Philosophy and Our Complacency

The Basis of Thinking and Why We Shouldn’t Ignore It

J. A. McCreery

Have you ever really considered what you want? What you value? Why you do the things you do? 

One of the many dangers of our youth is blindness, obliviousness. One simply goes along with the flow. Life’s okay, you are happy, privileged; you’ll take the Shore 5, embrace what is waiting in the wings – a business degree at Sydney Uni, a ‘finance’ career that you don’t quite understand and a family. That’ll fulfill you. Won’t it?

The Greeks called such socially-derived thought ‘doxa’, today we’d translate it to ‘common-sense’. 

So, if such a sensible suggestion, why did Plato – the ancient world’s foremost philosopher and one of the greatest thinkers of history – repeatedly, across his many liminal works, disparage a love for doxa. 

Plato found it wrought with “errors, prejudice and superstition”. Doxa denotes society’s “taken-for-granted, unquestioned truths”, so-called truths which leave people routinely finding themselves stuck with the wrong values, careers and relationships and that more broadly shackle societal growth both in structure and quality.The things we believe we should love are so often driven by irrationality or the bias of others. We wrongly pride ourselves on instincts and passion, throwing ourselves into commitments on the basis of ‘feeling’ or that “it’s just what you do”.  

The solution. Simple, elegant, and a bit blunt, Plato prescribes ‘thinking harder’. Plato proposes that one loses their self-agency primarily because they do not give themselves time to think. You must think carefully and logically about your plans, aspirations and beliefs. It is hard, it is confronting, it is uncomfortable, but do you not find the alternative, entrapment in your own ignorance, so much harder to bear with?

As Plato commanded: “γνῶθι σεαυτόν – know yourself”. For how can you understand the world if you do not understand yourself.

Many will scoff at this plea for consideration yet  the recognition of thought’s value is the basis of societal progression and more solipsistically, individual success.

Ultimately, it all boils down to a study of philosophy, an area of study which quite literally means “love of wisdom”. Those that practice it seek comprehension of fundamental truths, about themselves, about the world around them and about their relationship with it. You may see it as a convoluted and ambiguous area of study but that is, in many cases, where its beauty lies. You  cannot be unreasonable, you are merely challenging what reason is. You cannot be belittled for attempting to better society’s notions of what is right and wrong.  

At a simpler level, a consideration of one’s place in the world and a study of philosophy, helps one weigh values, improve reasoning, find their ‘moral compass’, express the need for change and formulate coherent arguments. It is a practice which promotes logic and reason, two bases which will undoubtedly provide improvement in many other disciplines. 

Don’t be fooled by its simplicity either, philosophy is not just thinking, it is metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, logic and history all wrapped in one. It is further a medium to craft one’s legacy, the names of Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Marx, Confucius and Machiavelli, all instantly recognisable for their contributions to the field. If such a lasting legacy is not a sufficient indicator of philosophies impact nothing will be. 

If you have taken an interest, feel free to come and discuss your views and learn more about the dynamic field of philosophy at Agora – Shore’s student run philosophy club, run by Justin Gao and Dominik Mautner.