The Value of Philosophy

Most people understand philosophy as being a sort of speculative mental activity without practical results. Moreover, the image that comes to our minds when we think of a "philosopher" is that of a bearded professor, smoking a pipe, thinking intensely about abstract ideas, and surrounded by many books, most of them unreadable to the common folk.

But the latter is not philosophy; at most, it may be called intellectualism. Philosophy, in fact, is a way of life, of experiencing life, and most philosophers of the past were men of action. Today many words lost their meaning, even though we are in the information era, but alas! This information is superficial, and tends to make us to believe that we know, thus preventing us to look for the true meaning of the things.

Philosophy, as its names implies (Philo: love, and Sophy: Wisdom) is the Love for Wisdom. That’s it.

Therefore, it is not mere accumulation of knowledge, quite the contrary, since what the philosopher is looking for is Wisdom, and this consists of tried and tested knowledge, a knowledge that becomes flesh and blood when incarnated in a man and, above all, it is practical. Theoretical knowledge is not wisdom, for how many diplomas are necessary to convert a donkey into a wise? On the other hand, how many times have we found Wisdom in a simple man, without titles or positions? Precisely, the main characteristic of true philosophy is practicality.

Any human being, who is honest and sincere, looks for wisdom. All Holy Books talk about the importance of Wisdom in our lives, and all of them invite us to search for it. Wouldn’t our lives be simpler, our goals clearer, and the mistakes fewer if we were wise?

Many people exercise big efforts to gain knowledge, to study and to get diplomas, sometimes spending many years and a lot of money, but how little do we do to obtain wisdom? The latter never perishes, is never outdated, and is useful in this life and the other.

But how can we attain that wisdom? Well, everywhere, in Nature’s interrogation, in the words of the wise people of all epochs, in the holy books... and in the honest heart of men who look for the Truth. So, the problem is not "where," it’s about changing our attitude.

And the philosophers, what have they done to benefit this world? Many things, wherever there was a school of philosophy also there was advancement, innovation, and experience. Great men were educated there, men who were the founders of arts, architecture, medicine and many other things. Everyone knows, for example, that there was a golden era in Greek classical times, or in the European Renaissance, or in Ancient Egypt: look at their main actors, read their writings, and they will tell you that they became active agents in those times because first they learnt from the wise people, from the philosophers.

For example, the Islamic civilization reached its height when it had many philosophers. These Islamic philosophers were not vulgar men, they were universal men…men of renaissance: Philosophy for them it was just the summary of all the rest of their knowledge. They were interested in everything, they understood clearly that true wisdom is not merely concerned with one aspect of the human activity (namely Arts, Politics, Sciences and Religion) but with all of them at the same time. Some of the greatest include:

• Al Kindi (801-873 CE): Philosopher, scientist, astrologer, astronomer, chemist, mathematician, musician, physician, and physicist
• Al-Razi (865-925 CE): Philosopher, physician and alchemist.
• Al-Farabi (872-951): Philosopher, physician, mathematician, musician
• Al-Amiri (992): Philosopher, theologian, mathematician and geologist.
• Al-Biruni (973-1048 CE): Philosopher, theologian, physicist, anthropologist, astronomer, historian, geographer, geodesist, geologist, mathematician, pharmacist, physician.
• Ibn-Sina (980-1037 CE): Philosopher, physician, astronomer, chemist, logician, mathematician, physicist, poet, soldier, theologian, and state man.
• Al-Ghazzali (1058-1111 CE): Philosopher, theologian, jurist, and mystic.
• Ibn Bajjah (1138): Philosopher, astronomer, physician, physicist, poet and mathematician.
• Ibn Tufail (1105-1185 CE): Philosopher, physician, state man.
• Ibn-Rushd (1126-1198 CE): Philosopher, physician, theologian, astronomer, mathematician, physicist.
• Al-Tusi (1021-1274 CE): Philosopher, astronomer, biologist, chemist, mathematician, physician, and theologian. etc., etc.

What is the main characteristic of all of them: First, they were philosophers, and second they all belong to the Islamic Golden Age, usually dated from the middle of the 8th century to the middle of the 13th century.

When did the decadence of the Islamic culture start? When the philosophers began to be persecuted, when there was no more room for free investigation and thinking, when the philosophers began to disappeare from the culture.

They led the people to the peak of enlightenment and civilization, but where are they now, in this moment in which we need them more than ever?

Nevertheless, great philosophers do not come out of the blue, they come from people, from those who begin to ask themselves about their origin, their task in the world, and their direction. Philosophy begins with the path of self-transformation. So, let's help ourselves and help the world around us by building our inner wisdom, let's come closer to the Wisdom and say “I am also a humble searcher of the Wisdom, a philosopher, for I want to help mankind.”

And for those who say philosophy is nonsense, and that philosophers are charlatans, my answer is very simple: look around you, see what this world has come to without philosophers... by the fruits you will know the tree.