The rise of philosophy...

I feel like philosophy—just the word—has become more popular lately…not that people have more philosophies (they have fewer than ever!), just the word itself has become more prevalent. This is, it seems to me, especially the case amongst business, finance, corporate, tech, entrepreneur types—exactly the kind of people who have no interest in thinking, no use for ideas, etc.

So why is that?

I think it’s because having a philosophy—for a corporate entity—is more strategically useful, because of how nebulous it is. Because of what it is not. It is not a policy—a policy would have to be spelled out, and you have to be held to it. It’s official, it’s legalistic, and there are guidelines that determine what policies must entail—what policies you are allowed to have, and what ones you are not.

In this age of extreme deregulation, free for all, winner take all, catch as catch can, get while the gettin’s good, before the whole system dies forever (within the next five years or so), having a policy is kind of a drag. Nobody has time for policies anymore—that would require knowing what the policy is, keeping track of its implementation, being all official about it, etc etc. What a buzzkill!

Instead, having a philosophy is much more fun—simpler, vaguer, less official—it can be whatever you want it to be at the time. The word itself can mean anything—and nothing—and everything…all at the same time.

Philosophy will continue to be a word much bandied-about by people who want to have policies without actually having them…