Why Bother with Philosophy?: Motivation for Careful Thinking about Life

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Why Bother with Philosophy?: Motivation for Careful Thinking about Life

            There’s no such thing as over-thinking-- there’s only helpful and unhelpful thinking. Nitpicking, obsessing, ruminating are examples of intense thinking that waste your time and energy. They’re wasteful not because you’re “thinking too much” but because you’re thinking in ways that don’t help you find clarity for living life. 

            Philosophy at its best is both intense and helpful. Philosophy should help you think about life in ways that you make you a more mindful, conscientious, and intentional person. I’ll rephrase that negatively-- philosophy should help you think about life in ways that save you from being a mindless, careless, mixed-up person. Sounds good, right?

I’ll raise two objections to philosophy, and answer them with two metaphors:

1.   Philosophers get too caught up in the details, lose the bigger

picture, think so much about life that they don’t know how to live it.

2.   Philosophers are too abstract and impractical; a philosophical

argument is not a useful tool when I’m trying to actually think about how to

live my life.

Re: #1 - Philosophy is like computer or vehicle maintenance.

            Yes, philosophy involves looking at life “way too closely / deeply,” and it’s easy to get lost in it, easy to get caught up in little details. Dissecting life is a lot like taking apart a computer: it makes a big mess and makes it difficult or impossible to use. But look-- philosophy is a way to “troubleshoot” life! Knowing how it works will make you better at using it, better at noticing and addressing issues. If you’re going to own a computer or a vehicle, you can expect trouble at some point, and only in-depth familiarity will help you out of it. It’s the same with life. Knowing how to take it all apart will help you in getting your life together.

Re: #2 - Philosophy is like weight-training.

            Yes, philosophy involves some “heavy” mental lifting, and often you’re dealing with burdens that are much more abstract than real life issues. But that’s the same as weight training! Real life weights are never as simple as barbells and bench presses. And yet, working out in the gym builds the same muscles you’ll need in the real world, even helps you isolate and strengthen each muscle. The deep abstract thinking of philosophy is a method of intentionally “overdoing” it so that you feel over-prepared for addressing real life situations.

            Philosophy is a tool for strengthening your mind for taking on the questions and complexities of life. Look-- you’re going to be thinking about life either way. Why not learn how to think about it well?