are there any philosophers who actually live their philosophy, or...?

Question

do they all have problems coping with the real world.
ie; are they like pychiatrists who have plenty to say about others situations, but cant resolve theyre own f*ck-ups.

Answer 1

If you ask me we all are philosopher in our own right. We all live, or at least try to live, according to our own philosophies in life. What is the meaning of philosophy - the love of wisdom? And I do not think that anyone can live without a certain amount of wisdom in his or her lives. We all go to school, college and even to the universities for the search of knowledge and a better organised understanding of the world that we are grow into. We all seek to become better than we ever have been. This to me is the love of wisdom. The greatest things that we learn we learn in our home, through our families and friends. This excels all the philosophy that you read in books.

We commonly understand that philosopher is the person that has been immortalised in history. This is fine. But we need to break these idles. The actual living philosophy is taking place right here right now. In your mind and heart, between you and me. You are the philosopher who is living or at least trying to live his or her own philosophy as we all are. Now, this might not answer your question directly but I hope you will appreciate my point.

Answer 2

Very very few.
Most are just intellectual flirtations, argue one thing and live another.
You might argue it has some meaning in that it raises questions that would probably never be raised otherwise. It sharpens the intellect, argues logic and reason etc.
That is if you are talking Western philosophy.

But the word itself gives a hint i think 'the love of wisdom' what wisdom is there in discovering something and not living it. It produces more fodder for the starving mind.

The East has had a lot to say to, 'Like end all knowledge' Vedanta.
The marvellous wisdom of the Buddha.
More recently one man did live his philosophy/teaching and that was Jiddu Krishnamurti. He did this and resolved his own' f*ch-ups.'

Answer 3

You can't 'live a philosophy': especially if you are a philosopher, you know life is something that happens to you, and making plans to alter its course or allow/disallow events to cause emotions is either a vain or an unhealthy effort. Philosophers that do try to live their life according to a philosophy are psychotics - much the same as religious people living their life based on a book, or psychiatrists living their lives and lives of others based on their limited theories. Because, let's face it, life is bigger than any book can comprehend - and that's a good thing, or we'd be dull and complacent. I do think philosophers are more aware of this than anyone else, so they will be able to resolve their "fork-ups" well enough - being able to see it all in perspective.

Answer 4

Hume would most likely answer that by asking, "what reason can you give for the sun to rise tomorrow"? The answer in short is that you cannot give a reason because there is none, other than that it has happened before and we expect it will again. Hume on this answer was an early founder of modern psychology. Basically he states that when we are in a situation no matter how bad or good, once we become used to it, we think it normal. This bad and good can be exampled respectively by 'a woman/man that stays with an abusive partner' or on the other hand 'a royal family'.

Answer 5

I agree that we all construct different personal philosophies in an attempt to find meaning in our lives. I believe that everyone encounters difficulties and obstacles in life. It seems to me that a person can only increase their ability to live within those constructs for longer periods of time but it is impossible to remain there. We are only human and it is that humanness that is the constant.

Answer 6

Sure there are. It's just rare, like a religious person who actually lives their religion. It's an age-old problem. A couple thousand years ago, the Buddha talked about religious teachers who didn't practice what they taught. He said they were like flowers with no fragrance.

Answer 7

Hello dear!
Of course there are and I will give you some names, due to space restraints, I can't place most of them, neither to describe their lives to prove their lives who were according to their teachings and ideas.
Socrates, Empedocle, Epicurus, Aristotle, Aristarchus, Thales, Anaximander, Kastoriades, Democritus, Leukippos, Solon, Epimenides, Pittakos, Vias, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, ....

Answer 8

i agree with brad on this subject!!!