A case for philosophy

This is a fruit fly, scientific name, Drosophila melanogaster.

Every year, thousands of scientists across the globe, spend millions of dollars and man hours studying this fascinating creature. I happen to be one of them. More specifically, I wish to study motivation and decision-making in these creatures and hope to, one day, be able to decipher some fundamental principles governing the brain by looking at the tiny brains of these flies. In fact, the big philosophical question that I would like to answer is, Why do animals do things that they do? But before I embark on my journey to answer this question, do I know why is it that I am doing what I am doing?

Our planet is home to more than 1,000,000 million species of flies (order Diptera), the same order that the fruit fly belongs to. There are roughly 5,500 species of mammals and 8 species of great apes. All of these animals, despite of the great variability in size and complexity, have very similar drives and motivations. We are all engaged in a struggle for food, sex and shelter that, at least from the outside, looks similar. What is it then, that distinguishes us from the millions of other species on the planet? What is the essential human quality? We get a clue to this answer from the scientific name that we have bestowed upon ourselves. The term Homo sapiens was coined by the Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus and translates to “wise or thinking man” in Latin. Even those who did not know the etymology of this term would agree that of all animals, human beings possess the unique ability to think and plan at a scale that most of other animals can’t or don’t.

Given our grandiose self-assessment as the “wise beings”, one would expect that most humans spend their time improving their thinking skills. Unfortunately, that is not true. Philosophy, which comes from the Greek word philosophia and literally translates to “love of wisdom”, has never been a popular venture. A lack of interest among the general public combined with the notoriously difficult and obscure style of writing of philosophers has pushed philosophy to the edges of intellectual pursuit. While its true that some philosophical writings are dense and difficult to understand, it should not be viewed as an evidence of dullness. Philosophers go to extreme lengths to ensure that their writings stand the test of time and only way to do that is by being rigorous. This added rigor makes the ideas appear either too difficult or too boring. However, many philosophers are making an attempt to present the ideas of philosophers of the past in a palatable fashion. These are a few examples : Academy of ideas Philosophize this! and many more.

Even though we live in an age of uninhibited access to information, the interest in the study of philosophy has not shown a rise. If anything, it has declined after witnessing a rise in popularity in the 18th and 19th century. Studying philosophy is considered to be an unworthy or at least an unprofitable practice. It doesn’t lead to any immediate financial gains and in a world where everything is a commodity and every interaction is a business transaction, philosophy hardly attracts any buyers. The rise of anti-intellectualism among those on the right side of the political spectrum and political correctness among those on the left side of the political spectrum is an evidence of the decline in the philosophical discourse.

Many perceive philosophy  as a dry and lifeless discussion of unimportant questions that has no practical benefits to offer. This could not be farther from truth. If the recent political climate is any indication, we need philosophy now more than ever. In the last two centuries we has witnessed an exponential rate of growth and as a result, human society has undergone a rapid change. For the very first time in human history, people are witnessing technologies, fashion trends and even societal norms change in their lifetimes. The change outside has outpaced the change within. We all, now find ourselves in a world that is changing everyday and we are struggling to keep up. New ethical dilemmas pop up everyday and we have no handbook to refer to. A populace that has never been trained in the formal ways of thinking and reasoning will find itself unable to find its way through these difficult issues.

The fall of religion has made the situation in even more strenuous. With no higher power to look up to, anxiety and depression are on the rise, especially in the developed world. However, by any metric of quality of human life, things are better then they have ever been and there has never been a better time to be alive. Why is it then that human beings with unprecedented access to food and shelter and security find themselves so plagued by sadness. Because, even though we have gained control over the forces of the external world, the world within remains as tumultuous as ever. Mankind might have jumped leaps and bound over the last hundred years, man has not. In fact, the easy control of external factors has left our brain even more anxious than ever. As the storm within brews, it’s effects have spilled over to the “real world” and we see the rise of ideological extremists. A person who is unable to reason independently and whose thoughts are marred with insecurity becomes an easy target for ideologues.

As the influence of science has increased in our lives, philosophy has become a less attractive way of addressing our issues. Improvements in technology have allowed scientists access to the depth of universe as well as the insides of our own body. This has led to a rapid succession of great scientific discoveries in the 20th century that has completely revolutionized our understanding of the world around us. Unfortunately, the growth of sophisticated scientific methods has given rise, among many, to the notion that philosophy has no purpose to serve anymore. This is completely untrue. We can take neuroscience as an example. Scientists in this field sit on a huge pile of information today spurred by the discovery of many ingenious techniques. Yet, out understanding of the brain still remains superficial at best. We need a new breed of scientists who can devise new methods to analyze and interpret the huge mountains of data that we have generated. Hence, even science, considered by many to be end of philosophy, needs fresh breath of life from philosophy.

So, what do we do? We begin by reading the writings of all philosophers who have lived and thought before us. They have pondered over the same questions that we are grappling with now and while their teachings might be antiquated and they might not have discovered the ultimate truth they have made progress. It is our turn to take these teachings and proceed forward from where they left and find useful lessons for our new way of life. The juggernaut of human progress has entered an uncharted territory and the resounding message of the events of out times is that we need to quickly find a way to train ourselves to exist peacefully and purposefully in a world where our long held views on peace and purpose no longer work.