[Serious] Generally speaking, is philosophy a worthwhile subject of study?

[brewer]

I don't have much use for philosophy that I don't find valid or have a particular impact in my life. 

I'm curious what philosophy you've found a use for, and has an impact on your life.

Off hand I don't have an answer for you. Put some forward and maybe I'll tell you.

Got one on:

carpentry, medical/pharmacy (don't give me the do no harm), brick laying/concrete, internal combustion engines, transportation, farming/ranching, electric, plumbing/sewage....

The list of what I consider non philosophy things that directly impact my life are extensive. There might be some overall guiding philosophy(s) that I'm not taking into account, I'm sure capitalism and free market are two but clue me in on others. There may be many others that I benefit from just as you definitely benefit from non philosophy endeavors but give little credit to because I'm convinced you believe they are beneath you.

[Belacqua]

Well many physics theorists are trying to find a mathematical seed like property that could with enough seeding behave much like reality other theorists are trying to see how bundled up dimensional seeds can harmonise to a 4D space time like what we exist in. As of yet no one has found that good a fit. A new approach call constructor theory focuses more on building from and mapping whats possible. All of these areas are pushing the very limits of our current general axioms or underpinning assumptions of truth. In time we will likely have to model far more possibilities and investigate more axioms to see if we can get more clarity regarding the fabric of reality. 

This all sounds amazing -- and completely over my head! 

It must be a fascinating field to work in.

Physics therefore needs more philosophy right now to prepare minds for the future challenges of science exploration and discovery.

I suspect that breakthroughs in a lot of areas are related, more or less directly, to philosophy. It's been surprising for me to learn over the years how in the arts, Locke led to Neoclassicism (indirectly, and often not consciously on the part of the practitioners), Kant led to Impressionism, reactions against modern metaphysics led to Romanticism, Symbolism, and Surrealism. In Japan, Taoism determined what the ink painting would look like, and how haiku would sound. 

Our practices come from ideas, whether we know it or not!

---

Put some forward and maybe I'll tell you.

That's OK. Sorry to bother you.

[brewer]

Not really my cup of tea, nor would it be Crosby's.  He's strongly associated with pragmatism, as you probably read on the wiki.  That's part of why he thinks philosophy is a worthwhile subject of study.   As a commentator on human ecology, the ideas he advocates for could be useful to you in deciding what kind of chair to make, what to make it of, how to make it, etc.

They probably already have been.

Making that inference based on the wiki site seems like a stretch, but pat yourself on the back anyway.

[The Grand Nudger]

Another one of those times where I'm not sure what to do with something. Do you not have ideas about what kind of chair you want to make , what you think it should be made of, and how you should go about actually manufacturing it? Can you see no practical value to your life, and your desire to make a chair, to these items? Or is it that these ideas you do have about chairs are taken for granted as obvious and arising from nothing? Do you take whatever ideas those are, whatever they are, as completely obvious and self apparent?

Pat yourself on the back? You've thought about these things, ideas that come from somewhere or exist in your mind because of some momentum, and chalk it up to philosophy by osmosis?

Meanwhile, that body of thought isn't just limited to chairs. It's been used to explain and predict abuse in families. Differential development in children. The evolution of human society both historically and in the present. Agricultural enterprise. A veritable cornucopia of things immanently relevant to you, your life, and the organization of your society. One day, his work will be the actual explanation for what will be either the predominant religion in society or a significant undercurrent of every extant (and differential) value system. Didn't even have to know the guy existed or the name for the body of thought - it's already part of your worldview - and for good reason.

[brewer]

[LadyForCamus]

Lol, “E” for effort, Nudge.

[vulcanlogician]

ATTENTION PHILOSOPHERS:

Stay off Brewer's lawn!

[The Grand Nudger]

Ironic in context, as our lawns that we're so protective of are made of what those same people have opined upon - and we agree with them.

[Belacqua]

carpentry, medical/pharmacy (don't give me the do no harm), brick laying/concrete, internal combustion engines, transportation, farming/ranching, electric, plumbing/sewage....

[...]

I'm convinced you believe they are beneath you.

(Just walked to the train station and back to blow the cobwebs off.)

What you say is interesting to me because it suggests (please correct me if I'm wrong) that a dislike of philosophy may contain an element of class consciousness. Perhaps philosophy is perceived as being an elite thing, and people who do it are assumed to look down on others. 

I think social class is a huge issue that Americans tend to overlook. (Japanese people too.) Pierre Bourdieu has written about how certain kinds of knowledge constitute "cultural capital," that people can accumulate and spend for social distinction. This is well played in the recent movie House of Gucci, where the Lady Gaga character is instantly recognizable as an outsider because she confuses Klimt with Picasso, and enjoys touristy stuff in Paris. 

For what it's worth, I admit to looking down on some things, and I hope that I look down on bad philosophy every bit as much as I look down on any other bad thing. I haven't talked about it on this forum, but my own adventures in cabinetmaking over the years have given me enormous respect for people who do it well. This or any other craft.

@John 6IX Breezy:

Pinker is obviously in ultra-elite circles (Harvard prof who flew with Epstein), yet I wonder how much of the dislike for philosophers he perceives is related to this classist impression. Do philosophers, even to other academics, seem like elite tweed-wearers who snidely question the assumptions of hard-working real people?

[brewer]

carpentry, medical/pharmacy (don't give me the do no harm), brick laying/concrete, internal combustion engines, transportation, farming/ranching, electric, plumbing/sewage....

[...]

I'm convinced you believe they are beneath you.

(Just walked to the train station and back to blow the cobwebs off.)

What you say is interesting to me because it suggests (please correct me if I'm wrong) that a dislike of philosophy may contain an element of class consciousness. Perhaps philosophy is perceived as being an elite thing, and people who do it are assumed to look down on others. 

I think social class is a huge issue that Americans tend to overlook. (Japanese people too.) Pierre Bourdieu has written about how certain kinds of knowledge constitute "cultural capital," that people can accumulate and spend for social distinction. This is well played in the recent movie House of Gucci, where the Lady Gaga character is instantly recognizable as an outsider because she confuses Klimt with Picasso, and enjoys touristy stuff in Paris. 

For what it's worth, I admit to looking down on some things, and I hope that I look down on bad philosophy every bit as much as I look down on any other bad thing. I haven't talked about it on this forum, but my own adventures in cabinetmaking over the years have given me enormous respect for people who do it well. This or any other craft.

@John 6IX Breezy:

Pinker is obviously in ultra-elite circles (Harvard prof who flew with Epstein), yet I wonder how much of the dislike for philosophers he perceives is related to this classist impression. Do philosophers, even to other academics, seem like elite tweed-wearers who snidely question the assumptions of hard-working real people?

I think you put those less interested/educated with all things philosophy on a pedestal below yours.

I'll be honest, it's not necessarily a dislike of which ever philosophy but more often the philosophers. They often spend to much time/energy trying to impress others, i.e. using 100 words when 10 will do. You did it just now with the name dropping.