ABSTRACT
Philosophers have always intended to transform the way we see and think, act and interact; they have always taken themselves to be the ultimate educators of mankind. Even when they believed that philosophy leaves everything as it is, even when they did not present philosophy as the exemplary human activity, they thought that interpreting the world aright-understanding it and our place in it-would free us from illusion, direct us to those activities (civic life, contemplation of the divine order, scientific progress or artistic creativity) that best suit us. Even “pure” philosophy-metaphysics and logic-is implicitly pedagogical. It is meant to correct the myopia of the past and the immediate.
