To the outside observer who can view something objectively, the truth would seem most clear. So it was that Karl Marx and Lenin were the greatest thinkers on Capitalism and understood it most plainly. So it was too that Socrates, a non-citizen of the Republic understood best the proper functioning of a Democracy. Of course he was “suppressed” as was his vision of Democracy. Enter Plato. Plato, the student of Socrates has become the benchmark of modern philosophy, rather than Socrates himself. As a philosopher, Socrates practiced the philosophical art of constant questioning. The stolen credit Plato has been allowed to assume from Socrates’ lessons has become a central metaphor for the modern state of philosophy.

There has been an increasingly growing movement away from pure, original philosophical thought, towards an elitist, academic institution of classical study and professional qualification. The romance of autodidactic philosophical reasoning is a dying art form, although such musings are the source material for modern study on the subject. While studying classical philosophical works can broaden one’s own understanding, focusing solely on deconstructing, criticizing and otherwise building on previous material, detriments the birth of new philosophical inquiry. Philosophy belongs to the masses, to the public, but the monopoly held over philosophy by the halls of academia is prevalent in the language used to describe an individual involved in a profession of philosophy. One it would seem dare not be so bold as to declare oneself a philosopher in this day and age, but rather qualify themselves as a “professor of philosophy,” a “doctor of philosophy,” a “philosophical writer or artist.” A modern book on philosophy tends to shy away from presuming to claim anything of the writer’s own, but rather an abundancy of references to the thoughts of those before them. While today one seems to require a degree in philosophy to be taken seriously, the irony is that the works they uphold were formed by original thinkers whose qualifications were self-assumed, yet these doctrinated professionals are only presumed qualified to ramble on about regurgitated lecture hall debate.

Whilst this modern condition of philosophy has been an ongoing problem, there have been rising movements over time attempting to revive the spirit of the philosophical pursuit. The different mental awakenings from the enlightenment to nihilism have all but been abandoned. The most recent evolvement had been the rise of hip-hop culture. But now the pioneering philosophical spirit of that movement is dead as well. Hip-hop was a culture of relevance and harsh truths, now its main language of rap has been pervaded by a marketable image of consumer fetishism and glorification of the gang culture. Artists like Tupac Amaru Shakur spoke of Machiavelli, Dead Prez related their mindset to such works as Sun Tzu’s Art of War, and the I-Ching, hence promoting the autodidactic pursuit of knowledge and philosophical reasoning. Now, sadly, the influence of commercialism in the music industry has diluted the use of effectual lyrics in favour of vacant nuances of self-promotion and consumer product glorification.

For philosophy to survive, it must be de-institutionalized and brought back into the autodidactic mainstream where it belongs. The revolutionary fires of hip-hop culture need to be re-awakened or a new movement needs to light that spark in the night. As the most recent bastion towards philosophical enlightenment, we cannot allow the relevance of hip-hop culture to die out. It would seem that the preservation of each is interdependent on the other.

Written by Andrew H.