice". However, he did not refrain from marrying at the first opportunity. At the request of Mary Wollstönecraft, considered the first great feminist writer, he married her. After the marriage ceremony, he said that he did not feel more dependent than before! Although he produced a work that broke great taboos, he was a person who lived in his own way, withdrawn from his private life. I would like to say that philosophers and their lives may not coincide. They are human beings in their private lives like everyone else. Even if they break historical taboos one by one, even if they change society in the long run, they are people like us who have made mistakes, contradicted themselves, been afraid, fallen in love. Because there are no perfect people.

I may have used a bit too pretentious words for my sentences! When you analyze a lot of people, you can see the weaknesses and contradictions of the characters who are the subject of the subject much more easily! Because; this is what philosophy wants from us. Doubt, question and comparison as much as possible. Do not forget that the right way can be found by discussing what you believe to be true from time to time. Life is as much a struggle for existence as the crazy questions you ask yourself. Don't run away from contradictions, always try to reduce them and bring your life into balance. Do not glorify and sanctify people too much, their biggest difference from you is that they knead knowledge with reason and transfer it to social life correctly. In today's world, nations with collective thinking rather than individuals will have the opportunity to live in a better and safer tomorrow. Individuals and those who follow dogmas that they think are the only true ones will continue to be unhappy and miserable.

I say stay with respectful love...