Question I've read many here who say that everyone alive who thinks critically is a philosopher, not just those who have published academic articles and books. Isn't this a dangerous and incorrect notion since it gives credence to the fact that Mao Zedong is just as much a philosopher as Kant? Many PhD holders in science wouldn't consider themselves a scientist if they don't work in science. How frustrated are professional philosophers in that the masses throughout history have accepted so much "bad philosophy" and cannot recognize exactly what philosophy IS and what its aims (if any) are?

Accepted:
April 25, 2013

Comments

A good question! Or rather, two good questions - the first about whether a desire to philosophise is innate in human beings, the second about what being a philosopher in contemporary society means.

Taking the first, many philosophers have argued that a desire to philosophise is inherent in all human beings - but, of course, this is different from saying that (1) everyone has the ability to philosophise (or at least, to philosophise well) and that (2) any philosophical ability that they do have has been trained and cultivated. So perhaps everyone wonders about the nature of good and evil - well, that might be the case, but perhaps not everyone has the inclination to work up those wonderings into systematic reflection, and perhaps not everybody will seek out the sorts of rigorous intellectual training that makes someone a professional philosopher.

Regarding the second, much also depends on how one wants to define 'philosopher'. If by that you mean an academic philosopher, then activities like publishing peer-reviewed journal articles and teaching graduate seminars will be part of being a philosopher - but of course, academic philosophy in this sense is a rather recent phenomena - at least when considered in the wider context of the history of philosophy - and that history offers other senses. One of the most important of these is the conception of a philosopher as someone who is deeply committed to rigorous intellectual conduct - who demands the provision of articulated arguments, who has high standards of intellectual performance, and so on. If so, many more people will count as philosophers!