In class an interesting question caught my attention. What
defines a true philosopher? How do we weed out the devoted from the phonies? There
are definitions for what a philosopher is, but does that mean it is applicable
in real life? Definitions don’t always apply to life as we live it, but rather
just look pretty on a paper.
I’m not sure there’s a right or wrong way, but there are
definitely some people who believe otherwise.
Plato believed that a philosopher had to speak his findings,
no matter the challenges. If he was chastised by the public, he was still to
vocalize his beliefs. If he was threatened with death to stop his rantings, he
was to die for his beliefs. Plato expected any true philosophers to put their
lives on the line, just to be considered a philosopher.
In my personal opinion, you have to be very, VERY committed
to something to be willing to die for it. The level of commitment required by
Plato is tremendous, and yet at that time, was it really so strange? Life had a
different meaning then than it does now, as did titles. Being called a
philosopher now can just mean you have a college education majoring in
philosophy. Having the title as a philosopher when Plato was alive meant your
life was dedicated to your work and beliefs.
Now, keeping that in mind, I would say the definition of a
philosopher has changed over time, as have many definitions.
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