T1 A world without philosophy

Inspired by an improvised tenor saxophone solo by Zoot Sims, 1960

Tell us your thoughts - What do you think about the philosophical issues raised in this song?

Human life, without philosophy
Human life, no philosophy
Can you imagine how it would be?
I think it’s going to end in tragedy

Human life, without philosophy
Human life, no philosophy
Can you imagine how it would be?
I think it’s going to end in tragedy

Scientists tell us that philosophy’s dead
Some of those guys, it makes them see red
But if you stop to think it through
You see its good for me, good for you

Human life, without philosophy
Human life, no philosophy
Can you imagine how it would be?
When it ain’t taught at university

Cos they banned it
If they’re going to ban it then I’m going to lose my job and that ain’t very nice
But I guess you’ll lose your job as well, my friend
When robots come – yeah
They’re really smart and if we ain’t allowed to raise questions then I think you’ll find
They’re settling down to do your work and human beings going to lose it
And then there’s art, novels and the movies we know
Old William Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, Allan Poe
If they’re gonna take all of the ideas and philosophy from that stuff, it will be really bland
Then religion
Without philosophy
You can’t have a meaning of life
And the gods you worship lose their metaphysical place to live
So the churches empty, you’ve just got ritual left
Why bother to pray?
I gotta admit, I’ve never been a one for all that stuff myself but I know many people find it so important, yeah, yeah
I stand by their right
Wondering and hoping and calling it into the night
So how you gonna get philosophy to disappear when people thinking things like that?
Think you’ll have to change our brains
Cos some folk’s politics are socialist and some dig the free market
They will always disagree
On philosophy
So if you want to throw it out
You’d better find
A way to erase human mind

SOLOS

I wanna know what’s behind it
What’s wrong with asking questions?
It sounds like you’re making plans for compliance
It’s technology concerning me and every time I tune in I hear about the race for changing this, changing that, changing that too
All just because science is true
Well I never noticed
The people choosing this way
Your vision of the future is what’s making you want
Philosophy to go away

Human life, without philosophy
Human life, no philosophy
Can you imagine how it would be?
I think it’s going to end in tragedy
I think it’s going to end in tragedy
I think it’s going to end in tragedy