Philosophy begins when we realise that this world is problematic and puzzling, and that we understand neither the world nor our own place in it. Attempting to understand the problematic nature of our world involves questioning the basic assumptions we make about ourselves and about our place in the world. This is difficult, because these assumptions are often the assumptions we make without questioning and upon which we base our lives. Some of these assumptions provide a framework for the ways in which we look at and act in the world.