The pursuit of intellect is a highly respected endeavor, one that every single person is going to think highly of you for if you make it a priority for yourself at the end of the day. A big part of the reason what that is the case has to do with the fact that human knowledge has become a cornerstone of the vast majority of advancements in our society, and philosophy is one subject that tends to take a bird’s eye view of society and its innovations along with the very notion of human intelligence itself.
Philosophy is basically a bunch of ways in which you can think about the world and systems that you can use to think of questions that can deepen your understanding of a number of complex topics. It is important to note that you don’t have to perform philosophy in a boring or otherwise dry academic environment. Rather, you can just go to the Cobra Lounge Chicago and have philosophical discussions there! The great thing about philosophy is that the definitions of how you are supposed to do it right are actually fairly loose, and engaging in the practice of this subject in a relaxed space like a bar is conducive to you managing to break free of any notions that you might have stuck in your head and instead coming to objective conclusions that would hold true no matter how hard you test them.
Taking someone to a bar to engage in philosophical debate is a very heady way to spend your time, and when the two of you get too drunk to be smart about things you can just move on to more enjoyable topics.