Letters
January 13th 2010
Re: Philosophy department at U of W
Re: “Future of philosophy department uncertain,” page 6, Dec. 3, and “The state of philosophy at the U of W,” page 9, Dec. 3
The only thing philosophy has given me (besides my Ph.D) is my extreme satisfaction with life – a life lived in greater freedom, freedom from the things that people often spend a lifetime on that, in the end, in most cases they find have been of little value.
However, they will only say this later if they can be truly honest with themselves. Unless they are willing and unafraid to face those big questions in life, they might never really admit that they wasted some time. So what do you say?
Every society in the past has finally fallen and a sure sign has been, among others, when philosophy was no longer considered important.
It is not only that the big questions need to be dealt with. Their discussion is vital to overcoming fear and increasing creativity. The discussions are important because they encourage hope.
The discussions are important because they simply make you a better person in the broader sense, no matter what you end up doing. Without a strong and well-maintained foundation, the house you build, no matter how good, will fall.
I trust every fine university remembers that it is not only building immediate futures, but at the same time, it is promoting long term fulfillment of both society and the individual. Keep philosophy alive at the grand University of Winnipeg.
This letter appeared in Volume 64, Number 15 of The Uniter, published January 14th 2010.
