The Value of Philosophy (PART 1/3)

This is the first of a 3-part article. This part focuses on a few things I have learned from my PHIL 100 class, namely the thinking of two philosophers, Clifford and Russell. In the second part of this article I will continue my reasoning by analyzing intrinsic value and using some examples for clarity; and in the third and last part I am going to discuss how to best enjoy your life, as explained my my Philosophy professor.

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I am really enjoying my Introduction to Philosophy class, because it aligns with my values and ideas and gives me an opportunity to challenge them and think critically about what I stand for. In addition, Professor Joe White is amazing. He is SO funny, and makes going to class extremely entertaining. I think he is the perfect fit for the class, because he is able to make fun of the problems and paradoxes that we face, which makes studying Philosophy very fun and interesting. I highly recommend this course to any student at SBCC.

In the first month we have discussed the work of some important philosophers, and tacked important and interesting questions, such as “How shall we conduct ourselves?” and “What is the Value?”.

William K. Clifford believes that the greatest danger to society is for its people to become credulous; to use the philosopher and mathematician’s words: “It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.” In other words, he claims that becoming accustomed to refusing to test one’s own beliefs is sinful and dangerous, because this practice leads to savagery. In his discussion titled “The Ethics of Belief,” Clifford explains How we shall conduct ourselves, although he is a little extreme. While it is true that one should always question his beliefs and look into them rather than just taking them for granted, it is practically impossible for one person to question every single small belief that one has. Taken with a grain of salt, Clifford invites us to think before we make up our minds and before we take action.

Even more interesting was the discussion of What is the value of Philosophy, because eventually it really expanded to questioning what is value in general, what is valuable to one’s life, and how to get the most value out of your life. I feel like I am taking a Science of Happiness class :) 

We started this discovering by analyzing the work of Bertrand Russell, a British philosopher, historian and mathematician who lived about 100 years ago. Russel finds a sharp demarcation between Philosophy and Science. He claims that Philosophy is concerned with questions that cannot be definitely answered but may be answered in many ways that cannot be proven for sure to work. However, the very attempt to answer these difficult questions increases ipso facto our knowledge of what things may be, thus resulting in a meaningful stimulus to our intellect. As soon as definite knowledge concerning any subject becomes possible, this subject ceases to be called Philosophy, and becomes a new, separate science. Throughout the millennia, this eventually happened, for example, to the subjects of Astronomy and Psychology, which deal with matters that have always been considered philosophical until they were demonstrated scientifically. Finally, while the study science by the people who study science is useful to the entire humanity because it results in technological inventions which bring tangible benefits to society, Philosophy only provides benefits to those who actually engage in the study of this discipline, for the very study itself is the benefit one gets. This studying, through contemplation and questioning, is good for the mind because it expands the conception of what is possible, enriches intellectual imagination, and diminishes dogmatic assurance which closes the mind against speculation. So this is the value of Philosophy: it is good practice for your mind. 

According to Russell, the “narrowly practical man” is the person who recognizes only material or physical needs such as the need to eat, sleep, etc, but he does not recognize the need to train his mind, “feed” it, and keep it well. Unaware of what value is, the narrowly practical man is always chasing the added value of happiness, but he might never actually get it.

To see why, read ahead in part 2 of this article.