PP22 What are nine uses of a good philosophy?
G'day, my name is Bruce Robertson and this is Pirate Philosophy, the channel in which I describe the Pattern Paradigm, an original philosophy that is rigorous, logical and accurate; and one that I claim makes better sense of the world than any other philosophy. Welcome.
The topic of today's discussion is: What are the uses and benefits of a good philosophy?
It is all very well to have a theoretical philosophy that purports to fit the facts of the world and to describe the logic of thinking, but it also needs to have some practical uses as well if it is to prove itself as a viable philosophy.
When I talk about a 'good' philosophy, I am primarily referring to The Pattern Paradigm; the philosophy that I have been describing in these videos. As was mooted in the previous video PP21: 'How does The Pattern Paradigm stack up as a philosophy?', The Pattern Paradigm scored 7½/10 according to the six criteria for a good philosophical paradigms discussed in the video PP4: 'What are the criteria for a good philosophy?'. Whereas Standard Western Philosophy only scored 3½/10 using the same criteria, as discussed in PP5: 'How does Standard Western Philosophy stack up as a philosophy?' And so I do not consider Standard Western Philosophy to constitute a 'good' philosophy.
A good philosophy is one that is based on explicit and indubitable foundations and with clear processes of logical inference. It will provide a framework of logical processes and ideas that link all the facets of life in a cohesive and self consistent framework. And having such a framework can be extremely useful.
So I have put together nine uses and benefits of a good philosophy.
1. Making better sense of the world
aving a good model of the world is essential for effective decision making. And a good philosophy that provides clear links between the various different facets of life will enable one to create a more accurate and more effective model of the world. The inner structure described by the philosophy can assist one to see and understand connections between different facets of knowledge.
In the same way that one needs to know how a bicycle works in order to fix any problems, so too does one need to know how the world works in order to interact with it effectively.
With a framework of fundamental ideas, things can begin to make sense and one can gain an understanding of the world.
2. Understanding oneself and other people
A good philosophy that describes the logic of thinking and decision-making can lead to a better understanding of oneself and of other people. And this better understanding can lead one to make better predictions of the consequences of one's actions and hence to make better decisions. So for example, it could be useful to know that everyone seeks their own personal happiness and that this motivation underpins every decision they make, every action they take and every word that they speak. And this could enable one to predict more accurately the outcomes of one's decisions and hence to enhance one's own personal happiness.
As a note, I am using the term 'happiness' as a label for the experience of that to which the brain aspires. See the video PP13 'The Logic of Decision-making' for more details.
3. Making better decisions
The prime function of the brain is as a decision-making device; people make decisions all the time and the ultimate goal of these decisions is one's personal happiness. Though that said the path towards that happiness may be twisty and winding and perhaps even double back on itself. The decision-making algorithm described in video PP 13 'The logic of decision making', emphasises the importance of considering all possible actions and evaluating all possible consequences of such actions over both the short-term and the long term. This may well lead to an enhanced likelihood of long-term happiness. And one can add one's own guidelines to efficient decision-making in the form of things like values and morals.
4. Refuting erroneous claims
Perhaps one of the most important benefits of having a good philosophy is to be able to evaluate the accuracy of beliefs and possibilities presented by other people. For this, the philosophy needs to have firm and indubitable foundations with clear processes of inference. For if one can re-create the suggestion for oneself using such foundations and processes, then one can have confidence in accepting it and believing it; whereas if one cannot, then there is possible cause to reject it.
Though that said, this would not be an easy task as it might well require a lot of time, effort and specialised knowledge. But at least it would be theoretically possible, whereas without a good philosophy this might well be impossible.
The world is full of misleading ideas, some of which are forcefully insisted upon, and if they don't make sense then they need to be refuted using firm foundations and clear logic, as presented by a good philosophy.
