The Value of Philosophy

Philosophy is useful because of how broad and how deep the discipline is. As mentioned in several of the articles, philosophy explores the significance, foundations, assumptions, implications, etc of many other disciplines. The scientific method is the result of philosophy, not science. Even if scientists were the ones who developed the scientific method, they were engaged in philosophy when they developed it, not science. Therefore, philosophy can serve to clarify and “clean up” the basic assumptions and foundations in many other fields of study. So, in this sense, philosophy is useful.

A topic explored in philosophy is logic, and that is highly useful. Everybody and every (serious) discipline use logic. A lot of times, we use it without being entirely conscious of using it. Mathematics and science are, in their essence, based off of logic. Language is based off of logic. Having a strong command of logic is useful everywhere, and philosophy teaches people how to make good arguments, how to support them with evidence, how to formulate them logically, and how to identify logical fallacies. The St Edward’s University article mentions that philosophy develops general problem solving skills, communication skills, persuasive powers, and writing skills; these skills are all related to logic. As mentioned earlier, logic useful anywhere, though, to be fair, one doesn’t have to actually study philosophy in order to have a strong command of logic.

Another use of philosophy is its function in “filling in the gaps.” Philosophy answers important questions which other disciplines cannot answer. For instance, science can make progress in genetic engineering and developing genetically engineered crops. Whether or not that is a good thing is a matter of philosophy, because science is never concerned with how things ought to be. In order to maintain its objectivity, science will always be concerned with how things are. A discussion on the ethics of genetic engineering is therefore philosophy, even if scientists are the ones primarily engaged in the discussion. Questions on the ethics of such and such are very important, and can shape global policy.

Finally, philosophy gives us a greater and deeper understanding of the world, which may change the way we live. It helps us better understand what we know, who we know, what we are, how we should live, how things should be, etc. Most people probably ask these questions sooner or later in their life, and philosophy will give them different perspectives on these questions as well as how they have evolved over time. Because of how deep and profound philosophical ideas can be, they can ultimately change how people live their lives and see the world. Some philosophies, such as existentialism, are, in essence, not to be read, but to be lived.

Because philosophy addresses some of the deepest questions in the world, it is essentially inevitable. Sooner or later, people, from anywhere in the world, will ask questions regarding how they should live or why they are alive. They might not have a name for this category of questions, nor might they have developed an academic discipline associated with such questions, but they still ask these questions and if such questions are asked, then philosophy exists. The inevitability of philosophy can be demonstrated by the fact that philosophy developed independently in areas such as Greece, China, Africa, India, and Persia.

So, I consider philosophy useful for the reasons mentioned above. Does an activity have to be useful? It doesn’t necessarily have to be useful, though it should be if it can. I can walk around in a circle for the rest of my life, though that’s not very useful, neither to me nor to the world. Such an activity would be looked down upon and would not be taken seriously. Thank goodness that is generally not the case with philosophy.