Why Study Philosophy?

[MarcusTexaco]

/watch?v=CVflHC2NcdU

[chica476]

Some people never finish a degree... but they go on to create Wikileaks, and become a profit for mankind.

[KingDcome11]

philosophy is for idiots. there is too many philosophies it could drive you crazy just like religion

[ThisSaturatedMind]

@KingDcome11

Your argument is invalid. The number of philosophies has nothing to do with their merit, effectiveness, or utility. You can say the same of the different branches of science (science IS a philosophy) but it would sound absurd to say that. You used a red herring to distract from the critical issues- what is philosophy and what are its uses. That is an error in logic and logic is a branch of philosophy. You tried to make a judgment based on available information. That IS philosophy

[overman926]

You forgot Colbert.

[ral1334]

You forgot "Move back in with your parents, sink into a deep depression, self-medicate with vodka and alprazolam, get arrested for running naked through the streets screaming 'God is dead!', and spend the rest of your days as the most erudite resident of a local halfway house."

[henryporter101]

@ral1334 One of the funniest comments I've read on youtube for a while."The most erudite resident of a local halfway house"Brilliant!

[DerSchnurrbart]

I didn't realize so many comedians took philosophy.

[ursulee]

david duchovny took philosophy classes while majoring in English literature. I wouldn't say he counts :D

[thegame52291]

elie weisel would....

[BlckSbthMan]

I'm wondering if their degrees in philosophy are actually what is to thank for their success, or if they just happen to have the degrees.

As much as philosophy intruiges me, I'm going to apply it against philosophy.

[TaliesinMcKnight]

this song sucks... i thought this video would explain more about why to study then just being accomplished in a materialistic society :(

[shortgavin]

teeerrrrible song

[tnguyen318]

How can you Study Philosophy when you don't even know what it means!!?!!

[dboe9002]

OM this is nice i guess can somebody really inform me why a Sagittarius like myself (were ppl know for being philosophers after all) should get a degree in philosophy

[Samuraionthewall]

@dboe9002 Well, I could inform you why astrology (zodiac and other nonsense) is bullshit: copy this URL and paste it just after the slash after youtube.com: watch?v=LK3YRZaubSw

[henryporter101]

This my challenge to any philosophy student:what new knowledge has been acquired by 21st century philosophers?Or to phrase the question another way:what contribution to Human knowledge has been made by a philosopher in the last ten years?

[Samuraionthewall]

@henryporter101 I'm not a philosophy student, but you might want to look up Plato, Aristoteles, (antiquity) Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Leibniz, Kant, Comte (roughly around the time of enlightenment), Popper, Kuhn, Feyerabend, Lakatos, Sokal, van Fraassen (roughly 20th century), Daniel Dennett (recent)... they all have made important contributions to philosophy and science alike: the philosophy of science is essential to scientific practice. Note: some of them were/are scientists as well.

[henryporter101]

@Samuraionthewall Popper was the last person,that I'm aware of,who has made a contribution to Human knowledge.That is why my question is about 21st century philsophers.What knowledge has Dennett secured for humanity?I mean this as a serious question.

[Samuraionthewall]

@henryporter101 Wow, talk about a quick reply. Haha. Well, the contribution lies in the stimulation of thought. Presenting new ways of looking at certain problems is already very important. Dennett has written several such thought-provoking papers of which some deal with neuroscience: his essay "Where am I?" explores a question related to the mind-body-identity theory, for instance.

[henryporter101]

@Samuraionthewall I have been waiting at the computer for someone to reply to my question(lol)I agree that Dennett has written some papers,but as you've written,he uses scientific methodology to back up his views.I've just read a paper on belief by Dennett in which he writes that we can't speak authoritatively about beliefs because we don't have the science available to us yet.It appears that plenty of philosophers don't like because he shows the limitations of Human knowledge.

[henryporter101]

@henryporter101 That should read "written some interesting papers" and "don't like him".I recall Dennett saying,after going to a philosophy conference,that he "felt like a cop at woodstock".

