Philosophy or philosophizing have not played an important part in the development of LDS theology or culture. The reason for that is that personal revelation has been the main stem from which these things have blossomed and flowered. Individuals and cultures turn to philosophy when they are perplexed, and if they have no better means of resolving their perplexities. Indeed there is a sense in which philosophy is the human answer to the inadequacies of traditional religions.
Every religion has three aspects: a theology, or understanding of the way things are; a moral code, do’s and don’ts which are supposed to lead to living a life wisely; and ritual, by which the religion is celebrated and is taught to the rising generation. The failure of these three religious functions historically caused men to turn to and wax philosophical.
The failure of religion’s moral codes to produce happiness and success led men to develop ethics, an attempt to come to the do’s and don’ts of life by reason. The failure of theology to provide an adequate understanding of the world led to the development of physics and metaphysics. And the failure of ritual to improve the human situation led to the development of epistemology, the search for how we can know what is true and good.
In LDS thinking, morality is achieved by a combination of rules of morality which provide general guides, such as the ten commandments, but always supplemented by immediate personal revelation so that one might know exactly how to honor his father and mother in a specific situation. This powerful combination works so well that strong LDS people do little wondering about ethics. The canonized scriptures coupled with empirical and personal knowledge of the world plus the illumination of the Holy Spirit suffice for an LDS person to have a good grasp of physics and metaphysics, a grasp that lends great understanding and ability to predict the future, making metaphysics a needless enterprise. And the rituals of the religion, focusing on prayer and the ordinances of the Holy Priesthood, bring such a rich harvest of knowledge and power that a faithful LDS person spends little time wondering how to know.