
“The reason philosophers have trouble agreeing, then, is partly because that is the nature of the subject (philosophers deal in questions that people in general don’t agree upon) and partly because philosophers go about their business by challenging assumptions and concepts. …
“Despite the inherent difficulty of philosophy, its value should not be underestimated. As recent discoveries in genetics and biotechnology have shown, it is impossible to know what to do with scientific discoveries without reflecting on what sort of a society we want to live in and what duties we owe to each other, our descendants and the environment. … None of these issues are questions for science or for art, but for philosophy.” ~Philip Stokes
The Important Job of the Philosopher
“First, we have to define what we mean by “a philosopher”. Merriam-Webster says a philosopher is one who “studies ideas about knowledge, truth, the nature and meaning of life, etc.” By that definition, I think nearly all of us could claim to be philosophers. A real philosopher, we might say a professional philosopher, goes beyond just studying those thing, but forms opinions about them and shares those opinions. Another definition is, “a person who seeks wisdom or enlightenment,” and those are the real philosophers.
“Some people seem to think than anyone who is highly opinionated and is willing to share those opinions with anyone who will listen is a philosopher. I think most such individuals would more accurately be called critics.
“As Mr. Stokes points out, the primary purpose of the philosopher is to help us use knowledge, especially science, in a way that is beneficial for us and nature, and does not destroy us after a time. Some such philosophers are called Ethicists these days, but that is just trying to rename something considered too artsy and flighty (philosophy) with a more scientific name. An ethicist is still a kind of philosopher.”
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