I've been learning a lot about philosophers lately. I'm not interested in them because they have grand answers (they don't) or because I want to become one (I like computers too much). What's interesting is that they ask good questions. A philosopher is a normal person who can't accept the things they're being told, so they keep asking 'why?' and pulling at interesting threads until they find surprising insights. And I really vibe with that.
I think it helps to state what I mean by philosopher. It's someone who loves knowledge for its own sake. They want to know things, really bad, especially true things. But they also want to 'know' things we often deem 'unknowable.' Like, is there a soul? What is justice? What is love?
It surprises me that more people don't want to be philosophers, but I guess it depends on what society values. We're not really a society that values truth right now (Ivanka launched a meme coin and Trump lies every other sentence). And we're a bit afraid of authority (see: charlie kirk getting assassinated, the pope touching little boys, fauci cosplaying as a scientist).
People want security, and asking questions makes people uncomfortable. That's why Socrates was executed. Why are we here? How did we get here? Who are we? How do we live well? These make people uncomfortable, even if they're interesting questions to ask.
If you ask 'how do I live a good life?' you've stumbled into ethics. Philosophers have interesting answers. Aristotle would say be virtuous. Christ would say love thy neighbor, take the stick out of your eye, and all that. (His sermon on the mount is basically just him spitting bars on how to live well.) Ivanka launched a meme coin and Trump lies every other sentence. Truth and reason aren’t really at the helm. No
Seneca offers a hotter take: think of death, stop wanting more, accept what you have, live simply, study, learn. It is telling that the greatest philosopher in history smelled bad and didn’t wear shoes.