Stop making fun of philosophy and read some philosophy

You will be smarter and better for it. We all will.

Socrates
(Image credit: (Bettmann/CORBIS))

"The unexamined life is not worth living." This statement, widely attributed to Socrates, is often offered as a bland, feel-goody bit of wisdom. It's not hard to imagine this advice on a poster showing a cute cat holding a magnifying glass. But for Socrates, it was a matter of fundamental importance — indeed, he died willingly for having led the examined life.

We should all examine our lives and the fundamental nature of living. But few of us do. American culture is famously pragmatic. We are only interested in what works, what doesn't, and what will put a dollar in my pocket. We make jokes about philosophy majors. ("Lotta lucrative career prospects there, amirite?") We don't see the value in going around asking questions like "What is Beauty?" and "What is Justice?" and "Why is there something rather than nothing?" But there is tremendous value in asking these questions, even if that value is not quantifiable in U.S. currency.

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Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry

Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry is a writer and fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. His writing has appeared at Forbes, The Atlantic, First Things, Commentary Magazine, The Daily Beast, The Federalist, Quartz, and other places. He lives in Paris with his beloved wife and daughter.