Philosophy with MATT GRAY of Cheltenham & UK Philosophers
Let’s be honest, the world has gone at least a bit crazy in recent years.
The Covid pandemic, Ukraine/Russia war (that I was lulled into believing couldn’t happen in Europe again), the recent and rapid rise in AI capability, US and global politics, UK riots and the seemingly endless polarised political debate.
Canadian philosopher John Vervaeke has argued that we are not only facing real, existential threats to our survival, but also that we are in a “meaning crisis”.
We’ve all heard before about the decline of the church in Western Europe, and it’s no surprise that the withdrawal of such a huge chunk of social and cultural identity and ritual will leave something of a vacuum – which is being filled variously by sports, politics, music, sub-culture, new-age and other forms of mysticism.
This, coupled with the increased role of science in society, and the consequent social advances in medicine, logistics, literacy and life expectancy, the old religious and spiritual customs seem less and less relevant as history progresses.
Gone are the days we could be fairly sure our neighbours would have the same spiritual, political and moral perspectives – and indeed, given the number and range of opinions, viewpoints and ideologies, the world of ideas can be a disorienting, even confusing, place to be.
I have found that philosophy offers a lighthouse in the stormy seas of understanding, hence the founding of Cheltenham & UK Philosophers.
I genuinely believe the world, starting with Cheltenham, needs more reflection, critical and clear thinking, to help defend against the ever-increasing nonsense offered up online and on TV – as well as to sustain and protect the virtues of open-mindedness and reason.
Socrates, the famous ancient Greek philosopher accused of corrupting the minds of the youth of Athens, famously said during his trial in 399 BCE that “an unexamined life is not worth living”.
His message here, as far as I understand it, is that we cannot be confident in our values, opinions and, consequently, actions if we have not first assessed these positions under the light, and methodology, of reason.
Why do we believe what we believe? Why do I do what I do?
Much of our identity is essentially out of our hands, and in many cases our worldview is expected to be of a certain kind by friends and family.
I’d venture that some significant portion of the mental-health crisis can be attributed to feelings of displacement, and lack of purpose in the world.
For me, the meaning of Socrates’ pronouncement runs even deeper – beyond identity and belief, into questions about our very existence: what, in fact, are we?
Sure, we’re apes on a rock in space able to wield language – but more broadly, what is life, how did it emerge, what is consciousness, is there a broad purpose to nature, some goal in mind?
Are we a part of that – if there is some truth about what we are that we can begin to understand, does this change what we “should” do (moral imperative)? For me, in a time of deepening crisis, these sorts of questions are ever more important.
HG Wells once wrote “history is a race between education and catastrophe” – it seems to me that, whilst we appear ever closer to catastrophe, that there is also a counter movement in play – an increased interest in philosophical and, perhaps, spiritual questions.
Science is now softening its stance, and mechanistic materialism isn’t the only game in town – numerous cutting-edge scientists and philosophers (Donald Hoffman, Mike Levin, Bernardo Kastrup, Matt Segall) are thinking outside the prevailing paradigm.
Philosophy is back in the room – to sort through the claims of mystics, scientists and politicians.
There is nothing like philosophy and logic for exposing poor arguments, or outright charlatanry.
Philosophy won’t give you the answers – in fact, it might even give you more questions than you had in the first place.
But it will show you that it’s OK to not know, it is saner, and wiser, to reserve judgement in complex cases.
A world with a bit more humility, and a bit less certainty, might just be a safer world to live in right now – and one in which education, and not catastrophe, might just win the race.
Matt Gray will be back next month with another edition of The Gray Area.
Visit Cheltenham & UK Philosophers on Facebook for more about the group or to join.
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A really concise piece writing and solid thought. Well done Matt, you killed it!! X
Thank you very much, means a lot!
‘An unexamined life is not worth living’ very prevalent. Look forward to reading more!
Thanks Marie, much appreciated, starting to think about the next one already!
Excellent, thought-provoking, and profound. The man is a genius.
Being properly opened up to philosophy over the past few months — particularly through the Cheltenham and UK Philosophers Facebook page — has been a revelatory experience.
Enlightening, yes, but also humbling. My mother once warned me that students of philosophy were prone to madness, so I’ve only ever dipped a cautious toe in before now.
And yet, I’ve been wrestling with the purpose of philosophy my entire life. I’ve always known, instinctively and empirically, that it is essential to being human. But only recently has the penny truly dropped.
Philosophy is a gym for the mind. It’s demanding, painful, and exhausting — but just like in the gym, if you stick with it, the results do come.
Clearly, Mr. Gray has been training for years. He strains like Hercules — not against convention, but at the deepest, most profound questions of human existence. Questions many of us have forgotten how to ask in the noise and distraction of modern life.
Thanks Oliver very kind words indeed!