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How to Become a Philosopher

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    How to Become a PhilosopherEdited by Keifer Albin, Ben Rubenstein, James Quirk, Tom Viren and 53 others

    1

    Article

    EditDiscuss

    Have you ever thought you could be just like Aristotle[1]

    - if you just had the right push?

    Well, here it is. These are instructions on how to become the philosopher you have

    always wanted to be.

    EditSteps

    1.1

    Understand that there is no exact way to become a philosopher. You must free

    yourself of all limitations such as prejudice, ignorance, and point of view when

    examining an issue. The Philosopher is one who dwells in reflection (but not maudlin

    navel-gazing): s/he takes every experience and seeks to understand, even if they need to

    be brutally honest with themselves. Philosophers are often people who see the world from

    a child's eyes. It is important to listen to people, and travel a lot, to get a sense of the

    world and the people in it. Asking people in your town about what they think of the war

    in Iraq isn't really going to help, as a lot of these will give stereotypical answers, and will

    not be well-informed.

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    2.2

    Understand that it is not uncommon for philosophers to adopt a certain bias over

    time or in a specific issue. These are merely frameworks; patterns of thought. Many of

    the greatest philosophers do just this, the evidence being perhaps most prominent when

    comparing Eastern Philosophy to Western approaches. In this case, the incorporated biasis acceptable if justifiable. Yet remember to examine the issue without bias as mentioned

    in the first step, with biases tending to emerge solely in responses, and are subject to

    critique.

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    3.3

    Understand that there is also no exact way in which you can investigate, and this is

    part of philosophy. Some philosophers, like Descartes, only trusted their mind and logic,

    and not the senses. Some say that the best way to start off, is to research about

    philosophy. When you study philosophy in college or university, you study about all thedifferent philosophers and their opinions. Think about it, and agree--or disagree--with

    what they think. In this step it is important to actually take a stance on the topic at hand in

    order to find truth and achieve progress. If one were to remain free of point of view

    indefinitely as stated in step one, nothing would be accomplished.

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    4.4

    Think about the world, what it means to live, to die, to exist, and what the point of it

    is. Be the source of your own investigation. Since you're always available to yourself, any

    line of investigation about yourself (and there can be many) allows you to always

    makesome progress. Consider the basis for what you believe. Why do you believe what

    youbelieve? Start from scratch and identify your reasoning.

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    5.5

    Writedown what you think about these subjects, including ideas you think you

    shouldn't write down (possibly because you think others may think they are stupid).

    While you may not be arriving at any striking conclusions, you will be exposing your

    own assumptions to yourself. You will probably marvel at how silly some of yourassumptions can be, and in the process you will mature.

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    6.6

    The true power of philosophy lies in the continuity of thought that you'll be

    maintaining in your writing. As you investigate a concern, a single entry may do little

    on its own, but as you return to that concern throughout the day(s), the different

    circumstances you encounter in a day will allow you to bring fresh insights to yourinvestigation. It is this cumulative power of thought that will bring you to those 'Eureka!'

    moments.

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    7.7

    Re-write your ideas more formally and let others read your work, so you can get

    others to hear your ideas. You can askfriends, relatives,teachers, or classmates if they

    could offer some thoughts on your work, or you can post your writings online (through a

    website, a blog, or a message board) and look for responses there.

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    8.8

    Engage in anydebatepossible. This will increase your ability to think freely. Keep in

    mind, however, that you are notengaging in intellectual Olympics. There will always be

    someone who knows something better than you, and arrogance will stop you dead. You

    will need a healthy measure of humility. Yet it is also important to bear in mind what isin fact the truth of the situation. It is not uncommon for debates to be decided in favor of

    the "less truthful" side due to a number of extraneous factors, especially in an informal

    setting. Weigh the actual evidence, and avoid being swayed solely due to repetition and

    ignorance.

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    9.9

    Read philosophy copiously, learning new questions and problems to think about and

    past solutions, and their criticisms. Pursuing a bachelor's or master's degree in

    philosophy is a good way to structure these studies, but many great philosophers were

    also self-taught. Balance your copious reading with your self-investigative writing: wherereading broadens your perspective of the world, your writing will give you depth of

    understanding.

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    10. 10Pursue philosophy as a career by acquiring a doctorate in philosophy and getting a

    professorship at a university. This can be highly competitive, expensive, and

    challenging, but getting paid to think can be extremely rewarding.

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    EditTips Assumptions are the bane of philosophy and of fresh, intelligent thought. Never stop

    asking "why?"

    Don't hesitate to argue positions that are the opposite of what you believe. Being able to

    see as many sides of an issue as possible is an excellentway to express yourselfand

    opinions. A supreme philosopher can (and probably will) challenge even the most basicbeliefs and ideals the human race stands for withoutfearof criticism. This is exactly what

    Darwin, Galileo, and Einstein did, and why they are remembered.

    Look for meaning behind everything around you. WHENEVER you encounter something

    that your intuition tells you doesn't make sense or seems "fishy" then look into why.

    Often when we think "I'm not sure that's entirely true" it's our deep philosophical

    assumptions contradicting each other. Nietzsche said that philosophy is more than

    reading philosophical works. True philosophy comes from daily thought and analysis of

    everything around us.

    As George Bernard Shaw said: If you have anappleand I have an apple and we

    exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an

    idea as well, and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas. Don't be

    scared of having your ideas stolen by others when you share it with them. Having people

    hear your ideas will spark criticism and contribution within them, only strengthening

    your own thoughts and counter-argumentation.

    Wondering is philosophy, philosophy is wondering. Never stop asking why, even when

    you are given an answer.

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    If you don't get it at first, think about why you can't get philosophy. Keep asking yourself

    questions and don't listen to your first assumptions.

    EditWarnings You need to be able to accept criticism, and work with it. As a philosopher, you will have a lot of criticism. This

    is because you are one of those radical thinkers who make the ideas rather than just agree with them. Acceptsuch criticism with the appropriate degree of certainty. Always remember to analyze the evidence presented inorder to find understanding.

    And finally, a positive warning: This very process of self-investigation has enormous psychologically therapeuticbenefits. Anyone taking this effort will possess enough self-worth to undermine poor self-esteem, and will havethe advantage of quiet resolve instead of fear or grandiose bravado underlying their personality.

    Don't be afraid to voice a radicalopinion. But letting its novelty and originality turn into arrogance will only blindyou from seeing the validity of more conservative ideas, thus destroying philosophy, which is centered aroundquestioning and finding the truth, not around satisfying your desires.

    By philosophizing, your ideas will mature, so much so that you may outgrow friends. You may find that yourfriends are not interested, or they are unwilling to compromise their ideas. This is normal, though it can beisolating. Remember to stay humble. Philosophy can tear friendships apart if you do not practice caution. It is asad but true fact, that many philosophers feel very lonely, especially in their childhood. "The truth will set youfree, but first it will make you miserable." (James Garfield)

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