Stagnant Cogitation

Philosophy, after a certain point, is a waste of time or at least overrated.

I say this not as a cop-out, or as a rebellion against Kant (which is not to say I am not rebelling against Kant in other ways).  While it is a fascinating field of study that touches essentially every discipline in some respect, its practical application is almost nil.  This "love of wisdom" encompassed in philosophy encourages an individual to put some thought into ethics, aesthetics, metaphysics, etc; however, it operates on such a theoretical plane of thought that any attempt to connect it to real life and real problems--politics, science, psychology, etc.--meets with a sort of disconnect.

Take Marx's Communist Manifesto, for example.  For all our (fully justified) condemnation of communism, anyone who has read its origins must admit that it sounded wonderful and made sense, within the confines of theoretical inquiry.  Marx did not intend, of course, to create countries where people are so discouraged by the futility of their efforts that they become apathetic.  He tried to create a perfect system, like many others before him, and it was only when it was put into practice that it all fell apart.  The problem was not so much with Marx's theories as with humanity itself. 

Human nature defies a box, defies a label.  We as individuals hate to be reduced to a word or phrase, to be belittled.  We demand to be recognized in our significance and to have our rights acknowledged, and in our struggle for that recognition, we tear and tangle the systems that attempt to organize and contain us.  The ambition fundamental to humanity prevents us from falling easily into a system, even if it is beneficial to us as a whole.

As a result, I tend to think that cogitating over, pondering, and deeply considering the questions of the universe are only useful so far as they prompt the individual to act as a result.  Does philosophical inquiry guide you to realize problems in your immediate community or in the way you relate to others, and does it drive you to make changes accordingly or does it cause you to run around mad and shoot people out of sheer frustration?  Does it grant you some greater understanding of history or human nature that helps you figure out how to relate to others, or does it isolate you in a brooding hole of analysis and theory?  Is it, on the simplest level, the cause of positive insights on your fellow man, or does it drive you to despair about the hopeless depravity of the entire population? 

In other words, does it make you a better or a worse person? 

I see philosophy as a potentially strong supplement to other disciplines, in that it often offers a greater understanding of just what you are doing and how you are contributing to the world around you.  Philosophy alone, however, is just a lot of stagnant cogitation.  Philosophy used wrongly is an excuse to wreak havoc (take Raskolnikov of Crime and Punishment) or exacerbate situations that are already bad enough.  It is of paramount importance, then, to see what philosophy does for you, and act accordingly.