Philosophy

Can anybody who thinks about philosophical qustions become a philospher? Likewise, is it necessary to have an academic background in philosophy to be considered a philospher?

Comments

Great questions! Certainly, "philosophy" can be understood as an academic discipline. After all, there are graduate degrees in philosophy that are offered by academies in most countries around the world; there are official philosophical organizations such as the American Philosophical Association and the Royal Society of Philosophy; there are official philosophical journals, conferences, and sites on the web such as aksphilosophers, and so on. But philosophy as a practice, can be traced back before there were academies and universities, journals and official international philosophical associations. Arguably, it was philosophy that gave rise to there being academies rather than vice versa --for it was Plato, in the fourth century BCE, who founded the first academy. So, yes, one can be philosophical and practice philosophy without being part of some official academy, and in fact many well known philosophers in the early modern era did not hold positions as professors in academies --Hobbes, John Locke, Spinoza, John Stuart Mill, and more.

I suggest the best way to explore philosophy is to dive into the works of philosophers from Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle..... and to explore the awesome resources that make philosophy accessible to all, such as the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy or this site and its links at no cost. It is my hope that you might also find institutions like colleges, universities, societies, reading groups in your area... where philosophy is practiced in a community of inquiry...in which people are engaged in dialogue that links our current ideas with those of the past and what may be the most promising new directions of philosophy in the future. In my view --just as those who practice philosophy as part of academies and institutions need to appreciate the value of philosophy done by those who are not part of official academies, it is good for those seeking to practice philosophy independently to explore the resources of academic communities ---perhaps the most healthy was to love wisdom the literal meaning of the term 'philosophy' is to be open to the wisdom one might find both in and outside the academies of our time.

Read another response by Charles Taliaferro

Read another response about Philosophy