I love philosophy and find it highly rewarding, but asking whether it's "valuable" might be the wrong question. Is poetry valuable? Certainly not in terms of an

I love philosophy and find it highly rewarding, but asking whether it's "valuable" might be the wrong question. Is poetry valuable? Certainly not in terms of anything practical that would get us a job or make money (other than in the English dept. at a university, I suppose.). But in the sense of enriching our lives and (perhaps) making them more meaningful, certainly. Same with philosophy. That said, I do think there is a fair bit of practical value in doing philosophy. The ability to frame a logically coherent argument is still as important today as it was in ancient Greece. Why is "everyone does it so it must be OK" a specious argument, for example? A philosophical frame of mind is, above all, questioning and curious, and an open, questioning mind is a huge asset. Philosophy also requires imagination and abstract reasoning, and at a minimum the practice of it helps build these skills. Perhaps it simply boils down to one's subjective level of interest in philosophical questions: "What is morality?" "What is Truth?" "Can we know anything with absolute certainty?" etc... Some of these, in their more specific forms have practical import:"Should euthanasia be legalized" "Is it OK to eat meat? If so, howabout Fluffy the Poodle, or Barney the Chimp, or your mom (where do you draw the line, and why?)" "Is 'knowledge' synonymous with 'scientific knowledge' (ie, if not arrived at via science, it's not 'knowledge'?" Etc... If you enjoy thinking/arguing/discussing such questions, then you'll find value in philosophy.