Why Philosophy? Lou Marinoff
Philosophical questioning has no limits, no taboos, and no unthinkable thoughts
What is philosophy to you?
First of all, philosophy means “love of wisdom.” There are many ways of loving, and many aspects of wisdom to love. Some philosophers love logic, critical thinking, or scientific reasoning: what we call formal or “exact” philosophy. Others love philosophy of language, or knowledge, or mind, or AI. Many love value-laden aspects such as philosophy of ethics, law, society, and politics. Others love Continental philosophy, or Indian Philosophy, or Chinese Philosophy. In addition to philosophy’s intrinsic interests, we can, and do, philosophize about any and every discipline taught in the academy, including Art, Music, and History. Philosophy does not necessarily nor even at all provide answers; rather, it asks pertinent questions about the world, ourselves, and each other. Theoretical aspects of philosophy are complemented by phronesis, meaning practical wisdom, including applied ethics, virtue ethics (both Western and Asian), and broad-based cross-cultural philosophical practices. Lately, a movement of popular and public philosophy has evolved, replete with books, blogs, podcasts and pioneers. These initiatives return philosophy to its origins: dialogues with people. Through dialogue, philosophy can illuminate any questions that anyone may wish to raise. To me, philosophy means conducting a rational inquiry into any matter of interest. Philosophical questioning has no limits, no taboos, and no unthinkable thoughts.
How were you first introduced to philosophy?
I was first introduced implicitly, during the 1960s, at Lower Canada College. As beneficiaries of exemplary education at LCC, we took to heart its motto and guiding precept: Non Nobis Solum (Not For Ourselves Alone). We were taught to give back to society, to engage in community service and philanthropy, and to help make the world a better place. Explicitly, I was introduced to Humanism via the Montreal Humanist Fellowship, whose youth group I led as a teenager. Around that time, I also became acquainted with Platonism, Existentialism, and Objectivism. But philosophy as taught in the academy, for the most part, was not nearly as attractive as other enticements of the late 1960s, including the “pop philosophy” of Alan Watts, the Evans-Wentz books on Tibetan Buddhism, the Bhagavad Gita, the Yi Jing, and the Dao De Jing among other classics. These readings soon drew me into the orbits of accomplished teachers from their associated wisdom traditions. In the early 1980s, I took a B.Sc. in Theoretical Physics at Concordia University, then won a Commonwealth Scholarship, completing a Ph.D. in Philosophy of Science at University College London in 1992. UCL’s spiritual father is Jeremy Bentham. His successor, John Stuart Mill, penned the greatest defense of individual liberty in the English language, averred Isaiah Berlin. All those influences comprised my formative period.
How do you practice philosophy today?
Today, as in daily life for decades, I apply philosophical practices drawn from Western and Asian traditions alike, including Stoicism, Buddhism and Daoism among others. As a professor at The City College of New York, I teach canonical texts and systems from which these practices derive. Since 1994 I have helped pioneer a global movement of philosophical practitioners. With like-minded colleagues, the American Philosophical Practitioners Association (APPA) was founded in 1999. APPA offers public events, and trains and certifies practitioners, mostly philosophers seeking essential tools with which to build their own practices outside the academy, to enrich their existing academic resources, or to augment their co-professional practices. Since 1999 APPA has certified more than 600 practitioners, from 37 US states and 33 foreign countries. APPA also publishes Philosophical Practice, a serial scholarly journal. This year (2025) marks its 20th year of publication (of three issues per year) under my founding editorship. In the public sphere, my books on philosophy for everyday life have been translated into many languages, where they help engender both demand and supply: they stimulate interest from clients seeking philosophical services and from philosophers and other co-professionals—e.g. doctors, lawyers, psychologists, pastoral counselors, and social workers—who seek to render them. I practice philosophy today as I have for decades: personally, pedagogically, and professionally—worldwide, and as a way of life.
Why is philosophy important to you?
Philosophy is important to me for many of the same reasons, or so I surmise, that religions and ideologies are important to their respective adherents. All humans need to acquire language, culture, and webs of accompanying beliefs. Enculturation equips people with a TOE (“theory of everything”), whether religious or secular, which offers them a way of life, a set of core beliefs at the very foundations of whatever their occupation or station in life may be, and (on a good day) a moral compass for navigating life’s inevitable challenges and changes. Philosophers are like this too, except that no two philosophers believe exactly the same things. After all, philosophy is not a pre-defined “job” that you leave in the office when you go home for the day; nor is it a “cult” of shared dogmas. Rather, philosophy as a way of life both illuminates and co-creates the path you tread. “As you think, so shall you become” taught Buddha. The New England Idealists described themselves as “a community of like-minded people, no two of whom think alike.” But unlike religions and ideologies, philosophy tends to come bundled with skepticism. Many people cling to beliefs to stave off doubts; philosophers cling to doubts to stave off beliefs. We do not wish to believe unexamined opinions, but prefer to seek after knowledge itself, namely justified true belief, through the exercise of reason informed by experience. We question everything, instead of believing everything unquestioningly. Philosophy is more important than many people realize, since its inquiries engendered science, evolved democracy, and birthed psychology. A viable philosophy of life is a key to attaining one’s fullest human potential. Philosophy at its best opens minds and transforms lives. Nothing can be more important than that.
What books, podcasts, or other media would you recommend to anyone interested in philosophy?
I would recommend any and all of the above media. These days, cyberspace teems with such resources. People should follow their particular philosophical tastes and interests wherever they lead. There are free university lectures online, along with explanations of everything under the sun. Everyone is welcome to browse APPA’s bookstore, which contains diverse works on practical philosophy; or to view APPA’s public podcasts featuring leading practitioners and authors; or to enroll in online courses on philosophy for everyday life, offered by the APPA Academy and the APPA Institute. Nowadays, philosophy of every kind is more accessible to the public than ever before. The digital revolution has teleported human consciousness and identity into the “noosphere,” our planet’s “thinking envelope,” as predicted in 1922 by Jesuit paleontologist and philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. In the noosphere of cyberspace, we can swim in fathomless oceans of data amidst diverse schools of opinion on everything, including philosophical examinations from all angles. Beyond this, I recommend regular physical fitness activity, to complement noetic exertions! As far as possible, let’s promote Juvenal’s mens sana in corpore sano: a healthy mind in a healthy body.
Lou Marinoff is Professor of Philosophy at The City College of the City University of New York, and founding president of the APPA. An internationally bestselling author, he publishes books, book chapters, articles and interviews on a variety of topics and themes, including works of literary fiction. A keynote speaker world-wide, Lou also serves as faculty to global leadership organizations such as Horasis and the World Economic Forum. His hobbies include tennis, classical guitar, and nature photography.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Marinoff
So happy to see that you are back! An interesting interview that encouraged me to check out APPA.
Definitely one of my favorites in the series; Lou's breadth of approach to what philosophy is and how it is practiced mirrors in many ways my own course, although I never studied or practiced philosophy academically after my BA. But what I learned about asking questions and practicing skepticism ("the chastity of the intellect") informed everything I've done in my career (as an academic medical librarian) and how I've conducted myself in my private life.