5. Creating a personalised philosophy
A good philosophy will present a generalised yet clear framework (or skeleton) of ideas that link all facets of life in a cohesive whole. So an individual can use this skeleton as a basis to flesh out the details of a philosophy that fits with their own personal characteristics and situation. (This is in contrast to a dogmatic and dull philosophy that simply makes bold claims such as 'this is true' or 'you should do that'; but which are only accurate or efficient for a very small proportion of people - if any).
What works for one person or society in one place and time does not necessarily work for a different person or society in a different place and time. People's personalised philosophy needs to be tailored to fit their particular circumstances. But nevertheless, the basic framework of a good philosophy is universal.
6 Achieving peace of mind
A good philosophy that presents a self-consistent model of the logic of thinking that stretches from the depths of perception to the highest levels of conscious thinking and decision-making, can lead to a harmonious pyramid of patterns; one without discontinuities or schisms. (Incidentally a pyramid of patterns is the structured system of beliefs discussed in video PP10 'Patterns, pyramids and why we sleep'. Also schisms were discussed in the video PP 17 ' Culture and schisms').
An example of a schism would be something like the belief that 'one should always put other people first' which conflicts with one's own aim of personal happiness.
And achieving such a harmonious pyramid of patterns may lead to a degree of peace of mind, or at least a higher quality of peace of mind than could be achieved with a pyramid of patterns that contains schisms.
And in developing a model of the world from the deepest foundations to the conscious mind, one can know and understand one's place in the world; one that is independent of the opinions and fictions of other people.
Being able to make sense of the world and one's life within it is conducive to mental integrity and peace of mind.
7. Effecting therapies
As an analogy, it is not necessary to know the details of human anatomy for one's body to work effectively, however it is very useful for a physician to know the details of human anatomy if they are to suggest remedies should things go awry. So too is it for the logic of human thinking: It is not necessary for a person to understand the logic of human thinking in order to think effectively; however it would be very useful for a psychotherapist to know the details of the logic of thinking in order to suggest remedies, should things go awry.
And all too often in the modern world, things do go awry. People with perfect physical health can suffer anxiety and depression and perhaps subsequently tend toward self harm, take mood-enhancing drugs of various kinds or even contemplate suicide. Clearly these are problems of thinking rather than any physical problems with their brains, so it would be beneficial for a psychotherapist to understand the logic of thinking in order to suggest possible therapies.
So for example, it may be that someone is suffering from a surfeit of schisms in their pyramid of patterns causing problems in thinking and efficient decision-making. So it would be useful to diagnose this problem as the basis for finding a therapy.
8. Creating a positive attitude towards life
A good philosophy will also endow a person with a positive attitude towards life; one in which one is master of one's own destiny and can always make decisions to improve one's lot in life and one's personal happiness. Our ancestor's survived and thrived in a harsh environment - going back to the dawn of humanity and beyond - and since they did, then so can we.
And when such a philosophy is founded on deep and indubitable foundations, then it will give a person the confidence and skills to refute those who bemoan the futility of life and their place in the world and who prefer to insist that the world is an inherently depressing place.
My advice to such people would be to upgrade their philosophy, perhaps to one such as The Pattern Paradigm, because the world is not like that; it is only their perception of the world that takes on a despondent appearance.
We have all been given the gift of life and consciousness, which enables us to experience and enjoy this amazing universe that we live in.
9. A guide to exploring philosophy
A good philosophy, such as The Pattern paradigm, will describe the foundations and logical processes by which a model of the world can be created. And using this basic framework, someone who wishes to explore the ideas of philosophy can expand the ideas into new domains or perhaps fill in some of the details.
So for example, in the philosophical journey I have been describing in these videos, I have only gone over the bare bones of the framework of the ideas. There is plenty of opportunity for others to undertake their own journey of exploration and fill in some of the details. I have certainly found this journey of exploration of ideas to be fascinating and I dare say that others could do the same.
Well, that is all I have for you today. I hope you have enjoyed this video and if you have any comments, please leave them in the section below and if you'd like to continue this journey with me, please subscribe to my channel and give it a thumbs up. You can also visit my website: ThePatternParadigm.com for transcripts of these videos.
Thank you.
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