In a sense, this expression reveals a Balkan stratification where, through superstitions and moral topographies, every deviation from concept and system is amnestied—just as every exception is amnestied. When you think about it more deeply, “don’t philosophize” often functions as a disciplinary mechanism, a quick way to shut down a debate. Precisely those thoughts that provoke—and that, in themselves, constitute critical thinking—are extinguished at an early age with a simple “don’t philosophize.”
Written by: Lorik Idrizi
In an interview, the Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek addresses several sayings or proverbs that come from the Balkans. He notes that, in his country, if someone succeeds, people justify it with the expression: those who try, win. Whereas if someone, in the same way, tries and fails, they say: don’t urinate against the wind. In other words, everything is amnestied through a proverb.
This, again, points to a Balkan layering where, through superstitions and moral labels, every deviation from concept and system is forgiven, just as every exception is forgiven. At that moment, many proverbs came to mind. Although some of them carry a nobly inherited blessing, we certainly have many others that define us sociologically.
“Don’t stand out—neither first nor last” is a proverb that uniformizes you and trims away any form of dissidence or attempt to step outside the frame. But since the interview moved in the register of philosophy, a famous slang used throughout the Balkans—especially in Albanian-speaking spaces—came to mind: “don’t philosophize.”
It is deeply oxymoronic how the word philosophy, with such a beautiful meaning—the love of wisdom—has taken on such a pejorative sense. In a way, every attempt to think and to move beyond conventional thought is often struck down by a curt “don’t philosophize.”
When you look at it more closely, “don’t philosophize” frequently operates as a disciplinary mechanism, a quick way to close a debate. Exactly those thoughts that stimulate—and that, in themselves, constitute critical thinking—are extinguished early on with a “don’t philosophize.”
In the Balkans, this phrase is used whenever thought becomes dangerous. Not for great power, nor for business elites or other status quos, but for the mediocrity that keeps all of these standing. Because philosophy and critical thinking are what strip all these schemes of meaning—and to think, in this context, becomes dangerous.