i need help?

Question

whats philosopher
and what do they do!?

Answer 1

A philosopher is a person who basically approaches a problem through his thoughts. To put it briefly Philosophy is in the realm of abstract. If you deal in the realm of material objects you are more or less in the realm of scientific approach where you can experiment and come to conclusions. Philosophical problems/questions needs to be thought and understood hence you have all these philosophers because no one can claim that they have come up with an absolute/ truthful answer. Every question cannot be answered by science. Consider the question THE MEANING OF EXISTENCE ! Can come up with an absolute answer ? the answer needs to be thought through. It is best done by a philosopher !

Answer 2

In many respects this is a huge question and not quite as easy to answer as one might think.

First of all many people can be philosophical or possess philosophical instincts or talents. And yet they would not necessarily be called "Philosophers" such as Plato or Aristotle, or Descartes, or Sartes, or Husserl, or Emanuel Kant or Kierkegaard or Hegel, or John Locke, or David Hume. These men just cited are all established or commonly accepted "philosophers".

A man like Lao Tsu, or perhaps Pythagoras, or a man like the Egyptian Imhotep, could perhaps be treated a little differently from the traditional philosopher. The latter three could be called sages. There might be a difference between a sage and a philosopher but they are closely related.

You can see that in fact your question is a good one.

Some people believe that a philosopher is a person who seeks wisdom or even loves wisdom. But this definition could also apply to a religious leader, a significant artist, a statesman, a mayor, a teacher, a great military General and so forth.

A philosopher probably should be defined as a person who spends most of his or her time pondering the human and cosmic problem of "truth". The philosopher learns quickly that the truth is not as easy to know or define as the often naive mind would like to believe. Even the fruits of pure science - the results, consequences and implications of the scientific method - do not escape the scrutiny of the mind of the philosopher who probably begins his quest with the human apparatus of perception, cognition and what we have come to call variously: human understanding, comprehension or knowledge.

In fact one of the central concerns of any serious philosopher is the truth or reality of knowledge itself. The philosopher carefully examines the subtle and elusive relationship between the perceiving subject (man's faculty of perception) and the so-called object of his perception even if that object is the mind itself. So the philosopher is also concerned with self-knowledge in the most comprehensive sense of that term.

Probably the philosopher is more interested in the wholeness of truth - a rigorous foundation for that truth - than he is in belief. Philosophers are not much interested in opinion, hearsay, superstition, deception, naivete, dishonesty and the illusions presented by appearances which hide the whole basis of truth. Philosophers are taught to think rigorously and independently. They are forbidden to just accept something as truth just because an institution, book or legend says it is so. Philosophers believe vigorously in the right and need to learn to think for oneself and to learn to perceive the world with one's own mind, heart and soul.

I repeat. Probably the philosopher is one who attempts to free his mind from the encumbrances of all forms of prejudice so that he can approach truth in as accurate a way as he is capable. Truth is his greatest interest. He likely does not see 'truth' as a 'thing' but rather as a web of circumstances that he hopes to participate in as fully as possible. He knows truth is contradictory, so he attempts to position himself among the contradictions in such fashion that he can achieve a certain quality of clarity. He does not presume to know in advance what that experience of clarity will be like. Rather he expects it will creep up on him after much labor and surprise him.

The philosopher does not wish to be naive even if he knows he must retain a child-like attitude toward the immensity of the universe. He can spend many hours alone, but yet he is also capable of being among people. But he hates trivia for its own sake. He loves what is substantial and real because he knows this foundation is rooted in cosmic principles and functions.

He values an open mind but also knows that the mind cannot be so open that it loses focus. He is interested in what is and in what endures. He seeks principles and laws often. He applies his thinking, feeling, intuitive and sensate functions to all forms of knowledge - all fields of inquiry.

Yes, he loves wisdom, but not necessarily more than many other types of people. However, what he seems to cherish most is the pursuit and hopefully the revelation of truth always allowing himself to be surprised by what the universe may offer him.

Again, I would like to repeat that your question is a good one. The instinct to become a philosopher is often inborn and not arbitrarily chosen. Something calls the philosopher to question deeply the origin and basis of everything. He contemplates this in a tireless way. One hopes that as he is doing so he does not forget to live as well.

B. Lyons

Answer 3

thinkers think

Answer 4

they think a lot!