Philosophy the Value of Philosophy: The Subject

Philosophy

The Value of Philosophy: The subject of philosophy concerns itself with understanding of the self, humanity and the universe in an attempt to arrive at or define a "unified, coherent, systematic world view." (Para 4, p. 35)

Such broad definitions of philosophy often lead to a viewpoint that philosophy is of interest only to the world of academia, characterized as it is by debate and the lack of consensus. While it is true that philosophy may be considered to be eternally evolving, perhaps in keeping with the very evolution of human kind, the fact is that the study of philosophy holds immense personal and practical value for the simple self-evident truth that philosophy pervades every aspect of life: "...a moral being, a social and political animal, an appreciator of art and beauty, a perceiver and knower, a scientist, a religionist...all these aspects of humanity and self are areas of intense philosophical concern...." (Para 3, p. 39)

Leading from the above, it is obvious that every individual human being is a practitioner of philosophy in the matter of course of conducting his or her daily life. However, the formal study of philosophy offers enormous benefit in so much as it opens up the realm of a far more broader vision that helps individuals make sense of their existence and their world: "...different ways of looking at the world...extends the range of personal alternatives...a different set of beliefs may exist that...more suitable...appreciate the worth of our own taken-for-granted ideas." (Para 4, p. 35)

Plato, in the Myth of the Cave, has in fact, suggested the very same thing: "...the value of philosophy is that through it we achieve freedom...from assumptions we have unquestioningly accepted from others, and freedom to decide for ourselves what we believe about ourselves and our place in the universe." (Para 1, p. 32) Other philosophical traditions, like the Buddhist, have also propounded that philosophical wisdom will lead to the ultimate freedom of release from suffering and the way out of greed, delusion and the "great mass of ill" (Para 1, p. 33). Though the Buddha spoke of the release from 'suffering' in the context of the endless cycle of reincarnation, nonetheless his words hold significance in the light of the suffering that is evident in the world. Such suffering is not just the deprivation of what psychologists term as 'maintenance needs,' but also stems from the fact that humans have what Maslow defined as 'actualizing needs': "self-fulfillment, creativity, self-expression...." (Para 1, p. 34)

If studying philosophy can help people achieve self-actualization, then it truly holds immense value as self-actualized people possess: the ability to form one's own opinions and beliefs; profound self-awareness that results in very few self-delusions or easy rationalizations to justify beliefs and actions; resilience in the face of disorder, doubt and uncertainty owing to a philosophical calmness that helps them place things in perspective and to persevere in the face of upheaval; creativity that helps them leave their own distinctive mark through engaging life on a far deeper level, which facilitates a unique personal expression; clear, well-thought-out value systems that help them find meaning in their lives. It must, however, be noted that attaining such value requires long, intense study and the realization that philosophy is a never ending study as humanity is a long way from understanding the whole truth about the universe and life.

The Myth of the Cave: Plato's The Myth of the Cave is a powerful commentary on the unfortunate human tendency to get imprisoned in ignorance due to a refusal to leave the comfort and security of the known world. Through this parable in The Republic, Plato attempts to show us that philosophy is "...the freedom of being able to decide for yourself what you will believe in by using your own reasoning abilities." (Para 1, p. 5)

The Myth of the Cave is an imaginary tale of men imprisoned in a cave since childhood, immobilized by their chains to illustrate to us that the prisoners' world of shadows, such as it is, is their only known reality. There is a parallel observation here, as what is really being alluded to is the fact that the human world is no different to that of the prisoners. Humanity also binds itself to the chains of ignorance, which only acknowledge the reality of the immediate visible world.

The story also establishes that the human situation requires guidance towards learning through hypothesizing on the plight of a prisoner who is led out of the cave into the upper world of light and another alternative 'reality.' The freed prisoner in Plato's The Myth of the Cave shows us the pain that such a freed man would have to experience during the process of adjustment to a completely unknown reality: "The movement would be painful, and the glare from the fire would blind him so that he would not see clearly the real objects whose shadows he used to watch." (Para 2, p. 6)

The pain and discomfort experienced by the freed man, the tale suggests, would make him turn away and reject the new world for the less painful old one: "...return to things he could see more easily. He would think that those things were more real than the new things they were showing him." (Para 4, p. 6) The prisoner's behavior thus drives home the point that humanity tends to persist in its ignorance due to the pain of uncertainty caused by the unknown, rejecting the latter on the justification that the new was, in fact, illusionary.