industry & research
I think, therefore I win
The benefits of studying and researching philosophy underpin all subjects and walks of life, a professor argues. By Antonia Maiolo
Jānis Ozoliņš
Much of what is learned in philosophy can be reflected in almost all aspects of life, Jānis“ John” Ozoliņš, professor of philosophy at Australian Catholic University, argues. Ozoliņš, who is also a member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, spoke to Campus Review about the importance of investing in the field of philosophy and how the discipline touches on other subjects. He explains that philosophical methods are usable in virtually any field.
CR: The Coalition has, in the past, described funding for research in the field of philosophy as“ ridiculous” – why is it important to maintain investment in this area? JO: Investment, as commonly understood, assumes that you will expect some sort of direct return on the funds outlaid. In that light, it is“ ridiculous” to expect to get a return on funds invested in philosophy. I certainly would not invest my funds in philosophy in the hope of making money. It does not follow, however, that we should not expend time, energy and funds on philosophical research. Asking why research into philosophy is valuable is itself a philosophical question, rather than a financial or scientific one. Philosophical research does not lie in its value as a return on investment, but in the searching, critical and uncomfortable questions that it asks about the justification for the fundamental assumptions that ground the beliefs and values of those who pride themselves on being practical people. As long as one does not ask any difficult questions about why we hold the beliefs and values that we do, we can get by without philosophy, just like someone with a bad heart can get by if he sticks to walking only along level ground. Once he is forced to climb a hill, however, he will find the going difficult. Similarly, the person without any ability to think critically and reflectively will find it difficult to respond when his or her values and beliefs are challenged. For example, questions about the kind of society we want to live in, what we mean by justice and whether there is a common good are not decided by taking opinion polls. These are philosophical questions.
Why is this study still relevant today? The greatest value of philosophical research does not lie in its usefulness for any practical purpose, but in its ability to explore questions of meaning and value. These questions are always relevant to human beings and their communities. Every area of philosophy can contribute to an exploration of the perennial questions people ask. Philosophy’ s strength is that it is highly abstract and seeks to address the most basic questions that we ask about ourselves, about our purpose and our relation to the rest of the universe. If we think about the basic branches of philosophy, we can certainly see their centrality to human life. For example, logic is a vital tool in all reasoning and is one of the basic branches of philosophy. There is no area of human activity that does not involve logic at some level. We use many basic logic operations in our daily lives. Metaphysics and epistemology are crucial not only in understanding what we say, a priori, about the world, but also in understanding truth, beauty and the nature of knowledge. Ethics, very broadly speaking, addresses questions about what is good, what is right and how human beings ought to act towards one another. Certainly some philosophical research is highly technical and many have unfairly criticised it for being a useless academic indulgence with no application in the real world. This assumes not only that we know what is useful, but also that only what is useful is valuable. It also assumes we know what we mean by the real world. All of this requires justification and this is a philosophical task. Justifying our values and beliefs is crucially important, since this clarifies the basis on which we make decisions about what we choose to do and the kind of world we want to live in.
What barriers can philosophical researchers encounter when applying for grants? Given that the bulk of research funding goes to scientific and medical research, particularly research with the promise of practical application, this is a serious barrier for philosophical researchers. Most philosophical research is described as pure and basic and does not usually have a practical application. It does not produce such things as cures for disease or patents for new inventions, which have immediate applications. Philosophical research is generally conducted by a sole researcher working with philosophical texts on a particular problem that has attracted his or her attention. It is not a team activity, though the support and encouragement of one’ s colleagues is important. The most important resource required by philosophical researchers is time that will allow for philosophical thought to mature. Since the funding demands of such endeavours are modest, a project can look quite innocuous against a project that requires significant funding support for a team. Some of the more successful philosophical applications have been interdisciplinary, involving, for example, a scientific area, where it can be argued that there is an immediate benefit to gain.
What can universities do to assist researchers in overcoming these challenges? The Australian Research Council has recognised the humanities and creative arts as areas to be funded, but of course, the proportion of funds going to disciplines in this area is paltry. Universities themselves in many cases concentrate on those disciplines that will attract the largest numbers of students, since the more students the more funding from government. Universities have become largely purveyors of vocational education and have forgotten their role in educating students for life through a classic liberal education. Philosophy is caught up in the shift away from liberal arts education. If there is to be more funding for
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