Post #10 Misc. – The Problem of Modern Philosophy

    This post is going to stray away form my usual informative posts where I explain a theme and topic in philosophy, and I will now be going into my own personal view on an issue in philosophy. I am about to complete my first year in college, and as a philosophy major I enjoy the ideas and concepts of the field and love sharing the thoughts with those around me as I find them absolutely fascinating to ponder. However, many people do not share nearly as high of an enthusiasm for philosophy as others might, which is perfectly understandable, as philosophy is a complex topic and not everybody holds such an endearment to other topics. After all, I am not interested in news in the world of economics or knowledge on auto mechanics. However, philosophy is a subject in which not only is it not a popular topic, but many also refrain from uttering it into existence in any form. 

    I have theories on the reasons for societal aversion to the subject of philosophy, but I do need to note that none of my theories are intended or designed to be hostile or rude towards anyone whom they may apply to. One reason might be the lack of logical thought in which people engage in anymore. Another might be due to past ridicule of philosophy which might result in the decline and perhaps "taboo" nature of the subject. A final possibility in my eyes might be that the overly academized state of modern philosophy forces individuals to shy away from the topic out of a hesitant fear of mocking.

    My first reason, that people fail to participate in logical thought as they might have once, stems from a similar reason that Richard Y Chappell writes of, which is that people seem to care less than in that past about the quality of arguments. People would rather jump from the beginning of the argument to their end without concerning themselves with the reasoning of the argument, not just the result. There is a possibility that part of this nature is due to the introduction of resources such as the internet where at the push of a button the question that is asked is suddenly answered, and curiosity is immediately rewarded. When I was no older than 12 years old, I was enamored by the concept of astronomy and quantum physics, and any question I had I could look up and I knew exactly what I wanted to know. Philosophy, however, is not a subject where such a path can be taken. Philosophy, as many might agree, is the asking of the unanswerable. Looking up a philosophical question might lead you to previous minds' arguments, but never the true answer you were looking for. That fact is one reason I think philosophy is such a difficult topic to broach.

    The next reason is that which I heard from many when I told family and friends that I wanted to major in philosophy when I got to college. Philosophy tends to experience lots of backlash from those around us. It is criticized because it is no hard science, though I could posit that it remains as a soft science, perhaps which might become a later post of its own. However, following the Great Recession of 2008, the number of humanities majors dropped by 30% of what was it was previously, likely due to the fear of getting a job after getting the degree. As such, STEM majors became much more recommended, and the use of philosophy plummeted in the eyes of the public. 

    My final reason is not at the fault of the public, but at the community of philosophers who, intentional or no, have used the gift of language to block people off from philosophy rather than disperse the knowledge. Many people who aren't turned away by the other two reasons almost certainly are driven away from philosophy for this reason. Entering the world of philosophy is like conversion with extraterrestrial aliens on another planet. Their language is impossible to understand, with multiple words having opposite meanings, such as the differences between Hobbes' and Locke's states of nature, both spelled identical but having vastly different definitions. Philosophers continue to develop new terms which might be understandable to other fellow philosophers, but becomes hieroglyphics to the average person. As such, without rigorous learning of all of these philosophical terms and the preparation for more to appear and past ones to change definitions on a dime, it can feel like climbing Mount Everest in the pursuit of joining the community of philosophers. I cannot remember who said it, but there was one philosopher who felt that philosophy should be understood by everybody, and the minute it doesn't the information becomes useless. I agree with the sentiment very much, and sadly I fear we have passed that point far earlier in history.

    I love learning in a philosophical manner, and I have no intention of stopping, but these reasons combined make me feel that the introduction of other members who might become greats such as Aristotle, Descartes, Kant, Locke, etc., a struggle and by far and large, an impossible feat. I cannot say I have such a solution at the time, but I do feel that the problems must be made known and reenumerated, otherwise the sands of time might wash them away and philosophy might surely die.