2010: The year of the mighty idea

Most philosophy graduates can probably attest to the fact that the most common response to their chosen area of study is: “Philosophy? Whatever do you plan to do with that?” It is a reaction I have often encountered, and in moments of self-doubt (usually prompted by moments of financial uncertainty) have even directed such incredulity at myself. What is philosophy? It is the study of ideas. Of what tangible use is that to anyone? It is perhaps more of an exercise in intellectual masturbation reserved for the tweed jackets that happily inhabit such ivory towers.

It is at times such as these, however, that I have to remind myself (and others), that there is no activity that is not based on some kind of philosophical assumption or idea. A subject as seemingly impractical as philosophy is in fact the driving force behind even the most practical of subjects such as medicine and engineering. If these subjects form the engine by which society progresses, it is philosophy that formed the initial combustion that set the engine into motion — and maintains such motion in perpetuity. Without concepts and ideas we are unable to think about or understand the world we live in. Even if you don’t think too deeply about such things, know that many of the activities in which you engage on a daily basis are shaped by someone who has.

Aristotelian teleology is predicated upon the pursuit of these ultimate ideals, or ends, to which all activities are directed. Aristotle uses the example of the doctor (the most practical of men), in which he contrasts meta-ethical concerns with specific practice. At first glance it appears that the doctor does not seek the good in itself, but rather the well-being of a specific patient. He does not require exhaustive meta-theoretical knowledge of the activity in which he is engaged. He is able to achieve excellence in his activity without having to defer to the fundamental notions that underpin it. However, upon closer scrutiny, Aristotle argues, there are ideas or notions immanent within every activity, and of these the practitioner is to some extent aware, although, it may not be at the forefront of their mind when engaged in the task itself. The doctor does aim ultimately at the attainment of good health, as health is a desirable end and pursued for its own sake.

Society not only progresses by technological and scientific means — in the political sphere ideas have always formed the basis for resistance. An example close to home is that of Steve Biko and the black consciousness movement — it may not have had the economic capability to construct vast cityscapes — certainly not as measurable as a booming stock exchange, and yet it rewrote the course of South African history. Those who murdered Steve Biko sought not to end his life, but to extinguish his ideas; without which, the defeat of apartheid might not have been possible.

Human history is replete with the stories of such individuals who stand up to tyrannous regimes armed only with a dissenting opinion. Such is the power of ideas that people are imprisoned, exiled and more often than not die for expressing them.

Looking back over the year that has been 2010 it is one by which we may measure such struggles for freedom. It is a year that bears witness to the release of Burmese dissident Aung San Suu Kyi, the questionable detainment of Julian Assange, and the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo.

Liu’s empty seat at the ceremony served as a stark metaphor for the power that ideas can wield. Indeed existence would be utterly meaningless without them.