There are many ways we construct false narratives about ourselves. We tell ourselves the potential is within us, but we just never have the time. We tell ourselves forces outside us compel us to behave in ways that aren’t truly “who we are.” These truth distortions aren’t necessarily wrong. The question is how we lie to ourselves or distort our self’s reality, but why?

The pursuit of self-knowledge is practical, even if a degree in Philosophy might not seem to be. The truth is, you will be happier and more effective in your life if you know yourself. 

To that end, we decided to reach out to a top Medium writer, blogger, and editor who recently graduated with a degree in philosophy, Jon Hawkins.

Time Stamps:

3:39 What exactly is philosophy?

6:27 How thought experiments work and how they relate to practical philosophy.

16:00 What does Hawkins do when confronted with a moral dilemma in real life? Someone in front of him checked out $50 worth of items at the self-checkout and then didn't pay. Should Hawkins tell on him?

27:00 The importance of authenticity.

30:29 How Heraclitus was right in the respect of flux and how we can't understand how others will respond and behave, but we can at least focus on ourselves when it comes to growth and developing self-knowledge.

37:00 How we learn from self-confrontation.

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