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The world desperately needs philosophy today, to stand up to totalitarianism, and halt the process of democratic backsliding, writes Vittorio Bufacchi on World Philosophy Day 

The arrogance of certainty about ethics, especially regarding sexual matters, was the reason behind the horrors of young women in Ireland being locked up in Magdalene laundries, with the assistance and full blessing of the Church. Picture: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie

November 20 is World Philosophy Day. Having taught philosophy for the last 30 years, I have come across a lot of jokes about my profession. And rightly so perhaps. 

After all, every person in this world goes through life thinking about stuff, but some of us have managed to make a living from how to think about thinking about stuff. Now, who’s the joke on?

There is some truth in the claim philosophers are people who know less and less about more and more, until they know nothing about everything. That’s because studying philosophy is the most humbling experience. 

All philosophers worth their salt pay homage to Socrates’ saying, “I know that I know nothing”. Wisdom starts when you recognise the limits of your own knowledge. The more you learn, the more you realise how little you know, and this keeps you humble, and open to new ideas.

The fact that philosophy is not taught in schools in Ireland is shocking. Of course, every time I say that in public, I’m met with a tsunami of rebuttals. One of the standard replies I get is the following: “But we teach philosophy in Irish schools, that’s why religion is a mandatory subject.” 

I’m sorry for bursting your bubble, but religion and philosophy have as much in common as oil and water, or the Oval Office recent redecorations and good taste. 

That’s because religion starts with the certainty of a fundamental assumption: God. Philosophy, on the other hand, starts with a radically opposite assumption: there are no certainties. That’s another reason why Ireland needs to introduce non-denominational schools, where philosophy rather than religion is taught, but that’s a subject for another day.

It's the alluring appeal of certainty which is precisely the reason we should celebrate philosophy today. Totalitarianism is the ideology of certainty. As we witness the rise of far-right movements across the world, in all their devious and dangerous forms, we are reminded of the devastating consequences of the politics of certainty. 

And lest we forget, the arrogance of certainty about ethics, especially regarding sexual matters, was the reason behind the horrors of young women in Ireland being locked up in Magdalene laundries, with the assistance and full blessing of the Church.

Vittorio Bufacchi: 'Philosophy is the antithesis of totalitarianism because philosophy is the art of dialogue, and dialogue is the essence of democracy.' Picture: Gerard McCarthy Photography 

The world desperately needs philosophy today, to stand up to totalitarianism, and halt the process of democratic backsliding that is dragging us towards the ideological cesspit where arbitrary human rights violations are occurring under our eyes.

Philosophy is the antithesis of totalitarianism because philosophy is the art of dialogue, and dialogue is the essence of democracy. Ancient philosophers wrote their treatises in the form of dialogue, because no one should have the arrogance of assuming they can get closer to the truth on their own, instead progress requires cooperation, teamwork. 

A dialogue occurs between equals, a forum where we take turns speaking but crucially also listening to each other. Totalitarian regimes don’t want to listen, because they claim to have certainty on their side, and anyone who questions their certainty becomes their enemy.

The art of philosophy is premised on the egalitarian belief that everyone has a voice, everyone needs to be heard, and everyone ought to be recognised in their capacity as a knower and a learner, and thus the dignity of everyone as a source of knowledge should be respected. 

That’s precisely why totalitarian regimes fear philosophy, and also why the typical totalitarian attitude towards philosophy and dialogue is to censor (books), shut down (libraries and universities), threaten (scholars), and if necessary, use unrestrained violence (war).

René Descartes penned the most famous philosophical quote in the history of Western philosophy: cogito ergo sum, I think therefore I am. Thinking is everything to us. Thinking is also hard business, often messy, and it can lead us to strange places. 

The Greek philosopher Diogenes was known for living in a ceramic jar, never washed, and was prone to urinating on people he didn’t like. A case of ‘I stink therefore I am’ perhaps. Nevertheless, thinking remains our most powerful, rebellious, human act of defiance.

This World Philosophy Day, go on, have a joke on us. Chrysippus of Soli, a 3rd-century BC Stoic philosopher, is claimed to have died from laughing at his own joke, so we can take it. 

But jokes aside, also be grateful that philosophers exist, and always remember that the true enemies of philosophy, those who claim to know the truth about everything, with certainty, are not a joke, and they can’t even take a joke.

• Join Vittorio Bufacchi online for a live debate on Cicero and why philosophy matters on November 20 at 7pm at the Philosopher’s Hat Club: Tickets are available here. Professor Vittorio Bufacchi teaches in the philosophy department at University College Cork. He is the author of Why Cicero Matters (Bloomsbury 2023).