Many people consider philosophy a theoretical discipline far away from everyday life and even bigger is the perceived gap between philosophy and business.

^{Krishna Del Toso} PhD, with his Philosophy for business ideas - How philosophers can help us find strategies from idea to realization leads us into a promising field of research: applying philosophical principles to business.

The author, who has an academic background in philosophy and helps small companies start their activity or revamp it, shows us a 10-stop path in which we are introduced to the same number of philosophers (or groups) each of them chosen for a specific principle not only suitable but necessary for a successful enterprise intending to thrive in today’s market.

The first philosopher we meet is Karl Popper: Del Toso focuses on his falsifiability principle. In business terms, according to the author, using the falsifiability principle means trying to look for any flaws or Achilles heel that can cause a business idea to fail. This may sound like a pessimistic view, but too many times entrepreneurs fall in love with their own idea: this may lead them to underestimate risks and weaknesses of the project.

The falsifiability principle is somehow close to De Bono’s black hat, the one you put on when you are trying to understand what could go wrong. This is the basis for fixing these flaws and increasing chances of success.

Along the way, reading the book, we meet the philosophers Bertrand Russell and Alfred North Whitehead and their Principia Mathematica. Del Toso focuses specifically on the two philosophers’ theory of logical types. This theory shows us, among other principles, that a group of elements is at a higher level than the elements it is made of. This principle is particularly fit for problem solving. So, when entrepreneurs face challenges and problems to solve, they should consider that the solution is necessarily at a higher level, whereas too often they look on and on at the elements of the problem.

The philosopher who has the privilege to represent the final stop of our journey is Lucius Annaeus Seneca. Del Toso chooses two ideas here: time as a limited resource and the necessity to focus on what is under our control.

These two topics are clearly essential for any entrepreneur that wants to make his or her business thrive. Since our time on earth is limited, we need to use it as best as we can, avoiding wasting time with unnecessary (or detrimental) activities. This is closely connected with the second idea: if we focus on what is not under our control, we will probably fail. In any business field choosing is essential: focusing on what we can determine, or at least influence, is no doubt the way to go.

In conclusion, Del Toso’s book is a really good read for philosophers and for entrepreneurs alike. Starting to fill the gap between these two worlds is undoubtedly desirable for new and modern business models. Some companies (e.g. Google Inc.) have already hired in-house philosopher or Chief Philosophy Officers (CPO). Something is starting to happen and Del Toso’s book demonstrates that philosophy should (and hopefully will) become a strategic asset for new (and old) companies.