Philosophical progress is invisible because it is incorporated into our points of view. What was tortuously secured by complex argument becomes widely shared intuition, so obvious that we forget its provenance. We don't see it, because we see with it.
Plato At The Googleplex: Why Philosophy Won't Go Away by Rebecca Goldstein
I can scarcely summon the superlatives to sufficiently communicate the joy that is reading this book. So I won't embarrass myself trying. Just pick up a copy and read the dang thing. SPOILER ALERT: If you mouse over the image in this post, you'll get a nice surprise about the jacket and cover design (which I thought was a really nice touch)...
I've included the quote above because it addresses the kind of "philosophy-jeering" (as Goldstein phrases it) that has become a meme among some prominent scientists. Broadly speaking, there is a popular notion that modern physics has left philosophy in its explanatory wake, accusing philosophers of lounging about in seminar rooms asking each other the same questions over and over again while never making any real progress. In effect, philosophy has been rendered obsolete by the awesome power of Physics. Goldstein devotes some time to refuting this, and offers her apology (in the true Platonic sense of the word) in defense of the contributions philosophy has made (and, more importantly, continues to make) in the realms of scientific inquiry, morality, and meaning.
I'm as big a fan of folks like Lawrence Krauss and Neil deGrasse Tyson as anyone, though I am dismayed when I read about their dismissive attitudes towards the value of philosophy. That's kind of a bummer, but I still think they're cool. In this interview, Goldstein briefly outlines why we still need philosophy:
I couldn't agree more.What—if anything— are our lives about? Even if they’re not really about anything—goodbye to the old monotheistic usurpation of this question—can we find answers that will allow us to maximize our own flourishing and—of equal if not greater importance—reasons to care about the flourishing of others? (Caring about ourselves comes kind of naturally to us.) Philosophy has been addressing such questions and making significant, if invisible, progress with them almost ever since there’s been philosophy.
What—if anything— are our lives about? Even if they’re not really about anything—goodbye to the old monotheistic usurpation of this question—can we find answers that will allow us to maximize our own flourishing and—of equal if not greater importance—reasons to care about the flourishing of others? (Caring about ourselves comes kind of naturally to us.) Philosophy has been addressing such questions and making significant, if invisible, progress with them almost ever since there’s been philosophy. - See more at: http://www.butterfliesandwheels.org/2014/interview-with-rebecca-goldstein-on-plato-at-the-googleplex-philosophy-for-the-public-and-everything/#sthash.Tqx4dB6V.dpuf
What—if anything— are our lives about? Even if they’re not really about anything—goodbye to the old monotheistic usurpation of this question—can we find answers that will allow us to maximize our own flourishing and—of equal if not greater importance—reasons to care about the flourishing of others? (Caring about ourselves comes kind of naturally to us.) Philosophy has been addressing such questions and making significant, if invisible, progress with them almost ever since there’s been philosophy. - See more at: http://www.butterfliesandwheels.org/2014/interview-with-rebecca-goldstein-on-plato-at-the-googleplex-philosophy-for-the-public-and-everything/#sthash.Tqx4dB6V.dpuf
What—if anything— are our lives about? Even if they’re not really about anything—goodbye to the old monotheistic usurpation of this question—can we find answers that will allow us to maximize our own flourishing and—of equal if not greater importance—reasons to care about the flourishing of others? (Caring about ourselves comes kind of naturally to us.) Philosophy has been addressing such questions and making significant, if invisible, progress with them almost ever since there’s been philosophy. - See more at: http://www.butterfliesandwheels.org/2014/interview-with-rebecca-goldstein-on-plato-at-the-googleplex-philosophy-for-the-public-and-everything/#sthash.Tqx4dB6V.dpuf
What—if anything— are our lives about? Even if they’re not really about anything—goodbye to the old monotheistic usurpation of this question—can we find answers that will allow us to maximize our own flourishing and—of equal if not greater importance—reasons to care about the flourishing of others? (Caring about ourselves comes kind of naturally to us.) Philosophy has been addressing such questions and making significant, if invisible, progress with them almost ever since there’s been philosophy. - See more at: http://www.butterfliesandwheels.org/2014/interview-with-rebecca-goldstein-on-plato-at-the-googleplex-philosophy-for-the-public-and-everything/#sthash.Tqx4dB6V.dpuf
