Mostly Irrelevant: The Revelation, part I

I don't often think about my place in the world. I tend to think that I have pinned down my niche, and humanity's in general, and after a brief burst of neuronal activity I let it go. After several recent conversations with good friends however, I have been coaxed into looking closer at how my personal life actually fits into the fabric of...well, everything.

It began as I rode in the passenger seat of my friend Adam's car. We were heading down to Akron for some beer, burgers, and generally good times. Being intelligent, we always have good conversations about bio-mechanics and business ideas, relationships and robots. I happened to make a comment about how dangerous speaking in absolutes could be, after doing just that, when Adam told me I was losing touch. Fortunately it was due to a misunderstanding, he thought that I didn't believe there were any absolutes at all, but I disabused him of that notion. The second part is what really struck me though, he questioned my interest in philosophy in general, wondering if it was "relevant". I have to admit, and I did then, that when all is accounted for, it is not relevant. It can change lives positively or negatively, but most people go through their entire lives without thinking about philosophy, or only holding the philosophy they hold because of what they've been told to think (by upbringing, social class, etc.) It is not necessary. More than any other field of study, philosophy seeks out the questions which are beyond most people, and consequently is irrelevant to those people. Those people, like it or not, control the businesses and other major aspects of our lives...making philosophy unnecessary to us at the least. There it is, my chosen profession is unnecessary, and generally irrelevant, but it is what I like...tune in later to see my conversation with Will about my personal life!