… [I]t’s impossible for an intelligent person to avoid having “a philosophy” in the broad sense – some system of beliefs about the most basic or ultimate matters, at least to the extent that those impinge on important choices in life. Since your philosophy is obviously important, at least to that extent, you should want a good one rather than a bad one. For most of us, studying philosophy will significantly improve the philosophy with which we begin. So the choice is not between “doing philosophy” and “not doing philosophy”, but only between doing philosophy consciously, reflectively, and well (or better) and doing it unconsciously, unreflectively, and badly (or not as well). —Ambrose at the Philosophers’ Cocoon