**Corresponding quotes

Ancient: “We must not suppose that any other object is to be gained from the knowledge of the phenomena of the sky…than peace of mind and a sure confidence.” -Xenocrates “We should exercise ourselves with realities, not with dialectical speculations, like a man who has devoured some textbook on harmonics, but has never put his knowledge into practice.” -Polemon “A carpenter does not come up to you and say, “listen to me discourse about the art of carpentry,” but he makes a contract for a house and builds it.” -Epictetus “Vain is the word of that philosopher which does not heal any suffering of man.” -Epicurus Modern: “Generally speaking, university philosophy is mere fencing in front of a mirror. In the last analysis, its goal is to give students opinions which are to the liking of the minster who hands out the Chairs…As a result, this state-financed philosophy makes a joke of philosophy. And yet, if there is one thing desirable in this world, it is to see a ray of light fall onto the darkness of our lives, shedding some kind of light on the mysterious enigma of our existence.” -Schopenhauer (professionals teaching professionals) Contemporary “philosophy thus takes on the character of a “second-order” discipline[…]” “the root of all these appearances lies in the fact that philosophers are not in any straightforward way thinking about the world. What they are thinking about is thinking about the world.” “Philosophical inquiry is not instrumental. It is not a tool. Philosophy bakes no bread and builds no bridges. It aims at clarity, not as a means to facilitate action or to advance other independent, life-goals, but simply for the sake of clarity -- to understand “how things in the broadest possible sense of the term hang together in the broadest possible sense of the term,” and to understand the limits of such understanding.” “And just occasionally, if one is sufficiently persistent and especially fortunate, these minute elements can momentarily fall together and interlock into a larger visionary whole. And it is then that you find the sense of liberation and satisfaction and joy […]” -Jay Rosenberg