One should become aware of one’s deluded notion in which one thinks that ‘I belong to these objects of the world and my life depends upon them. I cannot live without them and they cannot exist without me, either.’ Then by profound
enquiry, one contemplates ‘I do not belong to these objects, nor do these objects belong to me’. Thus abandoning the ego-sense through intense contemplation, one should playfully engage oneself in the actions that happen naturally, but with the heart and mind ever cool and tranquil. Such an abandonment of the ego-sense and the conditioning is known as the contemplative egolessness.
-- from "Vasistha's Yoga" translated by Swami Venkatesananda.
The ego-sense is the Mind in its capacity/function as self-identification. Its is called Ahamkara (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahamkara) and is an aspect of Antahkarana - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antahkarana. It is fully capable of creating delusions from external (i.e. objects through the senses) or internal (i.e. objects through its own imagination) means.
Looking at biological evolution, purpose and functioning of instincts and senses is more useful and more grounded than abstract philosophies, in my opinion. We don't need to analyze mind and thoughts in a manner that is fully disconnected from biology.
Mind is just an orchestrator of responses by processing of sensory information, memories and instincts. Actually, such processing and response can happen throughout the body as well to a limited extent.
This sort of reductionist approach has long been discarded.
Philosophizing is as old as mankind with even the most primitive tribe developing a "Worldview" within which it placed itself i.e. gave meaning to its existence. "Modern Science" itself was birthed from Philosophy in order to study "Objective Reality" separately from our "Subjective Perception" of it.
But the fact that we "live in our Mind" only via subjective perceptions (i.e. experiences/feelings/emotions/thoughts/memories/etc.) has not gone away and hence the problems engendered by this must be faced.
Because of the torment of the three-fold suffering, arises this inquiry to know the means of counteracting it. If it is said that such inquiry is useless because perceptible means of removal exist, we say no because these means are neither lasting nor effective. (See the "Contents" section of Samkhya Karika webpage linked to above for a detailed understanding)
So what Philosophies give us is a way to orient our psychology through a appropriate worldview which promises the removal of all suffering and unhappiness which Biology by itself cannot.
Appropriate world view was evolved over millennia through continuous cycles of adaptation helped by sensory perceptions, much before these philosophies came up. You may call it reductionist or whatever. That doesn't change the facts of evolution.
Any new world view that didn't go through same level of evolution and not tested against the physical world around it, is just a sales talk to influence people who were desperate and fearful and struggling for survival. It doesn't matter who stated it and when.
You have missed the point; it has got nothing to do with Evolution/Biology but everything to do with Psychology. Philosophy is just Psychology in another guise which looks for all-encompassing solutions to the questions of "Happiness/Meaning/Being/Existence".
> Appropriate world view was evolved over millennia through continuous cycles of adaptation helped by sensory perceptions, much before these philosophies came up.
No. Evolution/Biology have nothing to do with "worldviews" which is purely a human psychological concept eg. Bacteria has no worldviews but is genetically preprogrammed to do whatever is needed to survive. Adaptation under evolutionary pressure has given us a complex brain/nervous system but we also have something called "Consciousness" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consciousness) There are various models to try and explain it (the above wiki page is pretty detailed) but regardless of any explanation we experience it from moment to moment. That gives rise to a "Mind" and its consequent "Thoughts/Emotions/Feelings/Memories/etc." which is where "we live". So the question is; how do we manage this? The obvious answer of "we always seek to maximize happiness" fails since Humans endure all sorts of hardships/self-harm in search of meaning (eg. gory rituals in many religions).
Philosophers have been studying the problems of Consciousness/Mind/etc. from time immemorial and over time have built up a body of knowledge much of which has been validated by empirical practice eg. Effects of Meditation - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_meditation. It seems we have many "states of consciousness" some of which keep us in a tranquil/peaceful/calm/blissful state over long periods of time. This is what is called "end to suffering due to worldly existence". A philosophical worldview gives a practical roadmap to achieve this.
One should become aware of one’s deluded notion in which one thinks that ‘I belong to these objects of the world and my life depends upon them. I cannot live without them and they cannot exist without me, either.’ Then by profound enquiry, one contemplates ‘I do not belong to these objects, nor do these objects belong to me’. Thus abandoning the ego-sense through intense contemplation, one should playfully engage oneself in the actions that happen naturally, but with the heart and mind ever cool and tranquil. Such an abandonment of the ego-sense and the conditioning is known as the contemplative egolessness.
-- from "Vasistha's Yoga" translated by Swami Venkatesananda.