We tell you what philosophy is for, its meaning and some examples of philosophers. Furthermore, its use in everyday life and today.
Theodor Adorno believed that philosophy was useless.
What is the use of philosophy?
Philosophy is generally used to think, that is, it helps develop critical thinking., reflective, which allows people to deal with their problems from different points of view. Furthermore, as a science that works on the most essential issues (being and nothingness, for example), often accompanies other disciplines in their activities.
However, not all philosophers agree that philosophy serves the same purpose. Even some thinkers, such as Theodor Adorno (1903-1969), believe that philosophy is useless. This statement does not detract from philosophy, but rather highlights its value in itself: Philosophy does not serve a purpose that comes from outside, its value comes from itself. That is, philosophy serves to philosophize.
Still, most philosophers do believe that philosophy is useful. Many hold that Philosophy is the art of asking questions, and asking about the essence of the world helps to understand it..
Each of the problems that philosophy faces is as broad as philosophy itself. Whether it is the question about the meaning of being, the functioning of a computer or ecology, philosophy helps to think about each of these concerns from its own and innovative place.
Key points
- Philosophy serves to think critically and reflectively.
- Although it does not have a single function, it helps us live better and understand the way we connect with others.
- The different philosophical questions invite you to know the world and relate to it in a unique and different way.
- Today philosophy functions as an ethical companion to scientific discoveries.
See also: Philosophy
The philosophy
Philosophy is a discipline, often considered the mother of all sciences, that works with different theoretical-practical problems through concepts and different interpretive tools.
Its name comes from Greek philosophywhich means “love of wisdom.” Some of the problems it deals with are knowledge, being, existence, morality, language, truth, the existence of God, politics and logic, among others. For each of these problems there is a branch of philosophy, for example, metaphysics deals with the problem of being and aesthetics with the problem of beauty.
There are as many definitions of philosophy as there are philosophers who practice it and problems it faces. Because it has an interdisciplinary nature (working with different disciplines), Philosophy is often considered the science that works on the most general questions, the meaning of things and their essence.
It may be useful to you: Beauty (in philosophy)
Uses of philosophy according to philosophers
Throughout history, philosophy has had different uses and employments. It often happens that when you read a philosopher, you find his idea of philosophy and its use.
For the ancient Greeks, for example, philosophy was a way of life. For medieval Christians, on the other hand, it was a tool for interpreting sacred texts. Modern thinkers, on the other hand, used it to discover the truth and expand knowledge.
Some of the uses that philosophers gave it throughout history were:
- For Socrates (469-399 BC)Philosophy was a moral necessity for people who wanted to know themselves. As a love of wisdom, it helped to search for the truth of all things and the definitions of what things are.
- For Plato (427-347 BC)Philosophy was the science that allowed access to ideas, just as he thought them within his doctrine.
- For Aristotle (384-322 BC), philosophy was a science that allowed us to study the first causes and principles of all things. He understood that philosophy could be the science of being, and that is why it was the most important science of all.
- For Saint Augustine (354-430)philosophy was the will of God. Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), for his part, recovered something of the Aristotelian idea. For him, philosophy was the knowledge of things in their highest form, and thus, a tool of theology.
- For modern thinkers, such as René Descartes (1596-1650) or Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)philosophy responded to the Aristotelian idea, but instead of being oriented towards being, they took it to the realm of knowledge. In addition, they thought that philosophy could serve as a moral compass for people, since it could provide tools for dignified conduct.
- For Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), philosophy had to be closer to art and, in any case, it was a form of poetry. For Nietzsche, only philosophy could free people from the moral decadence in which they found themselves, reinventing values and the way of thinking.
In the 20th century and over the last few decades, philosophy has taken on so many meanings and has been applied to so many fields that it has different uses depending on who employs it. Thus, it is used in scientific discoveries, biology, education, politics, sport and art.
What is the use of philosophy in daily life?
Philosophy is part of the daily life of all individuals, although many times they are not aware that it is there.
Most people, when making decisions, do so based on a belief system. This system is permeated by philosophy, since without it it would not be possible to think about values and general ethics.
Furthermore, encounters with others, the way of understanding them, or those occasions in which people wonder about the meaning of their lives, are crossed by philosophical questions, which can be ideas or ways of thinking, which often go unnoticed.
An example of the use of philosophy in everyday life is situations in which one must decide between personal benefit and doing good for others. Many people reason that, even when they discard their personal interest, by helping others they are obtaining a benefit. This is not only correct, but is permeated by an idea of community and the reciprocal act that is clearly philosophical.
Furthermore, being able to reason, use mathematical calculations or distinguish between the fiction of a film and daily life, imply, respectively, the philosophical exercise of logic, the philosophy of science applied to mathematics or the metaphysical question about what is real.
What is philosophy for today?
Philosophy helps the individual understand the world and interact with it. Today, technological and scientific discoveries are revolutionizing the established understanding of reality. It is increasingly common to find people talking about virtual, analog or different-dimensional worlds.
Philosophy helps people distinguish between what is real and what is imaginary, and allows them to question what each of these words means. In this way, someone could say that a virtual conversation between two friends, even if it is not face to face, is just as real as a chat on the bus or in the park.
On the other hand, scientific advances regarding robotics, cloning and other discoveries related to genetics require the support of philosophy. Only dedicated regulation, exercised through ethical care, can help people change without generating, with the change, tools that can hurt them.
The idea of the useful
Many philosophers argue that philosophy is “useless.” This is because they question the idea of utility.
In the 19th century, John Stuart Mill (1806-1873), an English philosopher, wrote a book called Utilitarianism where he defined utility as the principle of the greatest happiness. Mill believed that something was useful if it provided the greatest amount of happiness possible. Following this idea, it is difficult to claim that philosophy provides happiness, but in any case, it helps to understand it.
Theodor Adorno, on the other hand, did not believe that philosophy had to be placed in a practical role, under the idea of usefulness. For the German thinker, philosophy only served to criticize what was established. Thus, it did not have to constitute a system, a totality or absolute knowledge.
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References
- Marías, J., Zubiri, X., & and Gasset, JO (1941). History of philosophy (No. B94. M37 1974.). Madrid: Western Magazine.
- Reale, G., & Antiseri, D. (2007). History of Philosophy. San Pablo Editorial.
- Hegel, G.W.F., & Terrón, E. (1971). Introduction to the history of philosophy. Aguilar.
- Deleuze, G., Guattari, F., & Kauf, T. (2001). What is philosophy? Barcelona: Anagram.
- Lyotard, JF, & Veiga, JM (1989). Why Philosophize?: Four Lectures. Paidós.
- Greek, D. M. (1967). Classical Greek-Spanish. Vox.
- Heidegger, M. (2013). What is philosophy? Herder Editorial.