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35 J. Value Inquiry 1 (2001)

handle is hein.journals/jrnlvi35 and id is 1 raw text is: ºI The Journal of Value Inquiry 35: 1-4, 2001. 1 O © 2001 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands. EDITORIAL A Resolve to Reflect THOMAS MAGNELL Editor-in-Chief With the turn of the millennium, we might be excused for indulging in the summary reflection and resolution traditionally accompanying celebrations of new years. Not that reflection and resolution require excuses, least of all by philosophers, but both activities are widely undervalued. Indeed, the first call we might make on ourselves and others at the outset of the new millennium is to resolve to reflect. We can reflect on just about anything from the mundane to the lofty or deep, depending on the preferred metaphor. The limits are set by what we view as objects of interest. There used to be a feature on an American television program that had the refrain Kids say the darndest things, and it must be acknowledged that adults no less than children take the darndest things as objects of interest. Some of the things that philosophers have regarded as objects of interest may be evidence enough of that. With all there is to give thought to, we cannot hope to reflect on but a small part of what we take to be of interest. This does not mean that we should adopt the pensive attitude for directing thought indiscriminately. Especially given the constraints of time, very much the reverse is the case. Apart from mere musing, most reflection is done to a purpose, and even musing may have a point. The activity allows us to realize ends we pursue, often in the form of solutions to problems, giving it instrumental value. In any particular instance, the instrumental value will depend on the importance of the ends and our desires to realize them. Sometimes we may realize ends that we are not actively pursuing or solve problems we did not set out to solve. The instrumental value then may be unanticipated, but it is nonetheless to be prized. One of the glories of the activity of reflection is what comes to light unforseen as a concomitant of monitored, directed thought. Not infrequently, the attendant value will loom larger than the instrumental value of realizing what is under pursuit from the outset. The activity of reflection also has inherent value. What we do in occupying ourselves deliberatively has worth on its own. We value the activity for its own sake because we are the kinds of creatures that can reflect and that can

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