Q&A for How to Become a Philosopher

You can seek a way to combine your interests. Great art is often deeply philosophical, and great philosophy deeply artistic.

Become an autodidact. Read everything: novels, history, religion, philosophy, whatever. Think about what you read. Talk to others about what you read. Ask intelligent questions. Audit classes about subjects you are interested in. Do the same work as the paying students. Ask more questions. Consider the source. Learn to reason critically.

Yes. By definition, a philosopher is a person who offers views or theories on profound questions in ethics, metaphysics, logic and other related fields. This means if you have the right mindset, you can become a philosopher.

Yes because you will take your time and read texts slowly. This will help with your understanding of the text. Also, for some texts, understanding/comprehension may not be the goal. Sometimes a text (see Lacan's writing) will disorient you purposefully and work on you without being fully comprehended. This is a magical part of philosophy.

Certainly. If you are a philosopher, you may have a business advantage over some because philosophy can give you a more positive and contemplative outlook on life, which will allow you to work well with difficult bosses, coworkers or clients. However, the key is to use your moral and ethical philosophy to ace the hiring process. At the same time, do not push your philosophical ideas on those who look upon them with disapproval.

Logic is the tool that you use to create ideas. It would be helpful to know the basics of logic to build on your philosophical ideas. Technically you cannot come up with reasonable conclusions without logic. Example: (1) All stuff is made from atoms (2) I am stuff. (3) I am made from atoms. That was an example of deductive reasoning, where 1 and 2 are premises that lead to a conclusion. That is just some basic logic, but it is at the core ( or at least should be) of all regular and philosophical thought.

No. You only THINK your mind grows.

In college, you can. Usually colleges only have 'pre-law' available, and you could double-major in that and philosophy (or even just do philosophy, because you do not need to major in anything specific to apply to law school). Actual law school is a form of graduate school, which comes after college. It is not really feasible to study more than one thing in graduate school, as graduate schools are very specialized and very intensive. However, it's possible you could find some sort of 'philosophy of law' graduate program that would combine the two.

Philosophy will not get you any friends, not even among other philosophers.

There are tons of books in the library. That's how most people get started.

A scholar of philosophy has knowledge of a multitude of philosophers and their arguments. The scholar may have an opinion about philosophy, or a philosophical question, but it isn't necessarily detailed or coherently thought out. To be a philosopher, one does not have to know the names of Socrates, Spinoza or Hegel, let alone their contributions to Occidental Philosophy (although the best usually do). As this article states, "The philosopher is one who engages actively in critical thought about big questions that have no obvious answers." Question this answer as much as you like. Any good philosopher would.

It depends on what philosopher means to you. Even if this person isn't very famous because of his thoughts, it doesn't mean that his articles aren't true.

There is such a thing as philosophy of medicine. The most well-known area is medical ethics.

Right and wrong are almost always a matter of opinion. However, it is generally accepted that things that help others will be the right thing to do, as long as it does not help someone at the expense of someone else, and things that harm or hinder others will be the wrong thing to do.

They need to study sociology and psychology as well, in addition to having a background in all the core subject areas.

Yes.

Sure. Some high schools offer philosophy courses, but you can always learn philosophy on your own as well. Read the work of lots of other thinkers, as recommended in the article, develop your own thinking, and follow the rest of the guidelines here.

It could, if you make a point to learn any new words you come across in your studies.

If you want to find paid employment in philosophy, going to college and then graduate school is really the only way. Otherwise, it depends on your own goals and desires. Think about what kind of work you might want to do and figure out whether it would require or benefit from higher education. If you're not sure what you want to do, going to college can help you figure it out by allowing you to explore a variety of fields, providing you a variety of resources and opportunities, and buying you some time. Plus, having at least a bachelor's degree (in anything) is a requirement for a whole lot of jobs nowadays, and it will be tougher to find good work and make a living without one. Plus, it will likely help make you a better thinker and more competent person, not to mention a better-educated one.

It is not necessary to be able to speak, read or write in several languages; however, it boosts your career and makes you seem more open to options and more employable. It is extremely impressive if you are able to do so.

I suppose anyone who thinks deeply about things can become a philosopher. However, without degrees, you probably won't be able to teach or successfully publish.

The main pitfall would be failing to apply philosophy. For example, thinking not doing. It also can be difficult to find a job in the philosophy field.

Scientists need to study philosophy to help them to make ethical judgements about the work that they do, and also for a better understanding of how science fits in with other human activities.

It is by means of the investigative skills gained through philosophy that you can avoid being rooked by the world around you.

Because philosophizing can be very enlightening, change the way you see the world and the way you live inside it. Philosophy is thinking about everything, this means that you can be open to new knowledge and opinions and change some you already have.

A psychology degree and a business degree can both help a candidate to qualify for management, so yes, this could be a great idea.

This depends on the requirements of your university's MA program. The philosophy department may also have its own requirements. If your university's website doesn't have enough information on its own, you could try talking to a course adviser, counselor, or the head of the department.

You would need all of the basic philosophy classes. If you already took the particular required classes, great, you could apply for a master's in philosophy. Each university has its own requirements: what undergraduate classes you need to have already taken, your graduating GPA, whether or not you must take the GRE (or other test), and perhaps other requirements. They cannot turn you down from graduate school based on age. Not every one who wants to go to graduate school will be admitted. Since your current degree is in commerce, I doubt you have taken all the required classes to start in a master's degree program in philosophy. However, you can get a 2nd bachelor's in philosophy!

Philosophy allows us to answer problems, not according to a set of rules, but a set of beliefs, morals, or understandings. It allows us to evaluate, debate, and 'answer' questions that either do not have a simple answer, or cannot be answered using logic and common sense. It tackles topics such as existence, life, language, mind, and religion.

Yes, you can, but it would also be a good idea to spend some time researching philosophical ideas and working on developing your own.