What is the Daily Value of Philosophy?
Meaning and Purpose
In the video “The Value of Philosophy in Our Daily Lives,” American Philosopher Tim Maudlin states that “our day to day normal lives are probably not really all that affected by philosophy.” On a bigger scale, he continues to point out that more importantly, philosophy affects our lives as a whole. It does this by helping us understand why we hold certain beliefs, why we perform certain actions or why we think the way we do about certain subjects. This realization then affects the reasoning behind our daily actions. It becomes the big answer to all the little questions.
British Philosopher Bertrand Russell states that “the value of philosophy is found among the goods of the mind.” Once we understand the logic and reason behind a belief or action, or change our actions or belief system because of discovering a new and different logic, it then has the result of changing the way we think and feel and do things.
So, the daily value of philosophy is then that our daily actions will have more meaning and serve a better purpose.
Our time and efforts will be spent doing more meaningful things. Our days will be much calmer. We will no longer be performing unnecessary actions, such as wasting an inch of ham, just because Grandma did.
Digging deeper and seeking answers to more personal philosophical questions such as the meaning of life has the ability to open our minds to the possibilities of not just “what is” but what “may be.” Aristotle believed that the aim of life is happiness. He said that all men by nature desire to know. When we limit ourselves to what we know to be common sense and habitual tendencies, we are frustrated. We are not satisfying our innate desire for knowledge. We simply go through life doing things without really knowing why we do them. We wake up every day asking what the purpose is in the end. We wonder why we are here, why we go to work, and why we die.
English Author Melvyn Bragg pointed out that one of the most famous philosophical sayings was said by Socrates in the 5th century B.C. That statement quotes as “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Even then, men were not content to just live life. They wanted to know more. What can we truly say has changed in all these centuries? Men are still not content to just live life. Bertrand Russell said it so well when he said, “The man who has no tincture of philosophy goes through life imprisoned in the prejudices derived from common sense, from the habitual beliefs of his age or his nation, and from convictions which have grown up in his mind without the cooperation of consent of his deliberate reason.”
Seeking a personal philosophy to the meaning of life enlarges our thoughts and frees them from the tyranny of customs. Men philosophize in order to escape ignorance. Seeking a personal philosophy to the meaning of life can lead to a happier and more content life. After all, knowledge is power.
