A Defense of Philosophy Part 2

Part Two: The Intrinsic Value Approach

1. Some activities are intrinsically valuable
Musicians, many of them anyway, do not practice their craft because it will earn them money, or because it will sharpen their mental abilities, or even to express themselves. They play music because it is a good thing to do. They enjoy it “in itself.” An account of the neurological benefits of playing music—say, if it were found that playing music releases endorphins and causes a feeling of elation—would not explain why these musicians make music (although it may influence many to take it up). They play music because they love music and for no other reason. For this kind of musician, music is intrinsically valuable.
The benefits of the activity are not part of the explanation of why a person participates in an intrinsically valuable activity even if there are such benefits.

2. Philosophers love Philosophy
If you consider the etymology of the word “philosophy” (from “philos” and “sophos”), the word literally means “love of wisdom”. Philosophy is itself a form of love. We philosophers, like musicians, love what we do.
When a concerned parent or relative asks a young philosophy student “Why would you do that?” They are usually worried about the student’s ability to make money in the future. They are, in a way, right to worry about this. Philosophy is not an efficient way to make money. The job market for professorships in philosophy is very competitive, and the pay for such positions is often lackluster.
So why do we go into the field? We do it because we love it and for no other reason.

3. Participating in Philosophy is Intrinsically valuable
Philosophers and non-philosophers alike can find philosophical inquiry to be valuable in itself. Thinking philosophically or pondering philosophical questions is intellectually rewarding and can be quite enjoyable and enriching.
It is this enriching quality of philosophy that makes it so valuable. It is its own reward.

4. Conclusions from the Intrinsic Value Approach
We have seen that the extrinsic value of philosophy is not the reason why we go into philosophy, and may not be the reason for non-philosophers to also participate in our field as well. When Popper said “this is the only apology for the continued existence of philosophy which I am able to offer,” he means it in terms of the extrinsic value of philosophy. This is misleading, as it suggests that this is the only value in philosophy. The reason why it exists is not explained by his argument.
The reason for its continued existence is that people continue to engage in it. For these people the value in engaging in it is intrinsic, even if what we actually do is extrinsically valuable.
What can be said against this approach? You might not accept the premise that philosophy is intrinsically valuable. You could deny that there is any enrichment in participating in philosophical activity. What seems likely is that this response can only come from a non-philosopher. Someone who has either not participated in philosophy, or who has, but didn’t understand the issues well enough to get anything out of the experience might make such a claim.

Part 3: General Comments on the Two Approaches
What is important to note about the relationship between the intrinsic and extrinsic approach to answering the question “Why Philosophy?” is that the two approaches are not mutually exclusive. In the preceding section this was made explicit: What we do is extrinsically valuable, and the reason we do it is its intrinsic value.
These two approaches correspond to two different senses the question can be taken to mean. If the question is taken to mean “Why do we need philosophy?” the extrinsic approach is an appropriate response. If the question is taken to mean “Why would you study philosophy?” the intrinsic approach is an appropriate response.
Furthermore, these approaches, especially the extrinsic approach, are not completely characterized by my descriptions of them. My descriptions are intended to exemplify the general approaches, not to encapsulate them.