[Samuraionthewall]

@henry Well, you can't exclude people who enriched their repertoire with scientific tools, that way you'd just construct a No True Scotsman ("Real philosophers only use x"). Even if you can't quantify the influence of something doesn't mean it's without influence. Ideas usually precede the tools necessary to test them, that's why I would humbly consider myself (and others) incompetent to assess the utility of philosophy beyond my initial judgement that it can be useful, as the evidence suggests.

[henryporter101]

@Samuraionthewall Thanks for the answer.I agree that philosophy has an influence,in the same way that literature,poetry and music are influential.Philosophy is a broad term that formerly included logic(which is now a branch of mathematics)linguistics,psycho­logy and the sciences.Now there's not a lot left for philosophers to do.Speculating about free will,morality and the nature of reality is a noble pursuit.But I can't see any 'evidence' for the utility of academic philosophy.

[Samuraionthewall]

@henryporter101 Well, what kind(s) of evidence would you accept?

[henryporter101]

@Samuraionthewall One report that philosophers at such and such University have solved a problem.Tonight I'll be doing what I usually do on a Wednesday night,which is go to the philosophy club at the Uni.I enjoy going there,so there is that kind of utility,that is,people can derive enjoyment by speculating about philosophical problems.But just one agreed upon answer to a 'philosophical problem' would constitute evidence for its utility with regard to the practical problems that societies face.

[henryporter101]

@Samuraionthewall You've given me a list of names but no 21st century contribution.

[Mike10four]

The word “philosophy” comes from the Greek word “philosophia” which means “love of wisdom.” All philosophers should know about the primary principles common to all Life and social systems. See my channel video.

[MENDEDSTREAM1]

philosophy is not something that you necessarily need to become successful...but i think you can say the same with all the other subjects. plus some people choose philosophy to benefit they're own career but to benefit they're own understanding of life and its bounties of heavenly delights and hellish torment

[blopajmbar62]

Don't necessarily have to study philosophy to do all of that ..... You can be a doctor , computer engineer , lawyer and you could as well do the same things portrayed in this video

[Sonimmortal]

Philosophy exposes people to crtical thinking, the heavy use of logic which flows to any area of life, business, politics, and especially law. Statistically speaking, the highest scoring group on the LSAT by an average of 5 points, are those who hold degree in philosophy. It's amazing how something so useful, the skills learned by way of a philosophy degree, can be so berated in today's society. Degrees in business, medicine, or finance teach you WHAT to think, not HOW to think

[jshjamaarify]

@Sonimmortal Any college graduate can score a high score on the SAT because of the material is High School material.

[Sonimmortal]

@jshjamaarify Don't confuse SAT with LSAT. LSAT stands for Law School Admissions Test. Completely different league.

[Sonimmortal]

Philosophy exposes people to crtical thinking, the heavy use of logic which flows to any area of life, business, politics, and especially law. Statistically speaking, the highest scoring group on the LSAT by an average of 5 points, are those who hold degree in philosophy. It's amazing how something so useful, the skills learned by way of a philosophy degree, can be so berated in today's society. Degrees in business, medicine, or finance teach you WHAT to think, not HOW to think

[1844Freddy]

This is so gay

[LaughingREALTOR]

I got in so much trouble in school for asking questions. Thats all I have ever wanted to do. Explore the world through question. I remember in high school that the counselors and teachers yelled, beat and made fun of me for asking questions that they could not answer. Question's about the subject they were not expecting about the "Why" and "How" or questions about the big picture of where what they were talking about in the big picture.

[chessbruno]

Also add Paul Shafer on Letterman

[1989warren]

A philosophy degree is great for students who are considering going to law school. The logic and reasoning techniques for formulating arguments in philosophy courses will really help students prep for their first year at law school which is all they'll be doing.

[episcospanky]

What a contrary promo for philosophy! this is the most bizarre thing! I am pro-philosophy as a major.

[lethalmutations]

This song... is really, really annoying.

[Logic1701B]

"My Philosophy" by Ben Folds Five

[jds2131]

i love the song~ what's the title??

