Category: Philosophy

I am in pursuit of wisdom, because wisdom leads to flourishing, and flourishing leads to serenity.

But what is wisdom? I don’t think we really know for sure. I have tried a number of times to define it, so here goes another attempt.

Wisdom is the overall perspective from which one sees the true nature of reality and thus correctly interprets humanity’s relation to it.

Many people mistake a set of virtues for wisdom. Prudence, for example, seems like a part of wisdom. But so does justice, courage, moderation, and humility.

I think wisdom is the garden, while the virtues are the fruits.

The virtues, like fruits, show evidence of the health of the garden, that is wisdom. But the fruits are not the garden, and the virtues are not wisdom. You cannot separate them, but you can distinguish them.

So the question is, if you take away the virtues, what is wisdom? It is the overall perspective from which one sees the true nature of reality and thus correctly interprets humanity’s relation to it. From this perspective and insight arise the virtues.

After I originally wrote this post, I had another thought. Maybe I am being too analytical about wisdom. Maybe a simpler definition of wisdom would be better.

I think it is too easy to over define a word. So let me give you my simple definition of wisdom. It is only seven words:

Wisdom is practical insight into living skillfully.

I think this comes the closest to the essence of wisdom in the shortest of time. I think I will use this definition for now.

I am afraid that any guidance I give you here will be misunderstood unless I first define what I mean by a philosopher.

There are at least two kinds of people that are called philosophers, the academic professor of philosophy and the lover of wisdom.

To be honest, it is only recently that lovers of wisdom are again being called philosophers. I am not sure all the academics are happy about this. But it is not like most academic philosophers were pursuing wisdom anyway. They weren’t.

The fact is that in the hands of academics philosophy has become irrelevant, boring, and neglected. There was a time when philosophy was a way of life, a heroic quest for wisdom, and the doorway to the good life.

Now that the pursuers of wisdom are reclaiming their title of philosopher, some are stepping forward to put barriers between the lover and the beloved.

In answering the question “How to Become a Philosopher”, one University answers, “Going to an accredited university to earn your BA in philosophy is the first step in becoming a Philosopher.” But that is not enough, “Go to graduate school to earn your master’s degree or PhD in philosophy. ”

If a Ph.D. is required then Socrates, Confucius, and the Buddha were not philosophers. This may be required to teach at a University, but it is not a requirement to be a philosopher.

The only requirement for one to be a philosopher is to pursue wisdom and the good life through reason, observation, and deep thinking.

Yes, you can call yourself a philosopher. No, you will not be accepted by academia. But the pursuit of wisdom is not about the acceptance of society it is about gaining insights into living skillfully.

Are the academic philosophers really philosophers? Most are historians of philosophy and professors of other people’s ideas. So technically no, they are not real philosophers. At least not like philosophers of old.

But I have no desire to police the word philosopher. They can call themselves whatever they want, but so can I.