Luana asked:

I am studying philosophy in high school and I would like to know what the value of philosophy is.
Besides Bertrand Russell, are there any other philosophers who wrote on the value of philosophy?

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Most philosophers have something to say somewhere about the value of philosophy. Usually it
relates to their philosophy. To simplify the complex question of the value of philosophy we could just
ask, Why study philosophy? Here is an excerpt from a handout I give students:

The study of philosophy is really only the recognition and placing on a formal and justified footing of
what everyone always already does. Because all of us act and think in terms of some 'philosophy'
that guides, steers or orients us. We perceive things in terms of our 'philosophy'. How many people
are victims of the philosophy of others? The answer is probably, most people. And how much of other
people's philosophy has been neither examined or only ill examined by them? The answer, again, is
probably, most of it. That is a scary thought. Another example of our pre-existing relationship with
philosophy that all of us always already has, is relationships, and love in particular. Our ideas about
relationships and other people guide our behaviour. The way we react to other people's behaviour
toward our self in relationships affects our self-regard. We form habits from our beliefs that have
arisen out of our patterns of thought, which have become ingrained. In short, the way we think is of
the essence of the way we are.

If, then, we turn our thinking upon itself, if we decide to improve this area of our being, we will need to
study philosophy. Of course there are different methods of study and different areas of philosophy
that we might take up. The point here is that we are already caught up in philosophy whether we like
it or not. The choice to take up philosophy in this or that way, or to take up this or that kind of
philosophy is itself philosophical. I am not taking you round in circular arguments here: the fact is that
philosophy is embracing. A human being cannot step outside its embrace without ceasing to be
human.

So, philosophy is for people who want a life that is more worth living and to live in a world
which is a better place. This "more" and this "better" depend on philosophy, no matter what
the circumstances.

I go on to quote a couple of passages from the opening part of Jostein Gaarder's book, Sophie's
World,which I recommend to my own school students (advising them which bits to skip otherwise
they give up).

Matthew Del Nevo

http://www.sicetnon.com