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Is Philosophy worthwhile? What is the relevance of Philosophical study for the present day? Has philosophy a value? These are some of the questions that people pose in the study of Philosophy. The present essay is an attempt to answer these questions.

There was a time when Philosophy was looked upon as the Queen of all sciences. But with the advancement of experimental sciences, Philosophy was dethroned and gradually pushed to the seat. However, philosophy has not lost its value. It has a specific role to play in the present scientific age too.

Under the impact of science philosophy is looked upon at times as an unproductive enterprise. But this is only a misconception. When men will be well off and when poverty and disease had been reduced to their lowest levels, society needs something in addition to becoming ethical and valuable. This something is provided by philosophy.

Man is a complex of body and mind. Consequently the goods of man are of two kinds - goods of the body and goods of the mind. While science provides goods of the body, philosophy provides goods of the mind.

The Nature of Philosophical questions: Philosophical questions are not uncommon. They will be raised by many of us on one occasion or the other. Is there God? What is matter? What is mind? What is life? Is death the end of life? What is the purpose of life? Should we live for wealth, fame and position only? Are there any higher values than these? If so what are they? When we look at this world, I See some objects which are beautiful and some that are ugly. What is beauty as such? When do we call a man good? How do we define goodness? We observe that people strive for justice. What is justice in itself? These are some of the core questions of philosophy. Philosophical questions are not unusual or those that are removed from our life. They are related to our life. They are the results of our encounters with situations of life. To raise these questions, to reflect upon them, a study of them in a scientific way and trying to answer them, is philosophy.

The Uncertainty in Philosophy: One of the criticisms of philosophy is that it does not provide any certain information and knowledge. Mathematicians, historians etc., have got definite body of truths but it is not so in respect of philosophers. But the fact is that uncertainty in philosophy is only apparent and not real. All the sciences were once included in philosophy. But when once they acquired definite body of truths they were separated from philosophy and formed into independent; branches of science. Thus Astronomy and Psychology were once parts of philosophy. Newton’s masterly work was called ‘The Mathematical principles of Natural Philosophy�. Thus the questions which are capable of definite answers go into the fold of sciences and those to which definite answers cannot be given remain to form the residue, and it is called ‘Philosophy�.

Though Philosophy is unable to tell us with definiteness the true answers to the doubts which it raises, it does suggest multiple possibilities that will enlarge our thoughts and increase our knowledge. Philosophic contemplation enlarges the objects of our thoughts, actions and affections. It makes us the citizens of the universe where in consists man’s true freedom and liberation. Bertrand Russell opines “Philosophy is to be studied, not for the sake of any definite answers to its questions, since no definite answers can, as a rule, be known to be true, but rather for the sake of the questions themselves; because these questions enlarge our conception of what is possible, enrich our intellectual imagination and diminish the dogmatic assurance which doses the mind against speculation; but above all because, through the greatness of the universe which philosophy contemplates, the mind also is rendered great, and becomes capable of that union with the universe which constitutes its highest goodâ€�. ¹

Philosophy and values: Philosophy is concerned with the values of life. We live in an age of uncertainty and chance. In such a situation we have to think of the values of life and such a thinking is provided by philosophy. We feel a physical discomfort when we are in the midst of material disorder, and a moral discomfort when we are faced with guilt. So also we will be confronted with mental discomfort when we are in the presence of fragmentary and confused views of the world. We need then, a wholeness and unity of outlook and response and this is provided by philosophical approach.

Great value has accrued because Socrates spent time on the street corners and Spinoza took time off from his grinding of lenses to contemplate the universe. So also with all the great artists like Dante, Leonardo, Goethe, Milton and Shakelpeare. These men were beyond the food and shelter needs. They faced life, death, courage, love, hatred and frustration. In poetry, drama, science and philosophy, man has emerged from mere animalhood.

