Who is a philosopher?
By: Justarius on Feb 15 2007Category: On Philosophy
“…A philosopher… has…[a] structure of thought unified by a purpose for his own life and for mankind.” Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy, p. 141
Philosophers are commonly called “thinkers,” but really, that is not an adequate definition of a philosopher. A philosopher seeks the underlying meaning of things; he wants to understand it and codify it into a system of thought. If he succeeds in this task, he often feels compelled to share his system with the world, even knowing it is likely futile. This is because he loves the world, despite the difficulty it has given him.
Contrary to popular belief, you do not need anything besides this burning desire to understand things and to connect them. You don’t need to get a PhD, to have taken any philosophy classes, or to have read a single philosophy book. Of course all these things can help you to sharpen your thinking and to avoid “reinventing the wheel,” but they do not in themselves make you more or less of a philosopher.
Beyond the basic definition, no two philosophers are exactly alike. Some are comets: long lived and brilliant like Socrates; others are streaking meteors like Nietzsche, consumed by their romanticism and brilliance. Some create systems haphazardly, and other are meticulous beyond belief (compare Nietzsche to Spinoza). Some are cynical, and others are hopeful. It seems to be a function of your personality and how you react to your environment.
Knowing what it means to be a philosopher, I’m sure not many people would choose such a fate for themselves or their kids, yet I believe it’s as unavoidable as fate. I suspect that some people may be genetically predisposed to be order seekers, and certain external circumstances simply activate these tendencies. Sheltering yourself or your kids from such stimuli may work temporary, but it is highly impractical in our increasingly connected world. Perhaps it is better to embrace who you are so that you can forge a path through life with true conviction and purpose.
If you liked this, share it!
Email or post to social networks
Link here
Simply copy and paste the code below into your web site (Ctrl+C to copy)
to get a link that look like this: Who is a philosopher?
Good day,
I’m not really droppping a comment but rather asking a question. What is the difference between a philosopher and philosophy?
I await your utmost respopnse.
A philosopher is a person who live the the life of reasoning, s/he has a deep liking towards knowledge. A philosopher develop the attitude towards knowledge, they are not satisfied by the available knowledge, they believe that more knowledge can be known.
I would add a little to Kyaruzi’s definition by saying that philosophers are concerned with how knowledge is interconnected and what it means. To me, this is what separates a philosopher from a scholar or a scientist. Scientists and scholars delve into topics and answer the question “how;” philosophers go a step further and ask “why?”
“Philosopher” is not an exclusive category. You can be anything and also a philosopher - scientist, musician, artist, etc. Looking back at history, you will find great philosophers came from all walks of life.
I like Kyaruzi’s comment about philosophy being about attitude. Philosophy is not simply a field of study which you can master by taking enough classes or reading enough books. We are constantly gaining knowledge both about ourselves and the world in which we live. Philosophy is the lifelong quest for the meaning of all this - the meaning of existence. If you are on this quest, you are a philosopher.
Being a philosopher has no other requirement. You do not have to take a single philosophy class, read a single book, or have a particular job. All these are simply aids that may help you on your quest.
Yes, I would also agree that being a philosopher is defined by the attitude you carry through your life. It is the attitude of questioning and accepting discussion within yourself.
Many philosophies are very different from each other, often even contradicting, but the people who devised them are philosophers none the less. I have met countless such people, but most of them are preoccupied with reinventing the wheel(which I most likely am too).
If you have found a new way of answering a certain question and have published it and gained recognition for it, then you have become what other’s call - “a philosopher”. Or in other words, you have earned the right to be called that - by others, and not only by yourself.
I’ve spent a fair amount of time reinventing the wheel too, which I have mixed feelings about. Sometimes I feel that it was not an efficient use of time, but mostly I realize that it was necessary. Most insights are not really new; they have been written and spoken about for ages. Yet reading and knowing something is not the same thing as really understanding it. Experience helps us understand things on a personal level.
