2018 Philosophy Graduation Commencement Speech

          When I was a child, I often thought about the fundamental difference between dream and reality—how can I know that dream is not reality and reality is not a dream? Nothing could compare to my excitement when in philosophy 101 I took with Prof. Sarah Paul, I found that Descartes wrote Meditations to find answers to this very same question. Therefore, I declared philosophy major. After four years of studying philosophy, I would like to present an argument for the importance of philosophy not only for individual development but also for society overall.

            When asked the question “what is philosophy as a discipline?”, I think there are two ways to think about it.  One way is to think of philosophy as a specific realm of knowledge that is different from other realms of knowledge such as psychological or sociological knowledge. Philosophy has its own scope of specialization, that it is more theoretical than empirical; more reflective than experimental. So when we say we “study philosophy”, it refers to studying the rich philosophical traditions left by previous philosophers and philosophical literature.

However, philosophy is not only a realm of knowledge but is in itself a way of attaining knowledge. Namely, attaining knowledge in a rational, logical, and critical way. In this sense, philosophy can be a methodology or a mindset. That is the second way I understand philosophy. In this sense, when we say “study philosophy”, it means to acquire a habit of mind, a habit to think clearly and critically. To me personally, through learning about freewill and ethics, I was motivated to do good to others, as I realized that most inequality cannot be justified on any moral ground. I also came to see how important values can come into conflict with each other: such as fairness and equality can be in conflict with efficiency and freedom. Realizing the complexity of many moral issues, I became more charitable in interpreting different views, more cautious in deriving moral judgment, and more considerate in thinking of solutions to moral dilemmas. In sum, through cultivating the habits of mind, philosophy influences our lives in an overarching way.

Now, I would like to get more specific and explain why the habit of critical thinking is important. The phrase “Critical thinking”  is not an elitist catchphrase tossed around by professionals. Rather, critical thinking is a necessary skill for us to navigate the world, because being in a human culture, we are forever trapped in a fog of misperceptions that may be caused by our evolutionary history, the limitation of our brain structures, profit-making companies’ exploitation of our psychology, and other influences that may interfere with our rational judgement. In the past, historical atrocities happened because people who performed their “mundane” obligations, such as people who drove trains for military troops, didn’t think actively enough to resist or simply stop. And that is what people mean by saying that evil is achieved through banality-- the banality of not thinking critically. Today many of us are still passive victims to advertisements, social media, and the entertainment industry, which drive us down an endless cycle of social comparison but tell us that buying and consuming are quick and easy fixes to all psychological insecurities. The value of philosophy is that it enables us to reflect on the configuration, constructs, and norms that are bound to lead us astray in today’s society.

Let’s go beyond the realm of the individual and think about the importance of philosophy to society. When we talk about progress or modernity, most people would associate these words with machines, technology, and in general, science. But I would like to argue for the unique contribution from philosophy, in addition scientific contributions. For example--scientists invented cloning technology, but it was necessary for philosophers to point out the ethical problems with human cloning. So perhaps we shouldn’t do certain things even with the technology being available. Science is about information. Philosophy is not about information. Philosophy is a reflective practice of interpretation. Philosophy helps us articulate questions and elaborate problems, which can sometimes be more important than answering or solving them, because it directs our attention and furthers the discourses.

Many people argue that philosophy never settles anything. I argue that sometimes, keeping the conversation going is in itself significant. People have been asking “what’s the meaning of life” for thousands of years. The point of philosophy is to elaborate this question, constantly add new materials to this topic as society changes, and keep the conversation going. If at one point, people no longer ask “what’s the meaning of life”, then human society faces real problems.

    With the honor of speaking here today, I would like to thank the philosophy department for cultivating a very caring community for us students, as well as your generous funding to Socratic Society. I would like to make a final point, however, which is that it has been a privilege for us to study in this world-renowned department and institution. The privilege of receiving such high-quality education is not shared by many disadvantaged people in the world. As I believe most inequality cannot be justified on any moral ground, I think all of us are conferred the responsibility to make positive social contributions that go beyond furthering our own ends. With the philosophical tools at hand, we can, and we should, make the world a better place for the least privileged people.

    Thank you.