The most dangerous game

Every now and then the most profound questions arise. Just a look at the clear night sky splattered with stars reveals a scale—immensity—against which the measures of our little lives wither. The view can prompt the biggest questions—questions about how it all began and where it all is going, questions about our importance or insignificance in the universe—and are we alone?—even the ultimate question 'why is there anything at all, rather than nothing?' We are on a dangerous path. It can be uncomfortable. Most of us do not pursue very far the answers; we can recoil at the consequences.

Even so, one cannot choose but wonder about the point of life. What is it? Why are we here? And why do we come to appreciate the beauty and marvel at the wonders of this world, become deeply attached, committed to people and things, and then gradually or suddenly lose our powers to hear, see and understand. We slip away imperceptibly or get removed abruptly from everything we have ever known, everything we have accomplished, everything we have ever loved or hated. We lose our friends and enemies to death. And we in turn come to the edge of the bottomless pit of eternal darkness. And look in. Everyone, everything dies. We can rather easily say how all this happens; we are far more challenged to say why. Is there a point?

Along the way, how do we explain to victims of injustice the reasons for their suffering and loss? Is justice possible in this world? We try to console victims, and when we are the victims, we try to console ourselves, to make sense of what at first appears senseless and what may in the end indeed prove to be senseless. But most often we struggle to find anything profoundly reasonable about tragedies.

Philosophy has been called many things: a quest for wisdom, the foundation of all thought, a journey toward understanding, a sure recipe for going mad, a pointless waste of time. Whatever else it is, philosophy is the most dangerous game. It does not stop at any sort of border. It does not look (only) to experts for answers. It demands careful, rigorous, independent thinking. It is not a trip for the people who do not want their views challenged and are convinced that they have the truth already. It does not seek so much to undermine an authority as it does to examine the foundation or reasonableness of that authority. Sometimes we find that an authority does not have a good reason for being one. Or there are good arguments for making changes in governance. So philosophy can be threatening to the status quo. Firing squads and guillotines have been used as often to squelch intellectual opposition as to punish individuals for crimes.

Philosophy is a game for people of all ages. But a great many parents will not allow their children to play it without supervision. Were courses in philosophy given MPAA ratings, they would likely garner an 'R' or even more likely the 'NC-17'. A lot of parents do not want their children to question the existence of God, or consider the virtues of capitalism if they are living in a communist regime, or entertain thoughts of advocating socialism in America.

Philosophy is the most fundamental intellectual discipline. It is the ground for all others. Its business is evaluating the soundness of arguments and the basis of all beliefs. It assesses the merits of assertions at the heart of all fields of inquiry and challenges any unwarranted assumptions found. Our lives are at least in part governed by articles of received wisdom. Even if we avoid engaging in philosophic quests, we are nevertheless governed by the views gently or forcefully imposed on us.

But most people—maybe all—want to know the truth. And the best way to find the most fundamental truths available to us is through philosophy. The pursuit of fundamental verities can be disconcerting. The results acquired, where the pursuits seem to end, can be unsettling, because lives can be changed in unexpected, even unpleasant ways. Philosophy can be dangerous, but there is no higher and no more fundamental activity of the human mind. It is vital to humanity in every era, and to individuals it is vital in every stage of their lives.