I wish I could be harassed by a philosopher.
>walking to pick up a snack or something
>some well-spoken old dude just starts calling you out on your overpriced name brand clothes, or your shitty taste in food, or your reaction to some SJW protestors nearby
>get into a discussion with him as you try to defend your viewpoints and explore other viewpoints
>walk away a little ruffled, but thinking about what he said
>realize you now have an expanded worldview and will think a little more deeply about future choices you make
>that old guy just made you wiser
>start purposely stopping by his spot in the coming weeks to discuss and learn more about yourself and the world
>learn more in one month from this thought-wizard than you would from a year of schooling
>adopt his philosophies, consider and modify them how you see logical
>go on a trip to a city in a distant land
>walking to pick up a snack or something
>some well-spoken old dude starts calling you out again
>get into a discussion with him, bringing all your new philosophies to the table
>he cuts into them, introducing his own new philosophies
>merge both styles of philosophy, become even wiser with the best of both worlds
>continue your quest to become a wise man
>several decades alter
>sit on a bench in the market square, pondering existentialism while stroking your beard
>see some oblivious young fag strutting around
>call him out on his shit
Does philosophy have a place in the modern world, or is it simply more beneficial for an individual to live a life of utter functionality without ever asking why?
>>956009
thanks mr socrates
>>956009
>Does philosophy have a place in the modern world
Well... yeah
>or is it simply more beneficial for an individual to live a life of utter functionality without ever asking why?
Most people have been doing that since forever, or are otherwise satisfied by vague, crappy philosophy (see: the whole new age movement). Good philosophers are the exception.
Did people tip philosophers? Or would tossing a few coins cheapen their actions?
People are less likely than ever to learn from anyone in public, and more likely than ever to regard only the opinions of their carefully cultivated community.
They say those who live in the city are simultaneously surrounded by millions of people and more isolated than anywhere else. Whether by an insular group of friends, celebrities, and past-times; or completely isolated by befriending people based upon their opinions and views, even only making online friends with all the same ideas as you, it's incredibly easy to live a life in which you are universally agreed with by everyone you know. People pay to go to seminars and talks in which the speaker has a clear agenda that the audience already shares.
It's not that people are all like that these days, but it's incredibly easy to fall into that pattern and find yourself thinking what's safe and holding median ideals
Be the out-spoken old dude in your life. You may not think yourself wise enough to dictate what men should or should not do, but you would be surprised how many people still have strong views and lots to say if you open up to them about more than the weather. Even if you get nowhere every time you are still confronting people, and they'll still remember that
>>956064
People would tip them, yes, but then those people would immediately get chewed out for supporting the monetization/commercialization of free knowledge/information/thought by the same philosopher.
>>956009
>see some oblivious young fag strutting around
>call him out on his shit
This is what friends are for.
>>956009
thanks mr socrates
>>956009
fuck you mr socrates
>>956009
Why did vendors let philosophers hang around the market? They definitely drove people away and decreased sales.
>>956162
They tried to get them to leave, but would end up walking away thinking about how superfluous money truly is.
>>956162
>try to tell socrates to gtfo
>end up questioning the value of material goods and abandoning your stall with no sandals
best to ignore them
>>956009
That's not how philosophy works. You don't walk up to people, you write books.
>>956215
The people who could use philosophy the most aren't the kind of people who buy philosophy books. The only way to get them to actually think about it is to throw it in their face when they least expect it.
Also, philosophy is a way of thinking critically about the world around you, not a profession.
>>956215
Right. After you've talked to people.
>>956227
>people who could use philosophy the most
A lot of assumptions there, buddy. Philosophy has nothing to do with being useful. You don't want to be a philosopher, but a revolutionary.
>>956154
desu I don't think Diogenes wouldn't like Socrates, he just loved memeing the fuck out of Plato.
>>956237
>Philosophy has nothing to do with being useful.
A lot of assumptions there, buddy.
>>956064
fucking americlap
>>956154
Diogenes actually had a pretty high opinion of Socrates, he thought Plato was a total sperg though. But he probably would say something like that because defacing social currency was his thing.
thanks mr socrates
>>956009
the ramblings of a catamite wanabe, jeez, just bend over and get it over with
nothing worse than a closeted fag with Daddy issues
>>956215
Fuck off pleb.
How can I live the philosophical life in the modern era? So many ways seem outdated
>inb4 NEET
>>957104
Nigga just go outside and ask people shit and then completely dismantle their answer.
>>956064
Didn't the Cynics condone begging under the rationale that it was "payment" for teaching philosophy?
>>956637
>closeted
>>958090
Seems like a pretty cynical thing to do desu.
>>956009
I don't know. Philosophy doesn't really make anyone really wiser in a direct sense.
I'd rather have a conversation with Newton (if he would put up with me) or Einstein than say Socrates.
>>956009
I think being harassed by either Cato the Elder or Younger would be a pretty fun time.
>walk down street in fancy new greek clothes
>some old man walks up to me
>he calls me a degenerate pleb
>mumbles "carthago delenda est" and walks off
>wear my toga tightly belted the next day
>feels good man
>>956352
How credible is the defacing currency story? didn't his dad do that shit or something and got exiled. I want to believe....
>>958187
It's debated whether it was Diogenes himself or his dad who did it. Most writings about Diogenes (at least that I've seen) credit Diogenes himself with it, but they often have the same "I want to believe" attitude you're mentioning, so it's questionable.
thanks mr socrates
>>958128
>I don't know. Philosophy doesn't really make anyone really wiser in a direct sense.
>I'd rather have a conversation with Newton (if he would put up with me) or Einstein than say Socrates.
Physics doesn't really make anyone really wiser in a direct sense.
Unless you are talking about Physics or Mathematics (or in the case of Newton, religion), Socrates would probably teach you much more than Newton or Einstein.
>>956009
Functionality in terms of productive competence is super important, and if you had to lose either function or philosophy you would likely jettison philosophy, but I would argue that philosophy adds a dimension to our conscious existence that makes it more worthwhile and can often add new functionality even if it is not philosophy's primary intent.
