I previously questioned how philosophy can create tangible change in the world, and after reading this hypothetical, I think I better understand how it could potentially do that. However, I think its potential to drive change is largely dependent on the individual. We can't expect that everyone that has had a philosophical education will do something to spur significant change. For this reason, I'm still skeptical on whether or not philosophy can truly change the systemic issues of the world.

Although people can find comfort in fiction, I think fiction can also do the opposite and serve a similar purpose as philosophy. Fiction can portray to readers a vision of what the world could be if things rooted in reality are taken to the extreme. For example, George Orwell's 1984 can give a glimpse of what life could be like if government surveillance and control was taken to the extreme. Thus, fiction can also force readers to confront and question their reality and imagine a better one.

This reminds me of when we were discussing whether or not we live in a computer simulation. In class and even now, I'm still unsure of how to properly dissect this kind of question. In my mind, I can't find proof against the possibility, so for all I know, we could live in a simulation. I'm curious to know how to go about going against that sentiment, though.

But how can we transform philosophical discussions into actions that will actually create change in the world? It seems unrealistic to assume that just discussing and reimagining a better world will be transformative enough to improve many people's lives in a substantial way.

This makes me think about people's preconceptions of humanities subjects, including philosophy. The sentiment that philosophy must be "advertised" as something useful sort of implies that, at face value, philosophy is not seen as important or helpful to people's lives/jobs/education. I think the same can be said about other humanities subjects, and one example that sticks out to me is the "poor, starving artist" stereotype. Furthermore, Morton describes this advertisement of philosophy as "dispassionate" and "disappointing", which makes me wonder if students view learning as more of a means to an end rather than something that can bring genuine joy or interest.

Since this question directly follows the scenario, we can either answer the question from the view of the mother or as ourselves. If I look at it from the mother's perspective, I'm more inclined to think about how philosophy could potentially help with the hardships of her daily life. If I step away from the scenario, I think more about how philosophy can take me out of my comfort zone and force me to confront new, often difficult perspectives such as the one described in the scenario.