This Is (Mostly) A Philosophy Blog. Here's What That Means
The uncertainty of life is what makes philosophy so valuable for all of us
If you are a fellow writer on Substack (and even if you aren’t), you’re probably aware that Substack gives you the option to assign a category to your publication. The list of options, however, isn’t very long.
I chose “philosophy.”
It was the most obvious and logical of all the choices, but it also raised a question in my mind:
“What do I mean when I say that the Eudaimoniac is a philosophy blog? What do people assume or expect when they hear the word ‘philosophy’?”
Unfortunately, “philosophy” is often a garbage can word that people use to sound cooler. “Personal growth” is broad and vague, but if you say, “I write about philosophical topics,” you immediately sound more sophisticated and serious. Nor are you necessarily a liar. “Philosophy” literally means “love of wisdom,” which sounds like a pretty broad territory.
But ask anyone with a Ph.D. in philosophy, and they will rightfully tell you that philosophy isn’t just a way of life or way of thinking — it’s also an academic field with developed theories and ideas, many of which are extremely technical, that have built upon each other over centuries.
So where does that leave The Eudaimoniac? And why does it matter?
I’ll answer the second question first:
I try hard to be mindful about how I use words. Words matter. I am not a “trained philosopher” and, as fascinating as they are, I don’t do deep dives on formal philosophical categories like epistemology (“how do we know the sky is blue?”) or modal logic (“is the sky necessarily blue?”).
However, I argue that my blog is very much a philosophy blog, not just in spirit, but in substance. That’s because I approach every topic from a philosophical angle: one of curiosity, uncertainty, and systematic inquiry. My perennial recurring question is, “What is the good life?”, and any attempt at an answer involves things like ethics, moral psychology, and even metaphysics — all of which are very much within the realm of philosophy.
In addition to this, the main sources I return to over and over are philosophers —from ancients like Aristotle and Cicero to moderns like Schopenhauer and Arendt. This was not intentional from the beginning, believe it or not. When I started my WordPress blog two years ago, I didn’t realize it would so heavily lean into philosophy. I did, and still do, draw from all areas of life. Some of the most brilliant things I’ve read have come from artists and scientists, not philosophers (and sometimes those categories overlap!)
What I have found over and over, however, is that the questions and ideas that interest me most are the ones that philosophers have written about, and that’s why I reference them so often. It’s perhaps even more accurate for me to say “I love reading philosophers” than it is, “I love reading philosophy.” I find the people behind the ideas as fascinating as the ideas themselves, and inseparable from them.
The many faces (and phases) of philosophy
Here’s another thing I have discovered:
The line between “academic philosophy” versus “everyday philosophy” is not a hard one. A long time ago, they used to be close to the same thing. I believe a lot of the confusion and tension over the word “philosophy” comes from the fact that the practice and study of philosophy has changed so much over the years.
Take Stoicism, for example.
Stoicism has enjoyed a large resurgence in the last decade or two, partly because so many of its popular teachings are timeless. But Stoicism originally focused on three areas:
Logic
Ethics
Physics
Today, fans and readers of Stoicism (including me) focus almost entirely on their discussion of ethics and ignore the other two – especially physics. Why? Because the Stoics’ discussions about how to live well remain evergreen and relevant.
On the other hand, the Stoics’ explanation of the physical world is now outdated (for example, the idea that everything is made of matter and neuma, an activating “force”). To be sure, it makes for interesting reading, but it doesn’t have the same immediate application as, say, learning how to master your anger or manage your expectations.
But what’s important to note here is that Stoicism is focused on understanding reality as a whole, not just on practical matters, because that’s the role of philosophy, and Stoicism is a school of philosophy. As the world has become modern and full of specialized fields, however, some confusion has crept in.
Several notable scientists have said less-than-positive things about philosophy in recent years. This includes Stephen Hawking, who famously once remarked, “Philosophy is dead.” In 2016, some comments by Bill Nye about the usefulness of philosophy sparked a debate — in an open letter on the matter, philosophy professor David Kyle Johnson wrote:
…a good philosophy class should make clear what philosophy is and what it isn’t. It’s not about opinions. There really are right and wrong answers. It’s not about asking unanswerable questions. Indeed, philosophers have answered a great number of questions. It’s just that when they did, the discovery was so important that it ended up spawning its own discipline.
And this is exactly what has happened: physics, computer programming, astronomy, psychology – all these fields and more developed out of philosophy, the pursuit and “love of wisdom.”
What remains today under the definition of philosophy are the “unanswerable” questions. Many of these are technical and intricate, like the problem of consciousness. But many others are practical, even urgent: What is right? How do I know what’s right? How do I live a good life? How do I make important life choices?
Far from being esoteric or frivolous, I am convinced these are some of the most important questions of all. They keep me up at night. They distract me all day long. They are the reason I started this blog and newsletter.
Why philosophy matters today (more than ever)
In the final, beautiful chapter of his book The Problems of Philosophy, Bertrand Russell declares – and I agree with him – that “the value of philosophy is, in fact, to be sought largely in its very uncertainty.”
He goes on:
Philosophy, though unable to tell us with certainty what is the true answer to the doubts which it raises, is able to suggest many possibilities which enlarge our thoughts and free them of the tyranny of custom. This, while diminishing our feeling of certainty as to what things are, greatly increases our knowledge as to what they may be; it removes the somewhat arrogant dogmatism of those who have never travelled into the region of liberating doubt, and it keeps alive our sense of wonder by showing familiar things in an unfamiliar aspect.
I believe this freedom from dogmatism (i.e., an unquestioning, reactive clinginess to one’s beliefs and opinions) and sense of wonder are more than just noble ideals. They are necessary qualities for a sane, calm life. The world around us certainly isn’t getting any calmer. Nor does it seem to be making calmness or goodness much of a priority. But that doesn’t stop us from making it a priority, if we choose.
My love for and study of philosophy has brought me more peace of mind and tranquility than I had thought possible. It’s made me a better parent, spouse, and friend. I’m excited to see what the coming years yield as I deepen my reading and thought process further.
And of course, having you along for the ride and hearing your thoughts and ideas makes all the difference.
