Q&A: The Influence of Philosophy on Society
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
The Influence of Philosophy on Society
Question
I’m reading your book “Two Carts and a Hot-Air Balloon,” and I saw examples of the influence of the analytic approach on society. But it seems strange to me that philosophical views most people aren’t familiar with—even if those views underlie their principles—would affect them. For example, the phenomena of alienation and violence: how would arguments between philosophers influence what’s happening in the streets?
Answer
People have already pointed out that there are things that are the zeitgeist (= the spirit of the age). They spread through the air not by direct, conscious influence. Things that the intelligentsia knows how to define, ordinary people sense and act upon.