Why philosophy? My unique answer
What is philosophy? How is it useful? Does it have any utility in real life? Or is it simply a theoretical study with no benefits? These are some questions that I am often asked when I tell people that I am a student of philosophy. Well, many persons made the mistake of confusing philosophy with psychiatry. Study of psychiatry may help the individual identify the connection between the thought process and physical decision-making.
Why does a depressed housewife go on a shopping spree where she purchases expensive stuff like Hermes Birkin handbags? This is a question that can be answered by an expert in psychiatry. Philosophy will focus on why human beings feel that dealing in an artificial concept like money and purchasing things that have temporary utility and value can impact their long-term well-being? As you can understand, philosophy focuses on the general concept and tries to perform a systematic study of even the most difficult problems.
The primary reason why people question the utility of philosophy is because of its general nature. By the time it is applied to specific individuals, many variable factors get involved which affect the philosophical truths. The end result is that philosophy is useful only in predicting how the masses would behave and how they would think under specific circumstances. As far as individuals are concerned, it is virtually impossible for any science to predict the actions of an individual accurately.
Why philosophy then? Well, there is a comical belief amongst students of philosophy that philosophy will become obsolete the day this question is answered accurately. Philosophy exists because we would probably invent something like it if at all it ceases to exist. This may sound like a roundabout answer to a straightforward question but the truth is that there is no straightforward answer to such a difficult question that queries the purpose and objective of philosophy.
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