Being a person who studies Philosophy at AS and plans to continue with it next year, I'm often faced with such endearing remarks as "what a bloody waste of time!" or "how frightfully pointless!"
I always find myself defending it in terms of it's value as an academic subject (teaches you debatory, analytical skills etc.), but now I feel like defending it as a whole concept. So here goes.
According to Wiki McPedia:
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. It is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational argument. The word "philosophy" comes from the Greek philosophia, which literally means "love of wisdom".
It is this process, looking at fundamental problems through rational argument, which has lead to the rise of the sciences as we know them today. Physics, biology, theology, psychology; it all came and continues to stem from philosophy. If Socrates and Plato hadn't "done their thing", then physics, biology, theology and psychology would not exist.
But it's more than a kind of historical respect that I have for philosophy. By going back to basics the way only pure philosophy allows, you can sink your teeth into the big and smaller questions in a unique way. Every post-philosophical science had some basic, universally accepted truths; otherwise they couldn't function. But philosophy encourages you to question absolutely everything. If we don't dispel the theory we are questioning, then we produce new theories about something completely different. For example, questioning atomic theory could lead to new thoughts on the relationship between experience and reason in human understanding. (Think it through, do a bit of research, you'll understand!)
So that's that. Well, it's a very simplified and abridged version of that, but hey. Happy websurfing!
I always find myself defending it in terms of it's value as an academic subject (teaches you debatory, analytical skills etc.), but now I feel like defending it as a whole concept. So here goes.
According to Wiki McPedia:
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. It is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational argument. The word "philosophy" comes from the Greek philosophia, which literally means "love of wisdom".
It is this process, looking at fundamental problems through rational argument, which has lead to the rise of the sciences as we know them today. Physics, biology, theology, psychology; it all came and continues to stem from philosophy. If Socrates and Plato hadn't "done their thing", then physics, biology, theology and psychology would not exist.
But it's more than a kind of historical respect that I have for philosophy. By going back to basics the way only pure philosophy allows, you can sink your teeth into the big and smaller questions in a unique way. Every post-philosophical science had some basic, universally accepted truths; otherwise they couldn't function. But philosophy encourages you to question absolutely everything. If we don't dispel the theory we are questioning, then we produce new theories about something completely different. For example, questioning atomic theory could lead to new thoughts on the relationship between experience and reason in human understanding. (Think it through, do a bit of research, you'll understand!)
So that's that. Well, it's a very simplified and abridged version of that, but hey. Happy websurfing!
I find the lack of in-depth thinking, certainly when it comes to politics, concerning. A questioning nature is uncool, even with the big questions (and even with viral You Tube videos). Perhaps we all need to rethink thinking, knowing it has immense power in our personal lives.
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