Assignment 1 Philosophy

What Is Philosophy?

What is philosophy? Even if you cannot say for certain what it is, you have probably heard the complaints that philosophy is an irrelevant “ivory-tower” exercise useful only for people who want to sit around and contemplate the existence of the lint in their belly-buttons.

But, asking if using philosophy can be practical is like asking if using understanding can be practical. Understanding—especially if it is understanding something about ourselves—is something that we very often seek for its own sake. As Aristotle said long ago: “All human beings by nature desire to understand.”

Even though your basic beliefs on ethics, politics, and religion do not require justification for having them, they do occasionally need “intellectual review”—or a philosophical examination—in order to justify continuing to hold these beliefs. For example, it’s perfectly fine to be a Baptist because everyone in your family is a Baptist, but at some point you should review what you believe to see if you are justified in continuing to believe you are a Baptist. Do you really believe the basic tenets of the Baptist church, or is it just easier to go along with the flow and leave this belief unexamined? Without examining what you believe and being able to explain why you believe it, the odds are pretty good that you do not really hold that basic belief—whatever it is.

A common complaint is that studying the ideas of previous philosophers is of no importance since they never came up with definitive answers that an average person could use. It’s true that philosophers do not agree on answers to the “big questions” like God’s existence, free will, the nature of moral obligations, and so on; but, they do agree about concepts, definitions, and implications that are essential for thinking clearly about the big questions as we examine our own basic beliefs.

However, there ARE some very practical reasons for studying philosophy.

1. Presenting arguments, which are logical and free of fallacies, forces you to think more critically about your ideas and viewpoints; learning to become a critical thinker is simply learning to be a careful thinker. Statistically, students who study philosophy do better on the GRE, LSAT, and other entrance exams because their level of reasoning their way through difficult concepts has increased.

2. Similarly, by being able to recognize the arguments and fallacies, you can take more control over your own life by recognizing attempts to manipulate and to exploit you through advertising, political promises, and other areas of deception. Critical think generally leads to more-informed and better decision-making skills.

3. Communication skills increase as a result of the conscious and self-reflective reading and argumentative writing.

4. Personal ideas, opinions, and values become more clarified and organized. Instead of just believing something, you figure out and understand “why” you believe them.

5. But, studying philosophy also forces you to become more open-minded and tolerant of beliefs different from your own. While you may never accept their opinions for yourself, at least you will not negatively pre-judge their opinions without even knowing what they are.

6. Finally, if you are the kind of person who would rather contemplate than articulate, you may end up with a cleaner, lint-free belly-button.