Why Study Philosophy?

Make an Investment in Clear Thinking and Logic

By Regan Barr, philosophy instructor with The LukeionProject

Plato has preserved a humorous anecdote about the “first” Greek philosopher, Thales of Miletus. As the story goes, Thales was walking along staring up at the sky and pondering the mysteries of the heavens. He was so oblivious to his immediate environment that he failed to notice a well in his path and fell in. A Thracian servant-girl was nearby to observe his misfortune, laugh at him, and spread the word abroad. Presumably, she also called for help to get him out.

The point of this short story was to poke fun at the Pre-Socratic philosophers, whom many Greeks stigmatized as being more interested in the stars and the heavens than in the path right in front of their feet. They believed that philosophy (the love, or pursuit, of wisdom) was both impractical and a waste of time. Some people today still believe that.

So is there any practical benefit to studying philosophy? I would argue there are many, but I’ll just mention three.

1. The study of philosophy helps develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills

“It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they’ve been fooled.” This quote is often attributed to Mark Twain, and while we have several similar quotes from him, there isn’t definitive evidence that he ever said or wrote it. Nevertheless, it’s certainly true. Humans are proud creatures, embarrassed and unwilling to accept that they’ve been duped. In fact, many people will continue to cling to a belief even when confronted with irrefutable evidence that these beliefs are based on falsehoods and mythology rather than fact.

Our society is experiencing a crisis in critical thinking. Students are often taught to believe and obey rather than to question, think, and evaluate. They are taught that “authority figures” should not be questioned, even if there is evidence that their statements are untrustworthy. Essentially, students are taught to place blind faith in these figures.

As students engage with the great thinkers of the past and of our own time, they sharpen their skills in research, logic, and evaluation. They come to understand the rules of logical argumentation and learn to identify errors in reasoning. By observing how philosophers have carried on a dialectic through the centuries, one arguing for one position and another responding with a counterargument, they can begin to identify and correct problems in their own thinking and in the arguments of others. The study of philosophy is one of the best antidotes to blind trust, and a catalyst for independent reasoning.

2. The study of philosophy helps develop logical and persuasive methods of communication

The Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein wrote, “To convince someone of the truth, it is not enough to state it, but rather one must find the path from error to truth.”  His message is clear: to change someone else’s mind, one must not only be correct, one must also be persuasive. The student who studies Plato’s Socratic dialogues will appreciate not only Socrates’ civility in the face of sometimes confrontational adversaries but also the way that he gently guides his debate partners to recognize their own inconsistencies in reasoning.

A group of ancient philosophers called the Sophists claimed that they could defend either side of an argument equally well. They were rightly criticized when they used their oratorical skills to convince people to believe untruths (“making the weaker argument seem stronger”), but their mastery of the art of persuasion is undeniable. Many ancient orators and statesmen, including the famous Athenian Pericles, sought out the Sophists to teach them how to move their audience to action. They were persuasive because they combined carefully crafted arguments with an understanding of their audience.

Today accusing someone of “sophistry” is an insult, but now more than ever, individuals must be prepared to defend their beliefs with persuasive arguments, AND to know when they are being manipulated by sophistry and demagoguery. In 2004, Desmond Tutu famously said, “Don’t raise your voice, improve your argument.” The ability to improve one’s argument and persuasively deliver a defense of one’s position, whether written or spoken, requires well-organized thoughts, clarity of expression, and an understanding of the audience. This is one of many important benefits of studying philosophy.

3. The study of philosophy moves one to consider the bigger, but oft-neglected, questions of life

Many students enter an ancient philosophy course expecting the ideas of the ancients to be somewhat unsophisticated. After all, hasn’t the human race progressed so far over the intervening centuries that the early philosophers will seem fairly simple-minded by comparison? Nothing could be further from the truth.

It is true that our understanding of our physical world has moved far beyond what the ancient philosophers could have even imagined. But some of the questions they grappled with remain unanswered. For example, how can we “know” anything? This is the question of epistemology. Can we be certain that our brains are interpreting stimuli correctly? In fact, how can we be sure that we’re not laying in a coma somewhere and everything around us is an illusion?

Then there is the question of ethics, to which Socrates turned our attention. Is there a difference between “good” and “evil”? If so, how do you defend your definition of “doing what is right”? Does the definition of bad or good behavior change depending on our circumstances? Do we have any obligations to our fellow-humans? To our planet? To other creatures with whom we share our world? And if so, from where do these obligations come? Are they based entirely on tradition, or is there some source we should consider authoritative in the realm of ethics?

Grappling with questions like this are not only mind-expanding, they are life-preparing. They move us past the mundane trivia that consumes much of our daily lives. When we are faced with difficult decisions about family, government, or health, on what principles will we make our decisions? If we have consistently lived our lives in accordance with a set of principles that we’ve chosen intentionally, perhaps the correct choice will be more apparent, even if it’s not the easiest one.

If you’re still reading, you know my answer to the question posed in the title of this blog, and I’ve only scratched the surface. Studying philosophy is an investment in clear thinking and logic, and it’s always worth it!