Question I've seen some people romanticize about philosophy in melancholic terms, as if it's a "symptom" of the depressed and sensitive minds to do philosophy. Is this generally true? Does the intricacy of philosophy require to some level quiet reserve and conscientiousness rather than an outgoing personality?

Accepted:
July 13, 2009

Comments

I don’t think there’s any necessary connection between doing philosophy and being ‘depressed and sensitive’. However, philosophy constantly puts one in a position where our society’s most cherished beliefs and assumptions are questioned. This can be quite depressing if you let this lead you to the edge of nihilism. I don’t think philosophers are generally dark and depressed, but I do think there are enough instances that confirm this stereotype of the philosopher to many people. Of course, there are also ‘happy philosophers’ who think they’ve figured out something very encouraging about the nature of the world.

Similary, I don’t know if the intricacy of philosophy requires a level of ‘quiet reserve and conscientiousness’ that is greater than other academic disciplines in the humanities. One of the hard parts of the job for many philosophers is the enormous amount of alone time needed for writing and research. But, I think that would be true of any research oriented job that required a lot of reading and writing.

In my experience, philosophers -- I mean, at least, those earning a crust as professionals in universities -- are a pretty cheery bunch. And why not? We are actually being paid good money to have intellectual fun. We like talking and arguing. A lot. Preferably, in the excellent tradition of The Symposium, over a drink or three. (I've been at more than one philosophy conference where the beer has run out, unaccustomed as the bar staff were to academics with our level of boozy argumentative conviviality.)

And indeed, what we are having fun doing is mostly not that worth taking too solemnly: nothing very serious in life hangs on getting the ontological status of numbers right, or deciding whether there is a mereological sum of any collection of objects, or wondering whether knowledge is special state of mind, or whatever your favourite current philosophical problem is. So, as they say, just enjoy!