When I started this site years ago, my goal was to share all my insights so that other people didn’t have to reinvent the wheel. Lately though, I have come to accept that people must customize wheels for their own journeys of self discovery; you cannot totally eliminate wheel invention. I can only hope that my insights can help make the process a little less arduous.
Fair enough, but could have been better, much better. GOOD LUCK, GOD BLESS>!!!!!
I have always been incredibly obsessed by natural order and the preservation of accurate information into a codified manner. It literally eats me up when I can’t organize information. I want to improve my self education so I take hours trying to codify all possible subjects of study (for I want to study each of them) into categories that interconnect. I must be a philosopher. I am obsessed with information being understood, no just known. It’s really frustrating sometimes to be this way. So many paths, not one answer. So many contradictions in this life. Email me if you also seek what I do.
montgomeryyoder@gmail.com
I know exactly what you mean because I was the same way. I am not quite as obsessive now because at a certain point you realize that there is simply too much information. I realized that my goal wasn’t to become a walking encyclopedia but to glean enough key insights in order to appreciate how amazing the world is and to share this feeling with others.
You are indeed a philosopher. Savor the journey - it is a frustrating yet most rewarding one. I know it’s hard, but try to pace yourself and not go crazy like poor Nietzsche (and others).
I created this site to meet other philosophers and exchange ideas, so please feel free to browse. I’m happy to correspond with you on any topic that catches your fancy through comments or email. You can reach me at contact [at] philoscifi.com
I think am born philosopher because looking back into my childhood years and pondering on the present state of my mindset, one thing is constant and that is the way at which I see issues- always desiring to be different and finding why things happen.
Good to meet you, Austin. Yes, it sounds like you are a philosopher. We are a curious and independent breed. Sometimes we get into trouble because of these traits, but hey, at least we can’t say life is boring!
Be a Philosopher, use ur brain for it is the only tool to success!!!
Philosophy involves critical thinking.we see things that others dont see.we dont just accept information but we want to know the basis of such info.We believe that knowledge can still be gotten from a thing so we dont rest on our achievements.
The philosopher does not only always preoccupy himself/herself with fundamental questions of existence, but in grappling with the issues, also apply the rigorous method of logical reasoning, employing the principles of logic to his mode of thinking. This distinguishes him from any man in any other field. He also does this in a way that has fundamental bearing on knowledge and practical living.
Thank you all for your comments and questions. Through this site and a class that I am taking, I have just discovered that I am a philosopher. I always wondered how philosophers “became” philosophers - a degree, specific courses, etc - Through reading these comments you have opened my eyes to the beginning of a “revealed discovery” and pursuit of purpose in Life - My destiny. Thanks again for each one of you.
A philosopher sees when he looks, hears when he listens and feels when he touches.
Guys this is realy enteresting, I happen to have come across this site because I was looking for the definition of a phylosopher in google, and know what! the information that I got here is exactly what I have been thinking, I have a lot of literature and the heading is BORN PHILOSOPHER, but I said let me find the meaning of this word. Guys all your comments r true indeed, Im an independent thinker who does not believe religiously even the Old Philosophers’ theorams without scrutinising then logical beyond any doubt. So i think I have met people who can understand me coz only a very few people who understand me, Im realy convinced that my reasoning is beyond an ordinary person’s understanding, but when I simplify it they do understand it.
I’m glad you found it helpful, Roy. You bring up a good point. Since philosophers tend to have wide ranging interests, they often have difficulty simplifying their insights and reasoning. But this is a very valuable (and necessary) skill to gain in order to be understood by others. I particularly admire those that can distill their wisdom into memorable quotes and stories. These “snapshots” can get people interested enough in the concept to learn more.
oh GOd i’m also a philosopher i remember i started thinking about how things are happening in my family and i got the understanding.
Small quote I came up with the other week..
The wise man seeks that which dwells beneath the surface while the fool admires the beautiful painting while ignoring the artwork.