Topics Philosophy

Question What does it take to be a philosopher? What are requirements if there are any? Can anyone just proclaim themselves to be a lover of wisdom and be able to make dedicated claims on controversial subjects? I have always felt myself to be a Jr. philosopher if that's the case for I simply want to observe life as i lead it. But then this all boils down to one point, what is a philosopher then?

Accepted:
April 5, 2012

Comments

Great question! For years, I have worked with the following ideas. Simply to have some view of the world (its nature and values) is to have a philosophy. So, in a way, everyone who has some understanding of themselves and values has a philosophy. Beyond that, I suggest the practice of philosophy involves in critical exploration of one's worldview, taking into account the reasons behind it, comparing it with other views of reality, and the like. Leaving matters there, however, do not seem to go far enough because (as your question hints at) historically philosophers are supposed to be lovers of wisdom (the literal meaning of 'philo' and 'sophia'), and so what I think we need to add is that insofar as one's world view and investigation is colored by deceit, vanity, envy, merely the desire to impress others, one is failing to live up to the practice of philosophy which (I suggest) should involve humility, a commitment to think fairly (not mis-represent those you are arguing against, for example), to engage in self-questioning (not always assuming one is right), and the like.

Today, it might seem that philosophy itself is institutionalized and if you are not a member of a recognized philosophical institution, you are not a philosopher. But that seems wrong (in my view). Some very great philosophers never held university appointments (Spinoza) and (sadly) we can easily picture an official professor of philosophy behaving so badly that we would rightly conclude that he or she is no lover of wisdom.

To go right to the question you asked: "Can anyone just proclaim themselves to be a lover of wisdom"? Yes, but then it is another matter to actually love wisdom and not merely proclaim it. You further ask "Can anyone just...make dedicated claims on controversial subjects?" The answer seems to also be 'yes,' but one must keep in mind that the practice of philosophy involves more than claims: it involves (or it should involve?) careful, critical reflection on those claims, seeking to clarify and explore them, comparing them with different claims, and the like.

I think if you do the above, you will be no junior but a senior philosopher! I wish you every success!