Reinventing Philosophy

Philosophy to many people means pondering the question: “what is the meaning of life?” I helt this same belief about the field, until I read The Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday. His book on Stoicism changed my understanding of what philosophy can mean.

While some philosophers might indeed occupy themselves with abstract or impossible questions (usually both), another take on the concept is something totally different.

A certain philosophy can be defined as a set of guidelines on how to go about life, a way of living. It’s not theoretical at all, but instead meant to be practical, something to be lived, to be applied to daily life.

In that sense, Stoicism is a good example of a philosophy, and so are many aspects of Buddhism. While you need to learn their principles, these doctrines are meant to be lived, not just read.

With this definition of philosophy in mind, I keep coming back to the idea of “reinventing philosophy.” Not the entire field of philosophy of course (I’m not thatambitious), but what a philosophy in the 21st century could look like. One that’s not just built on a book — as is often the case with philosophies — but encompasses modern tools like software, online courses, and even hardware.

Of course there would still be a “doctrine” at the core, which would be spread through words. But a software tool (that helps with implementing and following this way of life) could be such an integral part of the building blocks of this modern philosophy that it’s as important as the written guidelines.

One question remains though: even if you “reinvent philosophy” in this way, is philosophy the right word to use? As most folks equal it with pondering “what’s the meaning of life?”, anything labelled “philosophy” will be misunderstood by most people or not be taken seriously.

So, if you think philosophy means asking abstract questions, I’m still guilty as charged, occupying my mind with this one:

“How to reinvent philosophy, and what to call it?”

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