The growing need for a Chief of Philosophy
Philosophy trains the mind to make more informed, deliberate decisions about how to navigate a changing world.
At its heart, philosophy is the practice of hunting for new knowledge. Outside of academia, it's is unlike other disciplines in methods, processes, dimensions and time scales.
Many assume philosophy to be old and no longer relevant, but in the pursuit of innovation and the active creation of new futures, philosophy stands out as a vital mode of seeing and understanding the world around us.
The reason for the growing need for a Chief of Philosophy in most organisations is that in these challenging times of rapid change and uncertainty, philosophy helps leaders make better decisions through an improvement in reasoning processes and the structured exploration of consequences of current change.
The danger of decision making without the structure offered by philosophy is that all too often ideas presented by the loudest person in the room (or the most senior person that nobody dares to question) carry the most weight.
Options presented by compelling 'experts' on LinkedIn have too much influence on what gets decided, or companies simply blindly follow the herd...and invest millions into technologies and options that never deliver the promised return, so often shouted about.
Philosophy trains the mind in critical thinking, proper research methods, clear analysis and the use of systems thinking as a problem-solving method. By questioning everyday assumptions, it helps organisations make more informed, deliberate decisions about how to navigate a changing world.
We are awash with answers, but what's missing are good questions that drive us forward into better futures. CPOs are uniquely skilled to develop the practice of precisely this.
Related:
Thibault Spirlet
Ted Chiang