Philosophy is for Everyone

There is a perception in our society that to talk philosophically is to engage in meaningless babble that has no relevance in “real life.” “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin you say?” Who really cares. What kind of a job can philosophers get anyway? Philosophy majors are pompous know-it-alls who couldn’t survive with a real job and are forever trapped in the confines of the academia. I’ve heard these kinds of statements many times.
Yet we sell ourselves short when we think of philosophy this way. In reality, we are all philosophers. The carpenter, the baker, the candlestick maker (if they still exist) all participate in the great conversation that is society. However, what we’ve lost is a sense of respect for those who devote much time and energy into the study of dialogue, of debate, of logic and critical thinking. Far from talk of meaningless things, these people seek to enrich culture by helping the rest of us to raise our level of awareness and question what goes on around us. If we think deeper, perhaps we reduce the number of times we stumble into wars, or accept useless trash on the television. One place to start is at the Philosophy Matrix. The hope is that the resources on this site will enhance people’s understanding of philosophy and it’s importance in our culture. Aristotle, perhaps the greatest philosopher ever, said that talk that has no practical relevance is useless chatter. This, philosophy is not.