Do it like the Philosopher

Posted by yseult on Jul 22, 2008 in Philosophy | 2 comments

Why Philosophy or the philosophical method is not something that is just for pros, but should be the method of reviewing our reality everyday.

In our current language we use the term ‘philosophy’ and ‘philosophically’ in a way that always suggests depth or refers to a personal stance towards certain things. The popular use of ‘My philosophy is…’ to designate a way of thought (funnily enough almost always syncretistic) or a certain set of principles and to look at something ‘philosophically’ simply means that the speaker is taking a closer look.

Even though these usages are limited and hide the vastness of the field that is philosophy or Philosophy if talking about established school of thoughts, it shows a small basis of what it really means to use philosophy as a way of life.

Most of the time as professionals, we would claim that we do not really teach philosophy, but that we teach methods of coping, arranging and thinking about reality such as we experience it everyday, strategies to understand the conflictual and sometimes contradictory human behaviour and in general a way of not accepting simple answers.

In this respect philosophy and the philosophical method of dissecting certain claims, theories, ideas, acts in history or the present etc. in order to better understand them and not run into the danger of accepting predisposed explanations or even manipulations, is something that is direly needed in our society today.
When I read a newspaper, a letter to the editor or even so much as spend a few minutes in a controversial blog or article and read what people express and the way they do it, I seriously am tempted to think that the human brain is starting it’s decline. That even people to be paid to offer an informed insight into difficult topics have lost the ability of analysis and deliberation or even the use of the ‘uninterested’ category of speech.

I cannot say whether this is mainly due to some sort of inner ‘political correctness’ or liberal thinking that has become so overwhelming that people automatically sway into the other extreme: indoctrination and logical walling.

The study of philosophy has various downsides… you don’t believe me? Well, how hard do you think it is to walk through this life and not be constantly weary of what you hear, see and listen to. You keep checking if this person as an agenda when talking to you about the latest liberation from FARC prisoners, or if you can actually say that you are a Christian without shocking this friend or whether the article on the Chinese Olympics was taking into account the hundreds of Gulags that still exist …
Thinking for yourself, truly, without simply adopting a view, is hard work. And honestly when I look at the younger generation that I teach the History of Philosophy to or the method of how to read a philosophical text, then I doubt that in a few years time they will be strong enough to take that kind of hard work on their shoulders. Too many things have been made too easy for them. Too much has been made ‘fun’ for them… why think for yourself? There’s always someone around to tell you what you think. (That’s also why all of a sudden everyone actually listens to the Hollywood actors and their opinions. As if celebrity automatically makes you a leading figure…)

Thinking for yourself is messy. It forces you to take stances, to take sides and to defend them. For that you need time, knowledge and the curiosity to delve into something. Not because your parents tell you to, not because a teacher made you or because someone you find so cool is doing it, but because in your innermost being, that central part of your existence, something compels you to digg deeper, see more, understand more.

Our intellect is our main distinguishing feature after all…

So it is fairly simple to see why philosophy is not per se something for the professional or the literate. It is much more a stance towards life – that can of course start, end or be fuelled by the lecture of the classics and classical philosophical texts and studies – than it is the reiteration of theory X or Y.
Sadly most of the professional philosophers I have met in my career have lost that attitude and are just as manipulated by their own prejudices and points of ignorance than the average person.

Now go out there and look behind the veil.