Why do we need Philosophy?

In this world, everyone has a philosophy, even if we cannot express it in words. Most
students entering university are unfamiliar with philosophy. Although high school
students are intellectually capable of studying philosophy, they are seldom given the
opportunity. Consequently, the students' impressions about philosophy - impressions
widespread in our society - are often uninformed or misinformed. They may well
wonder: "Why should I study philosophy?"
Here are some possible reasons:

Philosophy helps us understand that things are not always what they seem. P

Philosophy helps us learn about ourselves and the world. It teaches us how to
grapple intelligently with basic questions such as:
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"Who am I?"

"Does God exist?"

"How should I live?"

"Should I do what society tells me to do?"

"Can I be sure of any of my beliefs?

"Does my life have meaning?

"Are values just a matter of opinion?"

"What is the nature of mind, language, and thought?"

Philosophy makes us more critical. It shows us that what we take for granted may
be false -- or only part of the truth.
Philosophy develops our ability
- to reason clearly
- to distinguish between good and bad arguments
- to think and write clearly
- to see the big picture
- to look at different views and opinions.

These skills are highly prized by employers and by graduate / professional schools.
They are never outdated. They enrich our lives and our relationships.
By studying the writings of great philosophers we see the extent to which
philosophy has influenced science, religion, government, education and art.
Philosophy empowers us to critically examine ours views and the views of others.
Occasionally this leads us to reject our "inherited" views; however, it should always give
us new and creative ways to deal with problems we could not otherwise solve.

NEED OF PHILOSOPHY(ASPECTS) IN EVERYDAY LIFE

Philosophy is a key aspect in life and is regarded very highly because it greatly
influences our everyday life in most situations we encounter.
It can simply be described as the study of all the general and fundamental problems in
life. It uses an approach that is systematic and critical and one that relies on rational
argument to achieve this.
The normal day-to-day problems tackled in philosophy are mostly connected to the
mind, knowledge, existence, values and language among others as human beings
interact with each other and with other things in their environment.
Philosophy is a major concept divided into several branches to cover all spheres in life.
The branches include: Epistemology, logic, metaphysics, moral and political philosophy,
aesthetics and the specialized branches.
Epistemology deals with the scope and the nature of knowledge. It covers various
relationships and can be used in life to analyze relationships such as: relationships
between truth, relationship between belief and the theories of justification. It helps us to
think critically.
Logic on the other hand deals with the study of principles of correct reasoning and
inferences that are valid. This is very important in life as it enables human beings to
make the decisions they do after analysing various situations.
Metaphysics involves studying general features of reality. Such features include:
processes, events, objects as well as their properties, time, existence, relationship
between the body and the mind among others.
Moral philosophy, also known as ethics, majorly deals with how best we should live
and interact with each other is society while political philosophy which is they study of
government and how we relate to communities and helps human beings to put ethics
that are right to the laws that govern us.

Aesthetics influences how we view beauty, art, sentiments and tastes and our
perceptions, enjoyment. It helps us appreciate accomplishmnets of various artistes
whose works we come across.
The specialized branches of philosophy that play a major role in our everyday life
include: Philosophy of science, religion, mind, law and language. These determine our
perceptions and understanding of these fields.
Philosophy is thus very important in everyday life as it influences everything we do as
human beings in our environment.

How may Philosophy be used?

Much of what is learned in philosophy can be applied in virtually any endeavor. This is
both because philosophy touches on so many subjects and, especially, because many
of its methods are usable in any field.
The need of philosophy is the acquisition of the following skills.
Critical thinking skills:
The ability to identify key issues in decision-making or problem solving; and to
identify various related problems and solutions.
Skills in argumentation:
The ability to proceed in a valid and sound way from premises to conclusions;
to rationally persuade others; to more rigorously seek roneasoned selfunderstanding.
Communication skills:
The ability to summarize the content of a message clearly and objectively (for
example, to differentiate fact from value); to explain complex ideas and
principles.
Skills in design and planning:
The ability to look at a problem, or an opportunity, from different angles and to
identify alternative plans of action or design.

 General Problem Solving.

The study of philosophy enhances, in a way no other activity does, one's
problem-solving capacities. It helps one to analyze concepts, definitions,
arguments and problems. It contributes to one's capacity to organize ideas and
issues, to deal with questions of value, and to extract what is essential from
masses of information. It helps one both to distinguish fine differences between
views and to discover common ground between opposing positions. And it helps
one to synthesize a variety of views or perspectives into a unified whole.

Communication Skills.
Philosophy also contributes uniquely to the development of expressive and
communicative powers. It provides some of the basic tools of self-expressionfor
instance, skills in presenting ideas through well-constructed, systematic
arguments that other fields either do not use, or use less extensively. It helps one
to express what is distinctive of one's view; enhances one's ability to explain
difficult material; and helps one to eliminate ambiguities and vagueness from
one's writing and speech.
Persuasive Powers.
Philosophy provides training in the construction of clear formulations, good
arguments, and apt examples. It thereby helps one develop the ability to be
convincing. One learns to build and defend one's own views, to appreciate
competing positions, and to indicate forcefully why one considers one's own
views preferable to alternatives. These capacities can be developed not only
through reading and writing in philosophy, but also through the philosophical
dialogue, in and outside the classroom, that is so much a part of a thoroughgoing
philosophical education.