RE: Generally speaking, is philosophy a worthwhile subject of study?
February 12, 2022 at 3:54 pm
(February 12, 2022 at 8:09 am)brewer Wrote: Wow, kind of philosophy self serving don't you think? Build philosophy up, tear down any non philosophy. I am not the 'non philosophy man' that he refers to.
It's worth noting that Russell is defending philosophy from those who think that it's worthless. In that context, it isn't building up philosophy and tearing down non-philosophy.
Think of it this way, if a group of people you know all think one of your friends is a worthless schmuck who is pretty much good for nothing, then it makes sense (if you disagree with them) to extoll your friend's virtues. You might even point out to this group qualities of excellence that your friend has that they don't have.
Without the context of a defense, it would seem really dickish for you to start saying to the group how awesome your friend is, or pointing what he has that they don't have. But within that context, it's fine. Russell is working within that context.
Russell is taking seriously the claim that philosophy is worthless. He disagrees with it, but he still takes it seriously. In that context, he is providing a proper defense of it-- he's not saying that anyone who doesn't like philosophy is a fool. His thesis is: "Philosophy is not worthless." not "philosophy is great." He may hint at it's greatness, but only to argue that it isn't worthless.
