A delineation between Necessary Philosophy and Recreational Philosophy
One goes through life and hears things from philosophers that seem quite absurd, notions that everyone in the developed world is evil, there is no absolute proof the sun will rise tomorrow, do you have hands. It seems most people hear such statements and, with fair reason, write off philosophy. The notion being it is the toy of people with too much time to play. I would like to offer an idea to demonstrate the difference between the toy and a tool for something more. I have dubbed them Necessary Philosophy (NP) and Recreational Philosophy (RP).
Necessary Philosophy
I will begin by describing the scope of NP, so I do not overstate my case. I do not mean necessary in the sense that food and water are necessary. Plenty of people have lived their lives without considering the questions I consider of the utmost importance. This is because I was exposed to a quote at young age that has stuck with me and formed a bedrock of my worldview;
“An unexamined life is not worth living”
If this statement is taken to be true than examining one’s life is necessary. Still however we are quite broad, what does it mean to examine one’s life. I will lay out my beliefs however I assert anything that is examining one’s personal life fits NP.
Question of Necessary Philosophy
I strongly believe that suicide is the first question anyone who examines their life must answer. For the deist, if your god forbids than you have your justification for life. For the agnostic & atheist, in a universe devoid of objective meaning (most agnostics will assert that such meaning cannot be known) what is the difference between ending one’s life and continuing. This will often demonstrate what gives life a positive value.
“There is but one truly serious philosophical problem and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy.”
The question of consciousness is essential to NP. I do not mean that we all must dive into the vast literature of neuroscience, but we must examine our own experience of being something. What is the moment to moment like. How do I generate ideas, how do I make decisions and what does it mean to be me?
"Happiness and suffering, however extreme, are mental events. The mind depends upon the body, and the body upon the world, but everything good or bad that happens in your life must appear in consciousness to matter."
What is my place in the universe and amongst other people? This once again may go back to metaphysical beliefs about God or a lack thereof. This dictates questions like why does the universe give me a hard time? How ought I treat other people?
“It was as if that great rush of anger had washed me clean, emptied me of hope, and, gazing up at the dark sky spangled with its signs and stars, for the first time, the first, I laid my heart open to the benign indifference of the universe.”
Recreational Philosophy
Let us know consider RP, I consider this the realm of questions that require thought and logic but are not significant contributors to considering one’s own life. This judgement is once again subjective. However, I think most would agree questions regarding abstract mathematics and the Theory of Forms amount to not much more than intellectual recreation. I also do not wish to condemn RP in anyway, it is obviously less important than NP, but it is still plenty of fun. I consider chess a form of RP, mathematics for the sake of mathematics, these require the exercise of the faculty of reason. Such is a treasure that is free and unlimited.
Quotes
1. Written by Plato but he attributes the quote to Socrates in “Apology”
2. Albert Camus – The Myth of Sisyphus
3. Sam Harris – Waking up
4. Albert Camus – The Stranger (L’ Etranger)
