Suggested reading: What it takes to live philosophically

by Caleb M. Cohoe and Stephen R. Grimm

We present an account of what it takes to live a philosophical way of life: practitioners must be committed to a worldview, structure their lives around it, and engage in truth- directed practices. Contra John Cooper, it does not require that one’s life be solely guided by reason. A philosophical way of life does involve reflection and the use of reason, but it does not require perfection or solitary achievement. Religious or tradition-based ways of life can count as truth-directed as long as their practices are reasons-responsive and would be truth-directed if the claims made by their way of life are correct. We argue that our three conditions can be met by progressors as well as sages. Making progress in how one acts in the world and improving one’s understanding and direction through being part of a community is living a philosophical way of life. Our view acknowledges more ways to develop the art of living and enables a broader range of people to count as living philosophically. … (continue at Metaphilosophy)