Applied Philosophy

Applied philosophy

Though often seen as a wholly abstract field, philosophy is not without 
practical applications. The most obvious applications are those in ethics 
-- applied ethics in particular -- and in political philosophy. The 
political philosophies of Confucius, Kautilya, Sun Tzu, John Locke, 
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Karl Marx, John Stuart Mill, Mahatma Gandhi, Robert 
Nozick, and John Rawls have shaped and been used to justify governments and 
their actions.

Philosophy of education deserves special mention, as well; progressive 
education as championed by John Dewey has had a profound impact on 
educational practices in the United States in the twentieth century. It could 
be argued that some New Age philosophies, such as the "Celestine Prophecy", 
inadvertently educate people about human psychology and power relationships 
through the use of spiritual metaphor.

Other important applications can be found in epistemology, which might help 
one to regulate one's notions of what knowledge, evidence, and justified 
belief are. Two useful ways that epistemology and logic can inform the real 
world are through the fields of journalism and police investigation. 
Informal logic has fantastic applications, helping citizens to be critical 
in reading rhetoric and in everyday discussion. Philosophy of science 
discusses the underpinnings of the scientific method. Aesthetics can help to 
interpret discussions of art. Even ontology, surely the most abstract and 
least practical-seeming branch of philosophy, has had important consequences 
for logic and computer science.

In general, the various "philosophies of," such as philosophy of law, can 
provide workers in their respective fields with a deeper understanding of the 
theoretical or conceptual underpinnings of their fields.

Often, philosophy is seen as an investigation into an area not understood well 
enough to be its own branch of knowledge. What were once merely philosophical 
pursuits have evolved into the modern day fields of psychology, sociology, 
linguistics, and economics (among others). Computer science, cognitive science 
and artificial intelligence are modern areas of research that philosophy has 
played a role in developing.

Moreover, a burgeoning profession devoted to applying philosophy to the 
problems of ordinary life has recently developed, called philosophical 
counseling. Many Eastern philosophies can and do help millions of people with 
anxiety problems through their emphasis on meditation for calming the mind 
and the connection between the health of the body and the health of the soul.