Philosophy

The following is a snippet from my book Philosophy for Business Leaders. I never really wanted to study philosophy. In fact, the idea never crossed my mind. At college, after dabbling with a variety of courses that included calculus, organic chemistry, biology, economics, and finance, I decided I wanted to understand what a stock was and the underpinnings of the financial world. I was mesmerized by all the numbers displayed on big screens, sometimes with weird candle-like figures, squeezed between lines on either side and numbers flaring in red and green every other second. ...

The philosopher René Descartes (1595-1650) was fed up with his education. All the philosophers and schools of thought he studied claimed that their arguments were true. He did not know whom to believe and wasn’t particularly happy about being another brick in the wall. So he decided to set out a rigorous method with clear criteria to find out a solid foundation to acquire certainty. The Method of Doubt Descartes decided to systematically doubt all his beliefs. ...

Three Biographical Anecdotes 1. The Excommunication At the age of 24, Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677) was excommunicated from the Jewish community of the Netherlands and was accused of being a “menace to all piety and morals.” He was kicked out because of his unorthodox views, defending a naturalistic understanding of god and the history of religions. 2. Justice Over Inheritance When his father Michael died in 1654, his sister tried to block his inheritance because she thought he wouldn’t be entitled to it due to his ex-communication. ...

First, consider the following cases: You want to ask someone out. You have three job offers, one from Amazon, one from Tesla, and one from Google. You’re not sure whether to help out someone or not. You’re a physicist and you can’t prove whether the particle you’re looking for exists or not. These cases are each very different from the other. They all belong to different domains and types of knowledge, and require different modes of actions. ...

This article is an excerpt from my book Philosophy for Business Leaders: Asking Questions, Navigating Uncertainty, and the Quest for Meaning. I once moderated an online session that revolved around discussions about personal finance, investments, and entrepreneurship. During the session, I asked the guest a question that sparked concerns about the importance of ethics in the business world. The guest, wearing a smile, along with many attendees—most of whom were bankers and professionals—agreed that as long as actions are legal and compliant, there is no problem. ...

“Philosophy is impractical” is a common assertion I frequently encounter and occasionally express myself. There’s some truth to it. In modern-day pragmatic terms, philosophy may indeed be useless. Unlike, say, physics or engineering, the results of pursuing philosophy are not immediately noticeable. It does not teach you how to construct a building. That’s why it is often perceived as a useless activity. But where does the value of philosophy lie? Does philosophy have any value at all? ...

The Temptation of the Shortcut We are searching for the holy grail. The one blueprint that magically solves all our problems. The one prompt that would turn our idea into a fully-fledged, functional, and successful business. The pill that makes all our troubles disappear overnight. That one viral post that propels us into fame, making our lives a lot easier. We’re living at an accelerated rhythm. Speed matters more than the process or the outcome. We expect the results yesterday. There’s a lot going on. New technological advancements are happening at an unparalleled speed. A future riddled with considerable uncertainty. The wins are up for grabs. The frenzy is in the air, and we’re all trying our best to surf these high waves. ...

Socrates and the Cost of Asking Questions ‘The life which is unexamined is not worth living,’ Socrates famously said, according to his student Plato, during his trial defense. Socrates was taken to court, accused of corrupting the youth and disrespecting the gods. These charges were a euphemism for ‘we don’t like this guy, he’s causing a stir, and people, especially the youth, are beginning to question things. We better get rid of him before he does any more damage.’ ...