Personally, I got into philosophy through realising opinions, beliefs and ideologies would never be enough, and catching glimpses of truth beyond thinking that nature tends to slap people in the face with.

That was enough to get me thinking philosophically, although I was always real reluctant to get into academic philosophy because it always struck me as a twisted rush of mental gymnastics. Confusing more than insightful.

So I take philosophy wherever I go, but when talking to others, I try to meet them where they are and to get them thinking philosophically by asking questions that both transcend opinions and beliefs and showing them how it is directly relevant to them, and might be what they are lacking.

There are many politically-minded people out there, for example, but they aren't usually conscious of when their rhetoric crosses into philosophical territory. This provides an opportunity to shine some light on things and to pull them out of the empty cycle of political rhetoric. "Identity" and identity politics is one that comes to mind.

Personally I see the entire political institution as a car without an engine and that's due primarily to its lack of concern for philosophy in general.

People can bang on about identity, morals, "equality", etc. etc. etc. but it will always fall flat when challenged or scrutinised because it's nothing but words.

Equality sounds nice and all, but what good is it to speak about equality when perpetuating tribal, divisive ideologies? What good is talking about equality when the main focus of these people is how different people are, reducing them to their perceived group identities?

It's nonsense.

So there are many ways to introduce people to philosophical thinking without driving them away by slapping them with academia and quotes from people who lived in times very different to ours. Because we, as "philosophers", have a responsibility not to actively drive people away from philosophy.

Thanks for the write-up!