Beginning of Essay
The value of Philosophy is, in fact, to be sought largely in its uncertainty. The man who has no tincture of Philosophy goes through life imprisoned in the prejudices derived from common sense, from the habitual beliefs of his age or his nation, and from the conv ....

Middle of Essay
.... life, the universe and everything, then philosophy would itself become responsible for inducing the very mental laziness which it should help us to avoid. Disagreement and debate between the adherents of rival theories is, moreover, essential to the health of philosophy. Just as many major advances of science are catalysed by war, so the great intellectual insights are sparked by discussion. If there were universal agreement on one philosophical theory, then all further thought would be rendered useless. (See p.319, Small World by David Lodge: "…what matters in the field of critical practice is not truth but difference. If everybody were convince ....