What will happen to humanity if there is no philosophy?

Question

What will happen to humanity if there is no philosophy?

Answer 1

While I do not currently tutor Philosophy on Wyzant, I have studied various areas of Eastern And Western Philosophy, both for personal interest and as part of coming to understand aspects of Philosophy, Religion, and the Environment.

That being said, I do have thoughts about your question. Please indulge me.

First, it is important to have a clear and correct understanding of what “Philosophy” is. For this discussion, I will proceed from the most commonly accepted definition and understanding of what we understand as philosophy.

According to the World History Encyclopedia, the word philosophy comes from two Greek words philo (love) and sophia (wisdom).

Philosophy is difficult to define, mainly because it means different things to different people. However, some commonalities exist between the various definitions used by people, and groups.

According to The Philosophy Foundation “Philosophy is a way of thinking about certain subjects such as ethics, thought, existence, time, meaning and value. That 'way of thinking' involves 4 Rs: responsiveness, reflection, reason, and re-evaluation. The aim is to deepen understanding. The hope is that by doing philosophy we learn to think better, to act more wisely, and thereby help to improve the quality of all our lives.” (The Philosophy Foundation, 2021).

“philosophy, (from Greek, by way of Latin, philosophia, “love of wisdom”) the rational, abstract, and methodical consideration of reality as a whole, or of fundamental dimensions of human existence and experience. Philosophical inquiry is a central element in the intellectual history of many civilizations.” (Encyclopædia Britannica, n.d.).

As can be seen, by a brief survey of available written material, it appears that some commonalities between the many definitions, philosophy is a very human endeavor. One in which people identify, explore, discuss, and attempt to bring understanding to the most common elements of the human condition, which also prove to be the most elusive of all knowledge and understanding.

This elusive nature arises out of the very questions being asked, as these questions, although very real in nature, lack verifiable and repeatable physical evidence of proof.

While Western Philosophy, as a more or less formal school of thought, is believed by some to have begun in Asia Minor (circa 580 BCE), and probably in China for Eastern Philosophy (circa 650 BCE), people have likely been asking questions of philosophical nature since well before recorded human history.

With this very brief review of the commonalities of definition and an idea of the history of formal philosophical inquiry, we can proceed next to the very genesis of philosophical inquiry.  When we understand “from where philosophical inquiry arises” then perhaps we can begin to understand an answer for our original question.

Philosophy, at its most basic level, seems to stem from our need (or desire) for understanding and our will to gain this understanding through inquiry, rational thought, and discussion, in the absence (or sometimes presence) of evidence of proof. The question then is where does this need or desire come from?

While the Western and Eastern schools of philosophy deal with the question of human “thought” somewhat differently, the differences are usually about definitions and levels into which they classify characteristics of thought, consciousness, emotions, sentience, etc. 

Ultimately it appears to come down to one thing. Philosophy arises from “thought.” Reasonable, rational, inquisitive, logical thought. It is believed that this capacity for such thought arises from our sentience and our consciousness.

So, my answer to the original question “What will happen to humanity if there is no philosophy?” can only be “ If there is no Philosophy, then does this indicate that humanity has lost its consciousness and therefore its capacity for reasonable, rational, inquisitive thought?”

Ron P.

References:

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Philosophy. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved October 26, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/philosophy.

The Philosophy Foundation. (2021). What is philosophy? Retrieved October 26, 2021, from https://www.philosophy-foundation.org/what-is-philosophy.