In my philosophical counselling practice, people reach out to me when they are philosophically confused—caught in a liminal state, cerebrally transitional, and between worldviews. These individuals are usually intelligent and intellectually inclined, and such internal confusion is greatly bothersome because, without a coherent worldview, they argue, they do not know how to orient their lives.
They previously operated with an unquestioned sense of rightness, perhaps with some success, relying on the philosophical givens of modernity: a vague and wishy-washy humanistic ethics, a materialist metaphysics, and a trichotomy of scientism, skepticism, and rationality for their epistemology—all of which, quite simply, no longer “work.”
Instead, I invite them to consider choosing from another trichotomy, which, when presented, seems to begin to mitigate their confusion. Since this framing has been recurring in my inquiries recently, I thought I’d share it here. The argument is that when one is philosophically confused, there are three options available:
Tradition
Theory of Everything (TOE)
Minimum Viable Philosophy (MVP)
The fourth option is being an NPC. However, that is not an option for those who are intellectually inclined, which is who this entry is written for. Let’s briefly examine each…
Tradition
The seemingly easy fix would be to join a good religious tradition—one that explains what is and gives guidance on what one ought to do. The big questions are answered, your mind can rest, and your body can be at peace.
Traditions, as Nassim Taleb would say, are “Lindy”—the longer something has existed, the longer it is likely to continue to exist. Hence, it is something more trustworthy than something new and untested.
Basically, religion > cults.
The challenge with joining a religious tradition, especially for the thoughtful autodidacts who see me, is a propositional bridging issue. They are committed to truth and have discovered many truths throughout their lives that have been validated and resonate—hence, they find it hard to throw them out with integrity.
When they explore a religion, even one that resonates with them, they feel like they cannot commit without lying to themselves.
Theory of Everything (TOE)
The option for those who try to forgo religion is to adopt or attempt to create a Theory of Everything (TOE) to give them meaning—in other words, to tell them what is true and what to do. TOE-philosophers, such as Ken Wilber, have extensive and impressive worldviews that tend to gather a following, and rightfully so. They are the philosophical equivalent of rockstars.
The problem with adopting someone else’s TOE is:
No matter how impressive a TOE is, no TOE is going to be 100% accurate, and even a single false premise can misguide a life.
It frequently leads to intellectual servitude—the complete outsourcing of one's thinking to the minds of others—hence creating cult-like dynamics.
TOEs usually do not readily lead to clear, actionable practices.
The problem with trying to create a TOE oneself is that most people simply lack the capacity or time. TOE-philosophers not only have incredibly high IQs and a proclivity for abstraction, but they also dedicate their lives to theoretical philosophy.
If one has a “real” job, family, and various existential knots left untied, then it's unlikely that any clear TOE will emerge beyond frustrated, manic, and narcissistic overthinking.
You’ll most likely end up with what David Chapman calls a “thought soup”—a stew of “little truths” with little to no coherence among them.
Minimum Viable Philosophy (MVP)
As described before:
The term is borrowed from the business technique of having a "minimum viable product," creating the most basic product version, including only the essential features to satisfy early customers. Once the product meets the market, gather feedback and iterate. With a minimum viable philosophy, once one's current philosophy meets reality, gather feedback and iterate.
An MVP is a lean philosophy with minimal propositional content. While it may consider all branches of philosophy—such as metaphysics (what is real) and epistemology (what is true)—it prioritizes ethics (what is good) first and foremost.
When living with an MVP, you’ll still theorize, but in the form of a “theory sketch”—something propositional and disposable. A theory that you are not attached to, and something you are not interested in debating, because you are not playing that game. You create such a sketch for a different reason: practically navigating life.
While a minimum viable product is meant as a starting point, iterating toward a full-fledged product, a minimum viable philosophy does not map perfectly as a metaphor in this way. Yes, an MVP can theoretically unfold into a TOE, but its core form—what philosopher
calls a “micro-philosophy”—remains intact, allowing any theoretical shedding to occur when needed.***
I recommend the MVP approach for the philosophically confused, and it is something I help them create. It can be seen as their personal manifesto. It is also important to note that an MVP is a starting point and is not incompatible with tradition or TOEs, likely leading to the former and eventually appearing TOE-like.
For example, I have an MVP (which you can read here), I belong to a tradition (Orthodox Christianity), and I benefit from reading and listening to various TOE-philosophers (which is partly what The Stoa experience is about).
You can have it all. For the confused, I recommend starting small and allowing reality to be your teacher, leading you authentically toward the truth.
