The Utility of Philosopy

Two of my best friends are philosophers. Not professionally, but they majored in philosophy in school, and they like to talk about the nature of things. Whenever I talk with either of them, naturally, we start talking philosophy. But I rarely feel satisfied after having conversations with either of them. One friend is skeptical towards any uncommon idea, to the point that I cannot convince him to run with me long enough for me to get to the main idea of my argument. The other friend is too willing to accept what I have to say, to the point that my arguments seem meaningless. I sometimes wonder what the hell they get out of it.

I didn't major in philosophy. I majored in English Literature, which probably contributes to my informal, anything goes approach. For me, literature is all about philosophy. After all, all good stories have a theme and they all say something about that theme. Most successful stories say something about morality, even if they don't mean to and I think if there are stories that do not say something about morality, they make some other philosophic claim. I think it's often the case that the greater the story's central insight, the greater the story.

So, I think that philosophy should do something. It doesn't have to always be about morality, but it does have to offer some insights into how we can change our lives for the better in some way. Philosophy is about working out the nature of reality, not about endlessly turning over theories in our minds, saying to ourselves, well, isn`t that curious, and then forgetting about it. Ultimately, if philosophy is not making you happier in some way, not just because it`s a topic to fill conversation, but because of some real and meaningful insight, then you should stop. In ancient Greece, philosophy was exciting. People had all sorts of big ideas and they were willing to explore them, but now, between science and religion, and the existing philosophical traditions, it seems like people think that there is little room left for philosophy, and that in that little space that it is allowed to occupy in out minds, it isn't allowed to do anything that isn't ultimately meaningless.

For me the ultimate goal of philosophy is facilitate a real, significant shift in consciousness, from ignorance of the nature of reality, to a deep and meaningful understanding of it. I'm sure it will sound ironic when I say that ultimate truth is beyond the reach of philosophy, but that it is a powerful tool for achieving this kind of understanding none-the-less. I believe that although philosophy cannot show us the nature of reality directly, it can paint a picture of it by filling in the negative space; it is the very inability of philosophy to communicate ultimate truth directly that allows it to communicate ultimate truth indirectly.

Ultimate truth is unspeakable, but I'm able to communicate the idea that it's unspeakable, and I think that is very significant indeed. For this reason, if nothing else, I think philosophy has a very real and significant utility.