The Use of Philosophy (2)

 what use is moral philosophy or philosophy in general to the average person? not much. all this high falutin talk about virtue and vice, and discussion of simple concepts in terms of technical jargon is just the plaything of pseudointellectuals. no one needs to be that precise about their moral values, nobody is that obsessed with moralizing that they will need categories of values or complex arguments to support their actions. only the fewest people, mainly intellectuals, read moral philosophy, and most of them rarely enact what they have read or practice what they read. most people treat philosophy, like religion nowadays as a trivial accompaniment to their lives, like a pleasant bedside story that they read to themselves so they can sleep better. who is going to read all of kant's metaphysics of morals, and base his daily actions on the the strict observance of these principles? nobody. if you tell the average person on the street that you are a deontologist or a utilitarian, they wouldn't have a clue about what you are talking about. possibly they might have heard of the teachings of the bible, the golden rule, or some practical wisdoms and sayings idiosyncratic to their culture. so what is the purpose of philosophy  then? who is really going to benefit from it? only a few people, only a handful of individuals who are capable of formulating a categorical imperative and convincing others to live by it. but even these people are drowned out by the commodification of knowledge these days. there will be more and more charismatic leader types, and self styled self help gurus, and utopians, and cult leaders who will try and impose their will on the world. isn't philosophy merely for the intellectually curious? possibly a small segment of society, the elite, who might have some impact on public affairs. the stereotype of the lonely tortured genius hacking out his system of thought has been replaced by tech savvy, hip, garrulous talkshow hosts and debaters who make fortunes from their daily subscribers.

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