I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts to make my ass-long commute more tolerable and I stumbled on The Philosophy Podcast which has been refreshing to hear. It may be a bit nerdy, but I was truly inspired by the latest podcast by Bertie Russell on “The Value of Philosophy.” It’s worth a listen, and while a non-philosopher could probably only stomach the first 5 minutes of it, I think it’s five minutes well spent.
He posits lots of arguments, but here are a couple I found compelling:
- Many “useful” sciences started as problems in philosophy including astronomy and psychology
o I’d add computer science to the list since the whole computer thing was really a product of Turning’s theories on computation, ergo, philosophers invented the internet(s).
- People who look down on philosophy are judging the wrong thing – they are looking for answers. The value of philosophy is the string of questions that shows what is possible. It allows observation of the usual and everyday to lead to extraordinary, or at least unusual, insight.
- Philosophical theories that are developed around the idea of man as the Copernican epicenter of the world are inherently flawed and will never advance any true thought. The only true quest for knowledge exists in looking at the outside world (Russell’s “not-self”) … through that exploration the self grows from looking at the not-self.
It was inspiring to hear and it reminded me why I did study philosophy and continue to “use” it in my everyday life … it shows what’s possible.
Now not all of my podcasts are this heady … I’ve also take a liking to Ask A Ninja … from “College Tips” … “If you don’t play the guitar – learn. Trust me, you want to be that guy.”
