The raised eyebrow when I say I hope to read Philosophy is incomprehensible to me. Far from being irrelevant, philosophical concepts underlie fiercely debated social, political and religious issues. Philosophical abstractions do not exist solely in academic journals. They apply to the real world. Conflicting opinions on ethics and morals can be responsible for unrest, conflict, even war. Conversely, the same applied in an informed manner can lead to intra and international conflict resolution. The same holds for any microcosm be it the workplace, a classroom or a hospital. Philosophical inquiry goes to the heart of who we are, our conduct, how we know what we know, to existence itself.  

Issues such as euthanasia, cloning, abortion and IVF dominate headlines.Intrinsic to these are beliefs about the sanctity of life, personhood, the role of autonomy and the doctrine of double effect. Reading Glover's 'Causing Death and Saving Lives' and Singer's 'Rethinking Life and Death' made me realise that maintaining the sanctity of life is problematic. Both authors using medical cases of irreversible comas and vegetative states argue that advances in medical technology are incompatible with traditional views. Perhaps we need a new system of ethics persuasive enough to overturn centuries of tradition. The possibility of investigating this fascinates me.

Huntington's iconic 'Clash of Civilisations' argues that conflicting cultural doctrines lead to terrorism and mass destruction. The Crusades, World War I and the Balkan crises are examples. The ontological question 'who are we?' is resolved through symbols and archetypes that tie us to a culture, even a civilisation. For instance the cow in Hinduism, and the cross in Christianity. I believe philosophical training can equip us to understand our own culture better and enable us to want to build bridges with conflicting belief systems. The UK is an outstanding example of that.  

The relationship between religion & science intrigues me. Mel Thompson's 'Religion and Science' explains its impact on social progress. The relationship has witnessed landmark revolutions: 19th century Darwinian theory of evolution challenged design - a debate yet unresolved. Christian Philosophy, based on Ptolemy's Cosmology & Aristotle's ideas of motion was challenged by Galileo, Newton and Copernicus. Clashes resulted in a rethinking of accepted views, another ongoing process. Rabbi Sachs in 'Religion vs. Science' proposes that religion and science have the same goal, while Dawkins in 'The God Delusion' and 'Root Of All Evil?' challenges this.  

Studying logic will help me differentiate between good & bad arguments. My learning from Guttenplan's 'The Languages of Logic' and 'Philosophy' (Stroll&Hopkins) has reinforced what I know from studying Maths about the movements of thought requiring justification to form a good argument. The ability to distinguish between valid & persuasive arguments, grasping induction & deduction combined with the ability to absorb & evaluate information which I have acquired from studying History, Philosophy & Ethics will empower me to master complexities in the work place.  

I unwind by playing chess and enjoy the competitive aspect. I hold the Surrey Hundreds U18 Championship. As prefect and member of the school council I have brought my conflict resolution capability into play. Being able to develop arguments has held me in good stead at the school debating society. I enjoy playing rugby and goalkeep in a hockey squad. My blog http: phenomenal-philosophy.blogspot.co.uk aims to make Philosophy accessible. Philosophy means the 'love of wisdom' and understanding Philosophy is the first step to a better world because people would be wiser if they studied it. The misconception that Philosophy FOSTERS an ivory tower mentality could not be further from the truth. I find that the study of Philosophy makes me inquisitive and want to interact with people to understand them better.