The duty of philosophy is not to solve problems, but to redefine problems! To show how what we experience as a problem is a false problem. If it is a true problem, then we don't need philosophy. For example, let's say that now there would be a deadly virus coming from outer space - so not in any way mediated through our human history - and it would threaten all of us. Basically, we don't need philosophy there. We need good science to stop this virus. We don't need philosophy, because the threat is real. You cannot play philosophical tricks and say "no, this is not a threat", or whatever. You know what I mean? The threat is there. You can see it.
I don't think philosophers ever provided answers, but I think this was the greatness of philosophy... No! Not in this common sense, that "philosophers just keep asking questions", and so on. I mean, what is philosophy? Philosophy is not what some people think: some crazy exercise in absolute truth, and then you can adopt, you know, this sceptical attitude: "We true scientists are dealing with actual, measurable, solvable problems while philosophers just ask stupid metaphisical questions, play with absolute truth which we all know is inaccessible!" No! I think philosophy is a very modest discipline. Philosophy asks a different question, the true philosophy.
How does the philosopher approach the problem of freedom? It's not "Are we free or not?" or "Is there god or not?" It asks a simple question, which would be called a hermeneutic question: What does it mean to be free? So this is what philosophy basically does. It just asks: when we use certain notions, when we do certain acts, what is the implicit horizon of understanding? It doesn't ask these stupid ideal questions: "Is there truth?". No! The question is: what do you mean when you say this is true? So you can see, it's a very modest thing, philosophy is. Philosophers are not the mad men who search for eternal truth, and so on...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
I don't think philosophers ever provided answers, but I think this was the greatness of philosophy... No! Not in this common sense, that "philosophers just keep asking questions", and so on. I mean, what is philosophy? Philosophy is not what some people think: some crazy exercise in absolute truth, and then you can adopt, you know, this sceptical attitude: "We true scientists are dealing with actual, measurable, solvable problems while philosophers just ask stupid metaphisical questions, play with absolute truth which we all know is inaccessible!" No! I think philosophy is a very modest discipline. Philosophy asks a different question, the true philosophy.
How does the philosopher approach the problem of freedom? It's not "Are we free or not?" or "Is there god or not?" It asks a simple question, which would be called a hermeneutic question: What does it mean to be free? So this is what philosophy basically does. It just asks: when we use certain notions, when we do certain acts, what is the implicit horizon of understanding? It doesn't ask these stupid ideal questions: "Is there truth?". No! The question is: what do you mean when you say this is true? So you can see, it's a very modest thing, philosophy is. Philosophers are not the mad men who search for eternal truth, and so on...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
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