Do you have to suffer to be a philosopher?

Question

At least once...once in a while or never?

Jack p ha ha

I should add i mean REALLY suffer...or is it a predisposition to deep thinking that causes philosophers to delve deeper into life's challenges?

Answer 1

the philosopher suffers in the sense that with much wisdom comes pain.ignorance can be bliss. remember that old saying?or how about " The truth will set you free but first it makes you miserable".?
many people live a fairly happy day to day existence.content with doing their mundane work and do not question the why behind it.successfully creating a safe life for themselves,living on a purely physical plane unbotherd by outside reality for the most part.
then you have the philosopher who cant leave well enough alone, who not only questions everything but seeks the hidden meaning behind the answers,sees hidden agendas in everything and can not ever accept that somethings really don't have hidden meaning.
It,s hard to enjoy life sometimes when you re picking it apart.
and it,s hard to fit into the mundane world where most other humans live.
so yeah philosophers will suffer but we also feel greater joy and deeper passions than most.
peace><>

Answer 2

Short answer, no. But for most who attain the philosophical mindset, suffering is part of the initiation process. Of course, I can't answer this question from first hand knowledge, so I'll recount what an old philosopher once told me:

"Well, suffering alone is not the salient component. For one to discover philosophy, that person must suffer BECAUSE he or she is not understood by others in the world. And, a precursory evaluation does not provide an adequate cure to the suffering. The philosophical ilk eventually come to realize that the suffering is because of an ability to perceive the sublime. Of having a level of understanding most others will never attain, or, are even aware exists. However, that alone is not enough. One must suffer because he or she wishes to be normal rather than be intelligent. At that juncture, philosophy alone provides the necessary reconciliation."

Answer 3

The more you philosophize (or whatever you want to call it), it seems like the more aware you become of the reality of things. I've noticed when I get into deep thought I sometimes can become pessimistic, because it seems everybody else is used to a shallow, happy world, but I'm always pondering these really deep questions and ideas.

I think philosophization (again, whatever) can come from suffering, though, because you've experienced a completely different side of things that other people haven't seen. You know what it is like on both sides of the comfort, hapiness, and security scale, so you can analyze what you observe from a completely different perspective, allowing you to take part in your philosophizationating.

Answer 4

Suffer ? This may sound odd . . . Yet, in my opinion the reply would be yes...to experience suffering on whatever level would enhance the mind of a philosopher.

To suffer to the point of being a martyr ? . . . no.

Out of " suffering " can develop thoughts of why, wonder and discovery which leads to deeper insight of understanding, compassion, awareness.

I'd think that an authentic philosopher would not bring deep attention or awareness to others of any " suffering " that was experienced any more than for the purpose of telling a story of experience for awareness / lessons for others. Those experiences of " suffering " are nurtured into awareness and soul growth . . . For that..." suffering " experiences are gratefully embraced for the lessons it taught.
.

.

Answer 5

suffering is a part of life, and what may seem like a little bump in the road to you may be true suffering to another, so I see no reason to discriminate how badly one suffers. I think that philosophy is more about living according to reason, but in that i mean you must find ideas that are compatible, and be consistent with them. when Sarte said there was no god he also said that this filled him with anguish, because if there is no author then the play, life , is meaningless. sometimes the suffering can merely be accepting ideas that are against everything you want to believe , because you have to accept certain conclusions as you accept certain premises.

Answer 6

It is suffering or the awareness of others' suffering that provokes the philosophical search for answers.

Answer 7

You have to suffer to be a human being. So if your question is: Are philosophers human? I suppose so. I think therefore I suffer, or something along those lines...

Answer 8

Humans, including philosophers, seem to suffer to one degree or another.

Answer 9

You tend to question life more when you suffer. When you suffer you are forced to conclude life doesn't fit into a nice pre-packaged box and then you begin to wonder what life is really all about.

Answer 10

No. To be a philosopher, you need to be observant, insightful, and logical. You don't have to suffer, you can use the suffering of others. You have to be smart.