Modern Relevance of Philosophy

Posted by Robert Sharp Apr 8, 2006

When I took my first philosophy class as an undergraduate in college, I realized that my approach to life had always been philosophical. I always wanted to know the deeper reasons behind the world. I suspect that many others feel the same way, even if they have never taken a philosophy class. That is why philosophy will always be an important part of human life. But how often do we engage that aspect of our lives? In ancient times, men of leisure practiced philosophy during their spare time. The Romans called this 'otium cum dignitate' (leisure with dignity).

I will say more about ancient people in my next article, but for now I want to focus on the difference between their perspective and ours. I should hope that readers of this subject can see the "dignitatem" that pursuing philosophy as a hobby involves. However, most people today are not like the leisure classes of Rome or Greece. What downtime we get is spent with family or relaxing from a hard day of labor.

But perhaps we simply do not make the time. The modern world pushes us toward the pursuit of money and technology. Even I, who have made philosophy my career, spend as much time worrying about bills and luxuries as I do exploring the mysteries of life. Perhaps what we need is a reevaluation of our priorities. In many ways, following our cultural trends is the easiest way to live our lives. Anyone can join a herd. To excel, to step outside of the flock and create our own lives, that is a higher calling that most of us never hear, much less answer. The great philosophers from Plato to Kant to Nietzsche all enjoin us to heed this call, to fully engage our world. We have the ability to do so. We must also have the will.