People in this forum are one of the wisest guys I know that deal out good advice on the daily and read tons of literature some of which involve philosophy. Do you consider yourself one? Is it a matter of intelligence really?
I like philosophy very much, it had helped me fix some of my problems... it has brought me wisdom and calmness in numerous times. I talk a lot about philosophy with my friends, but I don't consider myself a philosopher at least not yet because I still have a lot to read.
I don't really think that it's really a matter of intelligence, humans have always questioned things such as existence, death, God, life, etc. and I personally think that is what philosophy is all about. We all have our own and unique theories such as philosophers do, the only difference that I can find here, is that some people think about those things more than other people do, but at the end of the day we all are philosophers.
I don't pretend to be a philosopher of sorts and I don't usually join conversations with a deep-seated theme like religion, life, and other intangible subjects. I would rather talk about anything that is under the sun, things that I can see and feel. Isn't it nice to be alive and have these things around us? The computer, the smart phone, the internet, the trees, the fruits, the vegetables and all other foods that I can eat, the place that I can go to. That's my trip, talking about the beauty of life.
I'm not much of a philosopher. I like to think about life, and contemplate existence, but I wouldn't go to the point of saying I am a Philosopher. Bruce Lee was a pretty good philosopher in modern times.
I think anyone can be a philosopher in that we question things that are not evidence based. It may be religion, news or stories or anything about life. There comes a point in our lives that we tend to question why we're even here or is this real, and I think that in itself is being a philosopher. You don't just blindly accept facts, you question them and find reasons or oppositions about them.
There are different types of philosophy, but mainly philosophy is learning about how to think and to challenge theories and beliefs. Then there is moral philosophy where you determine what is ethical or acceptable, because as society evolves those barriers shift. I have my own philosophy blog where I do outline my reasoning and question human dilemmas, but studying philosophy is very different and I found it more rigid than it should be. Read, experience, and then decide.