Philosophy and Science: Though it is helpful for material progress science does not attempt to answer the questions about values, life and conduct which constitute the subject matter of philosophy. Science can tell everything about air, sea and land, about the stars, rocks, atoms and lightwaves, about plants and animals and our own bodies. But beyond the physical realm there are the questions of values, life and conduct on which science cannot offer any answers.

While each of the sciences attempts to specialise in its own field, philosophy attempts to grasp the comprehensive picture of the whole. While the sciences try to analyse things, philosophy attempts at synthesis of things. Philosophy has been defined as wisdom Wisdom is different from knowledge. Sciences give us “knowledge�. Thus Botany gives us the knowledge of plants, Zoology gives us knowledge of animal organism and so on. On the other hand philosophy gives us wisdom. It offers a synthetic and comparative view of all the knowledge of the sciences put together.

Science is the complete and consistent description of the facts of experience in the simplest possible terms. While science describes facts, philosophy interprets them. While science classifies, formulates and describes the world, philosophy interprets it. Prof. C.D. Broad writes, the object of philosophy “is to take over the results of the various sciences, to add to them the results of the religious and ethical experience of mankind, and then to reflect upon the whole. The hope is that, by this means, we may be able to reach some general conclusions as to the nature of the Universe, and as to our position and prospects in itâ€�. ²

Philosophy has two tasks both of which differ from the work of science. The first is the conscious reflection upon the world as a totality, especially as to its meaning, purpose and value. The second is the critical evaluation of the concepts of science and common sense. The first has been called speculative philosophy and the second critical philosophy.

In contrast to the scientific inquiry, philosophical inquiry raises the very basic questions. The mechanic may tell us the meaning of every part of the machine, but what is the meaning of a machine itself? The Botanist may tell us the meaning of root, branch, leaf and stem of the tree and he may also tell us the meaning of the tree itself in the economy of plant life. But the question is what is the meaning of life itself. Has life any meaning? Has the world any meaning? An answer to these questions could be reached only after reflective inquiry and such an inquiry would be philosophy.

Science does not explain why things act as they do, only how they act. When we study the behaviour of atoms science explains how they behave but not why they behave as such. For instance when one atom of carbon combines with two atoms of oxygen to form one molecule of carbondioxide, the scientist simply records this information but he does not raise the question: Why do the atoms of carbon and oxygen combine so? One may say, that it is ‘affinity� between the atoms of carbon and oxygen that bring them together. But the word ‘affinity� is derived from human analogy and no scientist should take shelter under it. Hence a scientist should be content in recording the observed uniformities.

Though science and philosophy study the problems of space, time, energy, matter, mind and cause the scientific and philosophical approaches to these problems are different. While science studies these problems by raising the question of how, philosophy studies these issues through questioning why? Therefore there, is a need of supplementing science with philosophy.

Science by its technical advances cures dreadful diseases, reduces the rate of mortality, makes us to travel thousands of miles in a few hours, makes our life more comfortable by means of its inventions like telegraph, telephones, automobiles and television. However the same science by its techniques invents such war mechanism to destroy our life and civilization in minutes. By science we have acquired excessive, wealth and material progress but not enough wisdom. Hence students of philosophy, need not feel sorry for the mearger fruits of philosophy in contrast to the richer fruits of science. If by philosophy we mean the search for wisdom, the appraisement of values and the careful logical analysis of concepts, it is what the world needs now. Will Durant writes “Science tells us how to heal and how to kill: it reduces the death rate in retail and then kills us wholesale in war; but only wisdom can tell us when to heal and when to kill. To observe processes and to construct means is science; to criticize and co-ordinate ends is philosophy; .....Science without philosophy, facts without perspective and valuation, cannot save us from havoc and despair. Science gives us knowledge. Philosophy can give us wisdom. ³

NOTES

¹ Bertrand Russell, The Problems of Philosophy; p. 161.
² C. D. Broad, Scientific Thought, p. 20
³ Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy, p. xxvii.