A commonly held trope about philosophy is that it is useless or non-sense. Some philosophers, such as Ludwig Wittgenstein and David Hume, even held this view. However, we can see the value of philosophy vividly when we look at Wittgenstein’s own words on the matter. It is a tool for clarifying and elucidating scientific —or otherwise difficult— ideas.

The 19th-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche had a reputation as a misogynist. While there is validity to this reputation, he also happens to have written astoundingly useful things about relationships and love. How can we trust a notorious misogynist to bestow good advice on such matters?

Langauge and thought are tightly bound, but not necessarily inseparable. In fact, thought is more basic than language, and language depends on thought, not the reverse.

Language is fundamental to consciousness and our understanding of it is only in its beginning stages. We are therefore unlikely to see general artificial intelligence anytime in the near future.