What Is The Ultimate Benefit of Reading Philosophy?
We all want to feel proud of ourselves. To gain a sense of ultimate purpose. To feel we are living a good life the right way and, perhaps, through living well, find some way to answer that niggling question: “Why Bother?” To act morally, and with conviction, is to gain a sense of purpose, self-respect and fulfillment.
Many people just chug along in life. They make ends meet, but often don’t know why they should even bother doing what are doing. They exist but are unengaged. A lack of engagement, or sense of purpose, can have knock-on effects that damage us in very practical ways. When we don’t engage with life ourselves, we fail to engage others; we become uninteresting and people start to drift away. To compensate, we try to acquire expensive, interesting things and experiences, desperately hoping to draw people to our possessions in place of our character. The result is over-spending, debt, excess work and stress. This juggling of debt, lack of direction and precarious, eroding relationships leads to stress, demoralization, absentmindedness and tunnel vision which all press in on us and drain our will. We resort to comfort foods, drugs and alcohol with less time for exercise and sleep. A combination of poor physical health along with mental and financial stress can devastate our mental well-being.
While immediate practical problems usually have immediate practical causes (e.g. he had a breakdown due to financial stress, drug abuse and marital troubles) when we dig a little deeper down to the roots of these causes, (Why was he taking drugs in the first place? Why didn’t he manage his money better? – he was paid enough, why didn’t he spend less? Why was he having marital problems? etc.,) we find the origins of many a downward spiral start somewhere far less tangible: an inexplicable inner sense of purposelessness, a lack of value, a sense, which is hard to articulate, that there is no ultimate purpose, that things aren’t adding up… aren’t coming together.
At the core of this feeling is a constant, nagging doubt over the quality of our actions and decisions. At the heart of decisions are rules of thumb, maxims and habits. Many are unconscious, but together they form a kind of “life philosophy” that defines our actions and character. Quite often these implicit underlying assumptions, that give rise to our decisions and actions, are in conflict with one another; acting in accordance with one conviction thwarts another. When our various unarticulated drives, values and motivations become sufficiently tangled up and contradictory, confusion and self-doubt and lack of purpose inevitably arise.
We want to believe that our actions are right; that what we do has value. Yet how can we do what is right, how can our actions bring value, unless we know what “right” or “value” means? Or why we bother doing anything? Without this knowledge, an inner sense of pointlessness is unavoidable.
Hopefully it is now clear that understanding the nature of right and wrong, and acting with conviction in accordance with right principles, is central to a sense of well-being, ultimate purpose and to a life well lived. On gaining that spark of purpose and fulfillment, an inner light ignites, we know why to bother about things and it becomes much easier to reign in spending, take control of our finances, connect with others, and improve how we relate to people, our health and our lives at every level.
So how can we gain that sense of inner purpose?
How can we gain that inner conviction that helps make sense of our lives?
Some people pursue religion. Arguably just believing that something is purposeful raises our morale, even if it’s actually pointless, and, for some people, participating in organized religion can improve their sense of well-being, physical health and social life…
…but if you find religion and spirituality a bit waffly, but still seek to understand what is truly right and gain a sense of purpose…
…then you need to start reading Philosophy!
Philosophy, at its core, is the examination and improvement of the set of principles we use to make decisions. One of the benefits of reading philosophy is that it leads to better decisions, and better decisions lead to better outcomes – across the board!
But know that the path to enlightenment can be difficult and arduous.
Religion supplies answers to all of life’s important questions.
Philosophy supplies the right answers to all of life’s important questions.
Philosophy is harder than religion because it is harder to obtain the right answer to an important question as opposed to any old answer (right or wrong). But the ultimate rewards for those who possess an active, questioning and rational mind are greater.
A major limitation with academic enquiry in the sciences, the humanities, and even in philosophy itself is specialization: the slicing and dicing of reality into ever narrower fields and sub-fields, disciplines and sub-disciplines. When we study the sub-discipline of a sub-discipline, it’s easy to lose sight of the wider scheme.
True Philosophy seeks to understand and piece together the totality of existence. It is only by engaging with reality at the broadest level that a path towards meaningful, fulfilling action and a sense of ultimate purpose can truly be obtained.
Another benefit of reading philosophy is to facilitate meaningful discussions. By discussing issues at the broadest level, a broader understanding of – and deeper connection with – those who join us in philosophical discourse can be developed.
Throughout my life, I’ve striven to devote my intellectual energies to the great problems that humanity faces. I’ve researched magnetically confined fusion plasmas for the first 10 years of my career, to bring plentiful energy to everyone without burning fossil fuels. However, as time progressed, I increasingly perceived the lack of coherence between the different academic disciplines – especially between ethical theories, fundamental truth, and political and economic systems – as the gravest problem that was not being satisfactorily addressed. Eventually I turned my attention to the mammoth task of synthesizing science, ethics, economics and politics – in other words, every important aspect of human thought – into a grand coherent narrative, a logical framework that would help orient and inspire readers, but, most importantly, provide a clear path of action into the future to solve pressing problems such as poverty, war, rights and freedom. This project was the driving force behind what ultimately became The Philosophical Method.
Self-help starts with helping others. Many financial problems arise simply because a costly activity has become someone’s driving motivation. The adoption of less costly habits and hobbies can dramatically improve your financial security. The trick here is to redirect your passions. Social disconnection can often be solved through finding a source of inner motivation, pursuing it with fervour, and connecting with like-minded groups and communities. Participation in these communities can also help you develop a professional network or even find the right romantic partner. Reading philosophy can help you to initial orient yourself. This enables you to take the first step towards pursuing a healthy passion that will allow you to grow as a human being.
But it all starts with finding your inner spark, a driving force that tells you why to bother and motivates you to push forward and take on the world, enabling you to act with a confidence and conviction that inspires others to join your quest.
I hope that by reading philosophy books like The Philosophical Method some people, especially rational analytical types, will find a way to ignite that inner spark and become a powerful force for good in this world. I believe my experience working in research institutions and engineering companies, my discussions with top plasma physicists, engineers, economists and philosophers and my wide-ranging interests in philosophy, biology, physics, technology, economics, history and politics have enabled me to produce a uniquely pragmatic work of philosophy that “plugs in” to the rest of human thought and into the real world.
So why bother reading philosophy?
Because bothering is the first step you need to take to gain that inner sense of direction and motivation.
Because bothering, and caring about the truth, could be your first step towards a better life.
John
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