HOW TO BECOME A PHILOSOPHER
Barry Loewer
If you are skeptical that you can become a philosopher in 30 seconds, then you have taken a first small step toward becoming one. The attitude of skepticism and the inclination to question are central to philosophy. By questioning your (and others’) beliefs with an open mind, you will better understand what it is you believe, what your concepts are, and thus come to know yourself better. Although it is not possible for you to become a philosopher (you may be one already) by just reading this text, I can pose some of the questions that may take you a bit farther along the path.
Most of us take it for granted that we ought to keep promises. But is this always true? What if Burt promises to return Hilary’s gun, but learns that Hilary intends to use it to shoot Willard. Should Burt return the gun? Suppose you think, “No, not in this case.” If so, your next philosophical move may be to look for a general principle that specifies when promises ought to be kept. Perhaps you think the correct rule is: “Keep a promise, unless keeping it will harm someone.” (This isn’t quite right either, since keeping your promise to be faithful to your spouse may harm your lover.)
Next, ask yourself: “Why ought we to obey this or any proposed rule of ethics?” Some people think that we ought to obey ethical rules because God commanded it. But even if you believe that God exists this isn’t correct, since (as Socrates would have said) keeping your promises is not right because God commanded it, but rather God commanded it because it is right. So why is it right? If you explore what philosophers have said about this question over the past 2,500 years, you will discover that there is a lot of disagreement.
Some people conclude that thinking about these questions is a waste of time because agreement will never be reached. But a few people are exhilarated by the process of questioning, thinking about tentative answers, questioning deeper, and so on. Even if we don’t settle many of these questions, the process brings us closer to understanding ourselves.
（30-Second Philosophies: The 50 Most Thought-provoking Philosophies.）
