What is considered a philosopher nowadays?
"Philosopher" has become a profession/career in academia.
A philosopher is not a person who leads a life of wisdom anymore. He is not a person who tries to embody values or a worldview. He is simply a person who has learned concepts, writes papers for his peers and teaches.
The philosopher has dissociated philosophy - the love of wisdom - from his lifestyle.
In ancient Greece, a Cynic, a Stoicist, an Epicurean, a Pythagorean, a student of the Academy or the Lyceum could be recognized in the streets of Athens. Philosophy permeated all the aspects of their lives. By the way a person was dressed, by the way he made decisions and by his behavior, one could easily identify which school of philosophy he adhered to. Each was free to find a lifestyle congruent with their temperament.
A Stoicist would show rigorous asceticism. An Epicurean would strive for a wise balance of pleasure. A Cynic would show no consideration for social convention. In this way, simply by observing how each would eat, how each would sleep, how each would interact with others, it was possible to determine their worldview.
Families often fail at giving guidance and providing answers.
Schools usually fail at giving guidance and providing answers.
Religion often fails at giving guidance and providing answers.
Ideology fails at giving guidance and providing answers.
Society as a whole has failed at this task.
People throughout the world are aligning their behavior. The way they eat, the way they dress, the type of art they appreciate, what they buy, what they dream about. Uniformity has killed initiative, intuition and creativity in man.
Philosophy has become inaccessible to humanity, it is held hostage by academics. For centuries, Church has hijacked the role of beacon in the West. An intellectual elite has favored the complex conceptual form of philosophy. A form which keeps out all who have not gone through the tedious process of breaking through curtains of concepts and poor syntax.
Philosophy should not be intellectual exercise or a profession. It should offer everybody the means to emancipate. It should help them find balance in their lives. It should give them a coherent way of looking at the world they are living in. It should give them the intuition of what is a proper way of behaving in it.
Most people - at least at some point in their lives - want to learn about philosophy, about psychology, about spirituality, about political science. Unfortunately they do not feel capable to explore these fields. They have been given a complex by their families, their schools, their religion, their society. They end up by rejecting the possibility to emancipate in their frustration.
May the situation change.
- A person who has read the books on the official syllabus of the department of philosophy of his university.
- A person who had to clearly define which current of philosophy he belonged to in order to be acknowledged.
- A person who had to learn how to publish a university paper with the proper form.
- A person who publishes and teaches.
- A person who is a philosopher from 8 to 12 and 2 to 5, on week days only, and who stops being a philosopher when he comes home and when he takes a vacation.
"Philosopher" has become a profession/career in academia.
A philosopher is not a person who leads a life of wisdom anymore. He is not a person who tries to embody values or a worldview. He is simply a person who has learned concepts, writes papers for his peers and teaches.
The philosopher has dissociated philosophy - the love of wisdom - from his lifestyle.
In ancient Greece, a Cynic, a Stoicist, an Epicurean, a Pythagorean, a student of the Academy or the Lyceum could be recognized in the streets of Athens. Philosophy permeated all the aspects of their lives. By the way a person was dressed, by the way he made decisions and by his behavior, one could easily identify which school of philosophy he adhered to. Each was free to find a lifestyle congruent with their temperament.
A Stoicist would show rigorous asceticism. An Epicurean would strive for a wise balance of pleasure. A Cynic would show no consideration for social convention. In this way, simply by observing how each would eat, how each would sleep, how each would interact with others, it was possible to determine their worldview.
Families often fail at giving guidance and providing answers.
Schools usually fail at giving guidance and providing answers.
Religion often fails at giving guidance and providing answers.
Ideology fails at giving guidance and providing answers.
Society as a whole has failed at this task.
People throughout the world are aligning their behavior. The way they eat, the way they dress, the type of art they appreciate, what they buy, what they dream about. Uniformity has killed initiative, intuition and creativity in man.
Philosophy has become inaccessible to humanity, it is held hostage by academics. For centuries, Church has hijacked the role of beacon in the West. An intellectual elite has favored the complex conceptual form of philosophy. A form which keeps out all who have not gone through the tedious process of breaking through curtains of concepts and poor syntax.
Philosophy should not be intellectual exercise or a profession. It should offer everybody the means to emancipate. It should help them find balance in their lives. It should give them a coherent way of looking at the world they are living in. It should give them the intuition of what is a proper way of behaving in it.
Most people - at least at some point in their lives - want to learn about philosophy, about psychology, about spirituality, about political science. Unfortunately they do not feel capable to explore these fields. They have been given a complex by their families, their schools, their religion, their society. They end up by rejecting the possibility to emancipate in their frustration.
May the situation change.
No comments:
Post a Comment