Congratulations! You may already be a philosopher.

Over the past two decades, I have had many interesting conversations with individuals who are philosophical by nature but not by training. If they know that I’ve studied philosophy, they often make a point of professing their own ignorance of that field. I believe their declarations of philosophical inexperience rest on an underlying assumption – that doing philosophy requires knowledge of a codified body of ideas and authors, and that without this specific education, one is unable to make significant contributions. The time has come to contest that notion.

Being a philosopher is very different from being a psychologist, a doctor, a lawyer, an IT professional, or any number of professions. There is no exam one must pass or organization one must join before being allowed to refer to oneself as a philosopher. There are no specific technologies in which one needs to be proficient. There is no set reading list required for admission. There are also no secret handshakes, or IQ level requirements, or wardrobe stipulations. One simply decides to call oneself a philosopher.

The primary tools needed for practicing philosophy are not a diploma or a successfully defended dissertation, but an inquisitive nature and the desire to think critically. 

Philosophy is not something that can be performed sans interaction. It is, and has been from its beginnings, a series of dialogues between individuals. 

Sometimes the dialogues take place in person, but more often, they happen by proxy with one philosopher “speaking” their ideas to others via their writings. Granted, the reading of these written conversations does make up a significant part of an academic training in philosophy, but it is not the critical part. That part consists in the student’s efforts to produce an original addition to a dialogue.


Lest it be thought that doctorates in philosophy are virtually guaranteed once one covers the cost of tuition and puts fingers to keyboard, let me state plainly: making a meaningful contribution to philosophy takes much hard work. Communicating your thoughts concisely and with minimal ambiguity is no mean feat. Add to that the requirement of showing that one has considered the relevant existing dialogues on one’s topic, while also constructing original and compelling arguments. But as I already stated, you don’t have to obtain a doctorate before referring to yourself as a philosopher. You don’t even have to think or write anything original – you just need to critically engage into a dialogue.

Here is why I think more people should identify as philosophers: when people start to view themselves as philosophers, both their self-image and their intellectual habits change. Their cognitive powers assume more importance to them and as a result are improved through greater use. Also, their confidence in their own beliefs and opinions increases. Why? Because, as they examine the beliefs they hold, they come to better understand them, and to revisit and refine and reform them.

And through this process of self-examination, they may come to understand how others arrive at beliefs contrary to their own, having pivoted in a different direction due to a different set of influencing factors. As a result of this understanding, their levels of tolerance and compassion are likely to increase.

What are some reasons that one might not want to choose to identify as a philosopher? There seems to be a perception that philosophers are averse to discussing the trivial and the pedestrian - the things that make up most of our daily conversations. To be a philosopher, one must either focus on topics outside of the normal day-to-day stuff, or one must view that day-to-day stuff through an uncommon and distorting filter. 

And yet, often when a person gets a few drinks in them, they magically transform into aspiring mental spelunkers, and begin talking beyond (below) the daily, run-of-the-mill content. Those couple drinks can sometimes open a window into their thought processes, and give a glimpse into what makes them who they are, or at least who they believe themselves to be. Does having a few beers and opening up to your friend or colleague make you a philosopher? No. The thoughts and the self-analysis pre-existed the beers, which serves merely as a conduit – a lubricant, as it were – for more quickly reaching a state of philosophical discourse.




The next time I find myself talking with someone who professes their ignorance of philosophy, provided that my aging memory doesn’t fail me, I plan to ask them these questions:

•	Do you think it is important and useful to examine your own life and the world around you?
•	Do you believe there’s a benefit in sharing these ideas? 

If they answer yes to both questions, then I’ll congratulate them and inform them that they are, however unbeknownst to themselves, a philosopher, and they should henceforth refer to themselves as such. I doubt that they will immediately take on that label, but hopefully I will have planted a seed. Despite having engaged in philosophical discussions and also receiving my Master’s in philosophy, it still took me many years before I started thinking of myself as a philosopher. I’m hoping that, with a little guidance, I’ll be able to nudge others along that path at a quicker rate.