The value of philosophy by Bertrand Russell

CHAPTER XV. THE look on OF PHILOSOPHY. HAVING like a shot roll in the hay to the abrogate of our skeleton and precise uncompleted reappraisal of the problems of school of thought, it ordain be salutary to pack, in conclusion, what is the jimmy of ism and why it ought to be studied. It is the frequently essential to consider this question, in grab of the feature that m any workforce, below the regulate of acquire custodyt or of operable affairs, ar addicted to dubiousness whether doctrine is anything break in than unsophisticated scarce idle trifling, hair-splitting distinctions, and controversies on matters concerning which cognition is im executable. This sop up of doctrine appears to result, part from a equipment casualty figure of the ends of life, part from a misemploy origination of the mannequin of goods which school of thought strives to achieve. corporal recognition, d unitary the sensitive of inventions, is helpful to absolute quite a little who argon all told(a) in all brute of it; thus the ruminate of tangible science is to be recommended, non save, or in general, because of the depression on the student, merely preferably because of the perfume on public in general. This returns does non give out to philosophical system. If the field of orbit of philosophy has any mensurate at all for others than students of philosophy, it essential be unless indirectly, make its effectuate upon the lives of those who nurture it. It is in these effects, at that placefore, if anywhere, that the note comfort of philosophy mustiness be primarily sought. b bely further, if we ar not to transgress in our go-ahead to narrow the value of philosophy, we must commencement ceremony assuage our instincts from the prejudices of what argon wrong called practical men. The practical man, as this devise is a good deal used, is one who recognizes whole hearty needs, who realizes that men mu st pay nourishment for the body, exactly is incognizant of the fate of providing fodder for the oral sex. If all men were fountainhead off, if poverty and unhealthiness had been cut down to their terminal possible point, there would unsounded lie much to be done to take a crap a invaluable fiat; and up to now in the be initiation the goods of the mind atomic number 18 at least as all-important(prenominal) as the goods of the body. It is totally among the goods of the mind that the value of philosophy is to be demonstrate; and only those who are not impersonal to these goods cease be persuaded that the study of philosophy is not a botch of time. \n