A Benefit Of Emphasizing Originality

Philosophy is mistakenly considered by many to be the domain of an intellectual elite, despite the fact that there are two distinct errors in this position.  First of all, many academics and historical philosophers rely extensively on fallacies, and thus the idea that directly contributing to academia signifies philosophical competency is nonsense.  Second, philosophy is in no way something that only concerns a relatively small group of people.  In order to clarify that philosophical truths can be understood by otherwise average people, rationalists need to call for a collective shift towards originality, something that can only be achieved by means of rationalism.

An emphasis on originality in both of its forms--the discovery of completely/largely unknown truths and autonomous worldview formation respectively--is key to ensuring that people who might otherwise distance themselves from personal philosophical contemplation put effort into independent, rationalistic thinking.  After all, a right understanding of originality empowers people to construct sound worldviews on the basis of reason, as opposed to the pitfalls of tradition, consensus, and preferences.  This emphasis makes philosophy seem more like the inviting, all-encompassing thing that it is, rather than something that is not accessible to the average person.

Philosophy is for everyone, after all, for it engulfs the whole of human life.  It does not require a formal university education to be grasped, nor does it possess an intrinsic difficulty that renders sophisticated knowledge unobtainable to all but a select few.  There are certainly vital truths, ignored by every historical philosophical author and every contemporary academic that I know of, that only a handful of likeminded rationalists have discovered [1], but this does not mean that only a few have the capacity to identify these truths.  The reason why most people are not more philosophically competent than they are presently is strictly that many people put minimal or no sincere effort into developing their intelligence.

The first form of originality naturally becomes rarer with the passage of time (though it is not dead yet: again, see [1]), but the second form is available to every generation, regardless of geographical, cultural, or historical factors [2].  This is because the latter is bound to the private exercise of reason, with reason itself being universal and immutable; reason is the key to intellectual autonomy (which is at the heart of originality) and the discovery of neglected truths alike.  That reason is accessible to all, to at least some extent, sustains the continuation of the second type of originality.

When people are encouraged to embrace this universal form of originality, they are more likely to recognize that knowledge is within their grasp and that they do not necessarily need to rely on other people to discover even complex truths.  Many truths can be proven in full without involving other people at all.  Dialogue between intelligent people can help bring clarity, yes, and the asking of honest questions should never be deterred.  However, no one's worldview needs to hinge upon another person's claims in the sense that all truth-seekers can independently confirm, refute, or, if epistemic limitations demand it, remain skeptical about the information they receive from others as the laws of logic dictate.


[1].  https://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2018/12/a-list-of-neglected-truths.html

[2].  https://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2019/02/originality-is-available-to-all.html