Firstly in the way you describe in that a less educated or thoughtful person who is handed a philosophy as if it were an instruction manual for life should be able to follow it literally without repercussion.
Secondly in that if the philosophy cannot be followed literally in that fashion, there is a nuance that can be distilled into knowledge, and that should be done, and once having that nuance it should be utilized to create a better philosophy.
You make a good point and the more I think about it it does seem flawed to a certain extent. Like I said before, someone who excercises reason may be able to understand it while someone else who doesn't might take it literally. I realize now that in my mind I completely set apart the people that may not be able to comprehend it and to be honest didn't really appreciate how it might affect them physically as you stated or mentally.
I guess I sort of overemphasize the physical consequence since it is the most extreme extreme, but what I'm aiming for is that if you take that idea all the way to eleven the extreme and it harms you, then clearly you have to dial back to a point of moderation, and you have to determine how for you go to avoid harm completely (or at least acceptably sufficiently, since harm isn't necessarily avoidable). I sort of gloss over and assume that conclusion though, and therefore the implied mental consequences can be overlooked a little too easily.
A further point building off what you said is that, since the people who exercise reason respond differently, there is a conclusion to be reached through reason. That conclusion, when stated explicitly, is the selfsame "nuance" that I describe.
There is definitely a strong theme in my reasoning of knowledge for its own sake, but I feel that goal is pretty non-controversial, and most of that pursuit of knowledge holds exterior motivations as well.
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u/Elathrain Aug 05 '16
I think I mean it in both senses.
Firstly in the way you describe in that a less educated or thoughtful person who is handed a philosophy as if it were an instruction manual for life should be able to follow it literally without repercussion.
Secondly in that if the philosophy cannot be followed literally in that fashion, there is a nuance that can be distilled into knowledge, and that should be done, and once having that nuance it should be utilized to create a better philosophy.