Philosophy brings us, a kind of freedom and powers us with a sense of openness of life. When we acknowledge the everyday relevance and importance of philosophy, we should adopt a healthy philosophical attitude towards the pursuit of solutions to its problems and becoming skilled in the concepts and methods of philosophy so as to be able to think and communicate effectively about philosophical problems. To develop a healthy philosophical attitude, there are five points to understand:
- Caring rather than indifferent
- Courageous rather than timid
- Open rather than closed
- Grateful rather than resentful
- Assertive rather than passive
The ultimate objective of philosophizing is not merely to avoid errors. Its ultimate objective is to gain knowledge of the truth. Philosophy calls us to put the dignity and courage of intellectual honesty ahead of emotional comfort. It saves us from dogmatism or arrogance. So, we can draw the followings points as the utility of philosophy:
- Philosophy inculcates in us the habit of thinking.
- Philosophy yields new ideas.
- Philosophy makes us more decisive.
- Philosophy enhances confidence.
- Philosophy determines the values for life.
- Philosophy has a use in other field of sciences too.
- Philosophy yields metaphysical knowledge.
- Philosophy gives true freedom to man.
- Philosophy can guide the scientific civilization along the right path.
- Philosophy is an essential part of higher education and associated with Religion, Morality, Art & Aesthetics and Politics etc.
- Sources:
- Richard E. Creel, Thinking Philosophically: An Introduction to Critical Reflection and Rational Dialogue, Wiley-Blackwell, 2001.
- BA First Year (Notes), Philosophy, Paper-I, USOL, Panjab University Chandigarh.
Picture citation:
Elements of Philosophy 