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Actually, there is no
single answer; it depends on many things.
From time to time, students ask the
question, "Why study Philosophy?" The answer, of course, is because
Philosophy is very interesting. (I would say that it is far more interesting
than anything else one could study, but that would just cause other academics to
get all excited, and there are few things more unseemly than an excited, envious
academic.)
There is, however, another question that one might reasonably
intend to ask by the question, "Why study Philosophy?" That question is
probably, "What reasons are there, beyond the fact that Philosophy is very
interesting, for studying Philosophy?" One reason is that if you study
Philosophy, then you increase your chances of getting a job like mine. I have a
pleasant work environment, get to discuss interesting things with very
intelligent people, and get paid to be a philosopher.
"But," you ask, rather impatiently, "beyond that and beyond the fact that
it is very interesting--perhaps even more interesting than anything else, what
reasons might there be for studying Philosophy?" In an effort to help you
understand what some of those reasons might be--and it is worth noting that
there are a great many, here are some links to web sites that address this very question:
Consider the following, from John
Cleese: What is Philosophy good for?
As for the question, "What bread
does Philosophy make?," the first thing to note is that bakers
bake bread. Some philosophers bake bread--I've even baked
bread and have enjoyed both the process and the product--but it's not the job of Philosophy to bake bread. Of
course, the real question, is what, of practical value, does
Philosophy produce? Good question.
It's a good question, for me at least, in part
because it has a great answer.
The answer is "plenty." All of
natural science, I would argue, started with Philosophy.
Anthropology, Political Science, Economics, Psychology, and
Linguistics all owe much of their existence and shape to Philosophy. (It's
difficult to say what similar "bread" is being baked by
Philosophy today, but I suspect that it has always been
difficult to say what of this sort Philosophy is baking.)
Logicians, philosophers who
specialize in logic, have made contributions to Mathematics and
the related area of Computer Science. (And, of course, you
wouldn't be reading this as you are now, were it not for those
contributions.) Philosophers of Mind play a crucial role in the
ongoing development of Cognitive Science.
I am just getting started. Think of
the lawyers and politicians who have majored in Philosophy. The
American Constitution owes a great deal to the Philosophy of
John Locke. Philosophy
produces people who can think clearly and systematically, read
and process difficult prose, evaluate reasons given for
conclusions, and state clearly their own reasons for their
conclusions. Even the most "practical" areas have a crucial need
for such people. Bread is
really just small potatoes compared to what Philosophy produces.
As for me--personally, I am sticking with
my first answer. It has at least the advantage of explaining why,
exactly, I study Philosophy. |