Why Philosophy? Helen De Cruz

Philosophy Begins in Wonder

What is philosophy to you? 

For me, philosophy is systemizing the reflective moments we sometimes have. All humans have these moments where they step back and reflect on their lives, on how to be a good person, or on ultimate reality. I love Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s notion of philosophy as wonder at the world. In Phenomenology of Perception, he remarks that philosophy is not stepping outside of the world because that would be impossible, but to “watch the forms of transcendence fly up like sparks from a fire; it slackens the intentional threads which attach us to the world and thus brings them to our notice.” Philosophy is universally human because wonder is universally human (as Aristotle says in the Metaphysics). At the same time, it also flourishes in some locations where people decide it is worthwhile to pursue philosophical questions deliberately and to devote resources to this endeavor, and where they make efforts to preserve these works.

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How were you first introduced to philosophy? 

I think there are two moments: first, when I was sixteen, I had a period of illness for about two weeks when there was a severe flu going around and I was bed-bound. I read Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder, which was aimed at teens, and I became intrigued by all the different Western philosophers Gaarder discussed. I was particularly intrigued by Hume and his picture of the mind as a kind of theater where perceptions come and go. As soon as I was well enough, I went to the city library and got the only book they had by Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature.

Though I seriously considered it, I did not choose philosophy as a major when I went to university. In Belgium, you must choose your major as a first year. At the time, philosophy seemed too abstract and distant to me. I found Hume hard to read, as well as other books I attempted without guidance, though I was very interested in enduring questions of what makes us human. I majored in the anthropology of art. It was a small major which required choosing many additional courses. I became interested in various philosophical traditions outside the West, and I took undergraduate courses in Indian philosophy, Medieval Islamic philosophical theology, and Chinese philosophy. In addition, my courses on Indigenous African, Oceanic, and American art were very philosophically oriented, with lots of attention to the underlying concepts and aesthetic theories. So, my undergrad courses in philosophy were all in traditions outside of the West.

How do you practice philosophy today? 

I hold a tenured endowed chair position that comes with a low teaching load (usually 2-1) and significant research expectations. I’ve always loved writing and publishing; I enjoy the process. I enjoy the broadness and openness of the early conceptualization process but I also enjoy the polishing and the fussiness that comes with editing and revising. I am also, among others, editor-in-chief of our journal Res Philosophica, associate editor with Ergo, and also serve in other capacities.

While I’ve always loved writing, it’s only very recently that I truly began to love philosophy. Maybe it’s because I no longer have to jump through hoops as I did when I was untenured (for many years I was on insecure contracts and had to write grants to be able to be employed on them). For instance, I read Mengzi some years ago and fell in love with his work. It was life-altering, specifically his insistence that goodness comes from within, so you always have those internal resources and a moral clarity you can gently cultivate and grow, and that you can draw upon.

Recently, I have been trying to live in line with Mengzi’s idea of expanding circles of care, Zhuangzi’s idea of hooking into the world in your own specific way, and to be a Spinozist ethical egoist. Spinoza says you should always benefit yourself and seek your own advantage, but (at least this is how I interpret the Ethics and Theologico-Political Treatise) that true advantage lies not in material wealth or in prestige or status. Neither does the ethical life require self-sacrifice. Rather, it requires you to survive, and I mean this in the sense of Audre Lorde, that is, that you fully try to preserve different aspects of your identity and try your best to flourish in your environment. Like with every ethical system and certainly a perfectionist system like Spinoza’s, it is not easy to live this consistently. But still, it helps me to prioritize projects I want to do because I want to live in a better world. To try to help create this better world is Spinozist self-preservation. This is why, among others, I helped to advocate for having some of our APA conferences go virtual, as it reduces our CO2 footprint and opens our scholarly engagement to people who otherwise cannot attend, such as disabled people, people with caring responsibilities, people from the global south in lower-income countries. 

Why is philosophy important to you? 

I like Mary Midgley’s plumbing metaphor. Like plumbing, philosophy is largely invisible, but our lives are structured alongside unstated metaphysical, ethical, and other principles. Philosophy is even more foundational to our collective lives than physical infrastructure is, because philosophical plumbing explains why we prioritize some infrastructure and neglect other things. For instance, it explains why we invest (or not) in public health, or why public health messaging can go wrong. The plumbing is always there, so it is better to be thoughtful about it than to do it badly. You can see a lot of harmful and bad philosophy. For instance, eugenics has unfortunately reared its head again. It’s a philosophy that’s being pushed mainly by white, very wealthy tech people. It was very popular among wealthy people in the UK, and the US about a century ago, including among progressives. Interestingly, GK Chesterton (a conservative Christian author) raised the alarm on eugenics when it was popular at the turn of the previous century and he used philosophical arguments to show why it is harmful.

Next to this, philosophy is also important for us individually because it nourishes our minds, and it does so in a way that does not deplete resources. It is very important for us, no matter our religious or political background, that we can make sense of life and can deal with things life throws at us. Again, we all have implicitly philosophical ideas. Coming from a working-class background, I’m keenly aware of this: philosophizing is not a luxury that only people of means do.

What books, podcasts, or other media would you recommend to anyone interested in philosophy? 

There are many ways to get into philosophy. Podcasts and YouTube videos are great. I love Ellie Anderson’s podcast on continental philosophy. So clear and succinct. Bryan Van Norden has a terrific lecture series on Chinese philosophy on YouTube. Peter Adamson’s long-running podcast series History of Philosophy without any gaps is an astonishing achievement in terms of breadth and careful scholarship. It helped me to get more into philosophy from the Islamic world. You can also just slow-read philosophy books from scratch with a minimum of intro. There’s a risk that this doesn’t work (as it didn’t work, for instance, for 16-year-old me trying to read Hume), but it does sometimes, and it is very rewarding. Or you can do it after you watch or read a very short introduction. (For instance, many people tell me they enjoyed my short reading guide on the Ethics, then went on to try to read it). If you do try to tackle philosophy books, read them with a fresh mind. I see many laypeople try Nietzsche or Wittgenstein, two very alluring philosophers with beautiful prose. Don’t be bogged down by preconceptions and approach them with an open mind.

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Helen De Cruz holds the Danforth Chair in the Humanities. They have recently written Wonderstruck: How awe and wonder shape the way we think (Princeton University Press). In their spare time, they enjoy drawing, writing fiction, and playing the lute.

Website: https://helendecruz.net/

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