An Informal Letter to Facebook

Hey Facebook. How’s it going. Notice you’ve made some changes to the profile page. That’s okay, I like change. Change is good. But let me give you some advice, Facebook. Not as a user, but as someone with a Philosophy degree.

Your favourite quote is not a philosophy”, Facebook. Neither are your religious views, political views, or opinions on cheesy snack stuffs. 

phi·los·o·phy

  1. the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct. 
  2. any of the three branches, namely natural philosophy, moral philosophy, and metaphysical philosophy, that are accepted as composing this study. 
  3. a system of philosophical doctrine: the philosophy of Spinoza.
  4. the critical study of the basic principles and concepts of a particular branch of knowledge, esp. with a view to improving or reconstituting them: the philosophy of science. 
  5. a system of principles for guidance in practical affairs.  http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Philosophy

Stop perpetuating the misuse of a term that has a very specific meaning and is actually a field of study. You wouldn’t arbitrarily stick Mathematics” as a header on people’s favourite movies, would you?

Stop it. Stop it now.

Thanks.



Date
January 19, 2011