Not A Luxury

What beliefs are you holding onto right now? Are you ready to let them go when it is time to change? ~ Jeff Carreira

"Philosophy is not a luxury item that we can afford to do away with. It is a necessity for a well-lived human life—especially when we are challenged, or worse, when we find ourselves in times of crisis. When we face mounting challenges and overwhelming crises, we are tempted to see philosophy as a luxury item that we can no longer afford. It’s not! In fact, in the face of overwhelming difficulties, philosophy, which is the pursuit of truth, becomes more important, not less.

Why? Because what we believe is true dictates how we act,
and how we act creates the world we live in. If you recognize some part of yourself that protests this statement, look at it. It might be insisting that, “My actions are not dictated to me. I do what I want to do. I am a free, independent person.”

Most of us believe that nothing can dictate our actions to
us—not even our own beliefs. What if it isn’t true? What if you
were to discover that you could only ever act in accordance
with what you believed to be true—that you were a prisoner
to your own beliefs and always would be? How would you
relate to philosophy and to your quest to examine what is
true then?

I would not go so far as to say that there is no free will. I appreciate James’ insight that our freedom is not found in our
ability to self-direct our actions, but rather in our ability to
choose what we believe. James also recognized that the world
we create as a society depends on the truths we share. His
words from the essay “The Will to Believe” still have something
powerful to say to us today:

'A social organism of any sort whatever, large or small, is
what it is because each member proceeds to his own duty
with a trust that the other members will simultaneously
do theirs. Wherever a desired result is achieved by the
co-operation of many independent persons, its existence
as a fact is a pure consequence of the precursive faith in
one another of those immediately concerned. A government,
an army, a commercial system, a ship, a college, an
athletic team, all exist on this condition, without which not
only is nothing achieved, but nothing is even attempted.'

If we agree that the world is created by the results of our individual and collective actions, and we know that the world
needs to change, then we have to discover a new truth - together. Philosophy, as the pursuit of truth, is critical and must
become a collective endeavor so that we can change the
world by changing the way we think about the world.

Times of crisis are definitely times when we need to focus our
attention and our energy. Some things that were important
become luxuries that we can no longer afford. Philosophy is
not one of these. In times of crisis, more than ever we must
examine what we believe to be true and why we believe it,
so we can discover higher, deeper, and more encompassing
truths that will lead to actions that will change the world for
the better."

~ Jeff Carreira is passionate about philosophy because he is passionate about the power that ideas have to shape the way we see ourselves and the way we live. He is available to speak to audiences that are interested in the power of ideas. Jeff’s
enthusiasm for learning is infectious, and he is particularly interested in addressing student groups and inspiring them to
develop their own practice of introspection and philosophical
inquiry.

Jeff has taught university students about Charles Darwin’s
influence on American thought, spoken with recovering alcoholics about the transformative philosophy of William James,
and addressed Unitarian church groups about Ralph Waldo
Emerson and the roots of their faith. He has taught college
courses on philosophy, spoken at conferences, and led seminars
worldwide.

For more information about how to book Jeff for a speaking
engagement, visit:
www.philosophyisnotaluxury.com

Photo lower right ~ William James in Brazil.