[ApeShallNevaKillApe]

Kinda misleading because I'm sure alot of them would have combined philosophy with another subject in an arts degree.

[TheFlanker35]

@1:30,

LOL, I don't know if John Elway's Philosophy degree ever helped him in his career. It definitely helped Phil Jackson though.

@1:57,

Didn't Angela Davis and Havel cancel each other out in a way? Davis advocated torturing Czech inmates after Prague Spring and Vaclav Havael was a great reformer and human rights advocate in the Czech Republic and Czechoslovakia.

[danny3571]

My philosophy is not to study philosophy....

[Logic1701B]

I think you might be missing the point of the video. Many people argue that you can't do anything with a degree in philosophy. Instead, they argue that you should study something "practical". The point here is that a number of successful people have majored in philosophy and gone on to apply that degree in a whole range of professions/activities. Also,this isn't a list of people that are philosophers, only ones who have started with a degree in philosophy and have gone on to do interesting work

[MrNovoid]

I major in philosophy and i don't think these people are the best exemples you could find.

Marthin Luther King however had is place.

I would agree with Bruce Lee as an individual who lived through is philosophy.

[Dudex58]

Bruce Lee is the only person here that actually used philosophy on a daily bases, he even say things in interviews, most of these guys are corrupt, which is the contrary of what philosophy stands for.

[markell89]

the song is the shit.

[markell89]

@markell89 wat is the name of this song

[infidel94]

i just read the title of this video and I stopped the video. you are right. why do we have to study philosophy or gain knowledge in philosophy from somebody else when philosophy is what you have to find in yourself and question others.

[hamiltino]

@infidel94 That is true, however studying it will help focus our perception of reality to understanding the universal laws of life so that you can build your understanding of the nature of reality and the most fundamental questions of life in a much quicker fashion, rather than distracting your self from other activities. Studying philosophy wont teach you but rather direct you to questions that force you to think and express your individuality, as opposed to other dogma like degrees.

[quietjarvis]

if those guys studied philosophy, then i won't. all of them are sons of bitches, realy

[robertwc82]

the only reason i would study anything is curiosity.

"curious minds want to know"

[Arianrhod21]

This video is great! And is very useful, because most of the people that would like to study philosophy are afraid that there's too much theory in its subject and there's no practical benefit from studying it. Philosophy is a unique discipline that cover a wide range of aspects our lives. It is the most general study of life, everything that exists, existed and might exist. What can be better? :)

Thanks to Logic1701B!!! :)

[lordrazi111693]

i knew george carlin will be there!

i love that guy. so funny

[Logic1701B]

I am not sure why think this is "stupid" or a poor means of promoting the study of philosophy.

1. The list of people shown was generated from philosophy dept. websites across the U.S. and Canada.

2. The video shows that a degree in philosophy can be used for a number of different professions.

3. Philosophy does in fact mean "love of wisdom". Not to mention that there are very well established areas of philosophic study: ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, social and political, phil religion etc.

[6marilyn6mans0n6]

@Logic1701B You've well studied philosophy. But if you study Art, you'd think of this video as an inspiration for young people who ASK WHAT AM I GONNA BECOME when I study this field?

of course I don't wanna become any of those? But I have a picture.

[TheSophist2007]

@Logic1701B just because they studied philosophy does not mean it was the source of their success.

post hoc ergo propter hoc

[carlsantanya]

This video is an extremely poor means of promoting the study of philosophy.

[roger5521]

i agree. this is stupid... philosophy is a vague word that can mean many different things... when we talk of studying philosophy, it is usually about immersing oneself in a beurocratic system, so your really training in reading and writing, and fitting oneself into a hierarchical, power framework... if you want real philosophy read ernes becker's escape from evil... that book will knock you on your ass... humans are animals, and animals are organisms and organismic life is about power...

[bananabread119]

@roger5521

Your an idiot and you know nothing of philosophy. From what your saying philosophy falls into relativism.

[scarletflip]

most of this people have no philosophy degree but a politics degree/law degree/economics degree not philosophy