Thank you, Jong Camallere, for raising what is a key question at the heart of all philosophy: the question of the meaning, purpose, and value not just of philosophy as a particular thing you can do within life, but of life as it is lived. The classical response is that, in fact, it is a life of philosophy that is the most worth living. Socrates was portrayed by his student Plato as choosing to affirm his death sentence over a life without philosophy, as for him the “unexamined life is not worth living.” Socrates, in other words, would respond to your question by asking whether it is possible to live a meaningful life without philosophy: on the Socratic framework, time without philosophy is time wasted.
Does Socrates therefore mean that only professional philosophers, or those struggling to make do in the hyperindustrial and precarious context of academia, can live meaningful lives?
I doubt it.
However, this does suggest another approach. To say philosophy might be a waste of time points towards the fact that philosophy isn’t very economically rewarding. This is another way of saying that, insofar as our contemporary economic systems shape our values, there may be no denying that philosophy is a waste of time. It certainly isn’t a stable route to economic and monetary prosperity. Philosophy is useless to the extent that it is not valued by our economic systems.
Socrates is depicted by Plato as a martyr for the examined life. Did Athens, in condemning Socrates, thereby affirm the “unexamined life”? Does this parallel how our own social systems undervalue philosophy?
Along the same line, twentieth century philosopher Gilles Deleuze considered philosophy as useful for harming stupidity. This may sound like a harsh tone. But Deleuze’s point, I believe, was that philosophy is useful not only for critiquing our societies, but also for harming our own stupidity. As any philosophy student will tell you: studying philosophy is the continual discovery of the unending depths of our own stupidity. From personal experience, this is quite true.
This leads me to the final point, returning to the theme of what it means to live an “examined life”. It is useful for harming the stupidities of the time, including our own. Through this, it can become a conduit for our own self-reflection and transformation. This was important for another twentieth century French philosopher, Michel Foucault. Discussing ancient Greek philosophers, he argued that philosophy is not simply the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, but is in effect the “care of the self”. Through such self-care, one can transform one’s life, and make it worth living.
What do you think? Is philosophy a waste of time? Let us know in the comments.
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I am a Lecturer in Liberal Arts & Politics Education at King’s College London. I completed my MPhil in Philosophy at the University of Warwick, and BA in PPE at Queen’s University Belfast. My PhD examined the relationship between contemporary capitalism and mental health. My key interests are in the politics and philosophy of time, political theory, philosophy of technology, the politics and philosophy of education, and experimental pedagogy. My favourite text is Deleuze’s Difference and Repetition. And my favourite quote, by Democritus: “This argument too shows that in reality we know nothing about anything, but each person’s opinion is something which flows in (epirusmiē).”
nice piece Conor ,philosophy is not a waste of time, it is an essential tool for individuals and groups to recognise understand and challenge stupidity injustice and abuse of power.
philosophy needs to mainstream !