What does it mean to be a Philosopher?
What comes to mind when you think of a philosopher? Our views on philosophy today often differ significantly from those of the past. The term philosophy actually comes from two Greek words: philos, which means friend or lover, and sophia, which means wisdom. So philosophy is the love of wisdom.
For the ancient Greeks, philosophy was a therapy for the soul. Here’s how Epicurus (341–270 B.C.E.) put it, “Vain is the word of a philosopher which does not heal any suffering of man. For just as there is no profit in medicine if it does not expel the diseases of the body, so there is no profit in philosophy either if it does not expel the suffering of the mind.”
Similarly, the modern-day philosopher Martha Nussbaum connects philosophy with human flourishing: “Having understood how human lives are diseased, a philosopher worthy of the name—like a doctor worthy of that name—will try to cure them. The whole point of medical research is cure. So, too, the whole point of philosophy is human flourishing.” […]
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