Philosophy matters to you

Mateo Villarreal, 2020

romanocircolo@gmail.com

Philosophy matters to you. – ‘Not to me', more than one could say, and it is true
that, nowadays, there are many who look at philosophy with indifference or who ignore
it totally. The large amount of information and knowledge available, widely accessible,
makes philosophy's claim to possess a wisdom that is easily found superfluous. The
primary interest today is clearly of a practical nature, and anything that at first glance
is far from immediately applicable seems condemned to the last place in the long to-
do list that we may have. In this context, it seems to be false that philosophy is
important to us.

But first, what exactly is philosophy? And already here numerous problems are
opening that could keep many people from wondering and investigating a little bit
about philosophy. The fact is that throughout history there have been many different
ways of conceiving the identity of this discipline or science, and it even seems a waste
of time to be interested in something that does not have a clearly defined object or
method, or even its very nature.

And we, who in no way intend to ignore all the debate that has taken place and
that there is on the sterility and uselessness of philosophy, and who will much less have
the arrogance to give the definitive answer to all the questions that the existence of this
discipline has raised, cannot not speak, cannot remain silent in the face of something
that we think is of capital importance for our lives and for the lives of others, for
everyone. That is why we wanted here, briefly, to explain what we understand by
philosophy and how it can have a positive influence on us.

The term 'philosophy' comes from 'love of wisdom' in the Greek language and
therefore implies, right from the start, a double component between a deeply personal
attitude (love) and a cognitive sphere (wisdom). Philosophy is therefore a fully human
activity insofar as it integrates all the dimensions of man. It is born as the fruit of the

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wonder of considering the world, with all its components and elements among which
one stands out oneself and other people. In the face of this observation and of
numerous experiences in which surprising things are experienced, a very strong desire
arises in the human being to know in depth all the richness and variety of reality.

And some might think that this is precisely the description of what makes the
natural sciences emerge, and that is that, in fact, philosophy and what we call science
today were born together and at the same moment. And this is a very interesting fact
that we may have occasion to examine at another time. But suffice it to say for now
that philosophy is not something that today has become obsolete in the face of the
development and achievements of the experimental sciences. On the contrary, perhaps
it is now possible to distinguish more clearly the difference and mutual
complementarity that philosophy and science can have, each in its own field. Because
the knowledge that philosophy seeks from reality is its ultimate foundation, the reason
why things are as they are and what it implies that they are in a certain way. It puts the
most fundamental problems that, in some way, come presupposed and assumed by
any other science, discipline or person: Why does something exist and not nothing?
How is it that things change, without ceasing to be themselves? Where does the variety
and complexity of things come from? And it is true that the experimental sciences do
say something and try to answer some of these questions, but, although philosophy
recognizes the validity and legitimacy of these answers, it thinks that this is not all that
can be said and that there is still a dimension of the problem that cannot be accessed
from the method of the natural sciences alone.

But the greatest wonder emerges when one considers the human being and all
the richness and variety of his capacities, actions and motivations. Indeed: how can we
know? what is it, to begin with, to know? why do we act, what do we want from our
life? what is freedom? how can we live well? what is good, what is happiness? And here
we begin to see more clearly the great importance of philosophy for our own lives.
Because, as absurd as it may seem to mention the obvious, we exist, here we are; and
the point is that our existence raises in ourselves a whole series of questions that we
cannot ignore without risking ruin and radical frustration. We realize that we can do
or not do something, or do one thing or another, or do it in many ways. Through our
actions, we are forging our lives, in a sense, like a playwright playing a definite role.

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Only the play in this case is real, it is not a fiction in which any result is equally valid,
since it does not really affect us. We perceive that there are times when we do not get
what we want, and we suffer for it, and others when we reach what we seek and enjoy
with it; there are situations where surprisingly we realize that not everything that
immediately seems good is really good, and that we may even suffer a lot for not having
decided well, for having chosen what seemed easier and more pleasant and which
turned out to be dry and bitter.

Certainly these are not banal things, in fact, the realization of our life is at stake,
they are the knowledge where it is most radically important not to make mistakes,
where it is essential to have a light that guides us and allows us to place ourselves
before existence. And this is where philosophy offers answers, answers from so many
people over many centuries. But, above all, philosophy offers itself, because certainly
it is not only a matter of seeing what others have said, although this is also very
important, but of interiorizing the search and reflection on the essential aspects of our
life and reality. Because it is not just knowing something, it is not just any kind of
information that is sought. We are talking about wisdom, about that knowledge that is
savored, about that knowledge that our being is so keen to possess, about the issues in
which the meaning of everything that is important to us is decided. It's not just any
kind of knowledge, it's one that involves the whole person and leads him or her to
actively and existentially engage in the search and in living in accordance with that
knowledge. It is love for wisdom, it is love for life, it is passion for what is truly
important.