philosopher

The most dangerous sort of person. By means of intuition, thought, symbols, and words, a philosopher may build or destroy civilizations, all behind the scenes, unknown by those who end up using her ideas as everyday beliefs. The power of the philosopher, for good or ill, often lasts well beyond the grave, over centuries and millennia.

Philosophers aim at discovering truth. As truth is perspectival and has an historical aspect, no philosopher or philosophy captures all truth absolutely in all its possible nuances and applications. Many thinkers misunderstand this fact of reality and human finitude, while other schools have grasped it.

Those that don't understand the limited nature of human beings believe their philosophy is a complete system that explains reality absolutely, usually with disastrous consequences historically; those that do understand this create philosophies that are open-ended and admit that progress in understanding is possible over time, each generation adding and amending errors as needed.

"Hegel, an absolutist 19th c. philosopher who believed he had explained all of reality, influenced Karl Marx, who, in turn, believed his philosophy explained all of reality. In turn, Ayn Rand took Marx's philosophy and turned it upside-down and, just as absolutely, believed she had completely explained all of reality. All three philosophers have had a certain detrimental effect on history - Hegel influencing Nazism, Marx Communism, and Rand an authoritarian resurrection of Laissez-Faire Capitalism and worship of selfishness."

by A Loser July 30, 2012

Philosophication

The act of getting beyond a point of normal conversation, conversation that can either trip you out or make you confused but at the same time makes you feel like you actually know what your talking about until reality sets back in.

I was getting down on some philosophication when I realized after the conversation I had no idea what the fuck I was talking about.

by BJskits January 17, 2011

philosophical shit

A piece of fecal matter (usually human) that has gained self-conscience. This leads to the shit asking deep questions of philosophical nature, hence the name. When encountering a philosophical shit, most humans believe that the questions raised by the 'sophical sausage' are of their own desing and come from their own head. It is unknown whether the great philosophers of history were assisted by philosophical shits, or came up with their ideas themselves.

"What am I? Where did I come from? I feel water rushing past me. I am falling now and it's dark. Is this what it's like to die? Is this the afterlife? An endless void where we're forced to contemplate our beliefs and morality for all eternity? Truly a hellish experience."
-Unnamed philosophical shit, circa 1978

by Ziraxis August 24, 2016

Philosopher's Stone

An ideal that gives hope to the lost. Some would argue that there's an actual scientific formula combining lead and gold... following an array chart, of course. Greek Mythology relates the God "Mercury" somehow in the transformation process, but there isn't much documentation to support his role in the process other than he too was searching.....and I think he had wings on his ankles. The Philosophers Stone was hands down, The best song ever recorded by Van Morrison. The Philosophers stone gives hope to those searching for a home.

"Man, that guy still searching for the Philosopher's stone....."
or "omg, i love this song, Philosopher's Stone" or, "Everytime I hear Philosopher's Stone I think of Larry" or "No need to search for the Philosophers Stone, its been in your pocket all along"

by D.A. Davenport June 28, 2012

Philosophal

Though it is an incorrect spelling of Philosophical, it is a better spelling of the word.

Yo bro, you want to have a philosophal conversation?

by Smart In My Own Way August 20, 2019

philosophy

the habit of continually asking questions upon receiving the answer to the previous question...

Kid: "Mommy, when will i die?"

Mother: "When you're older."

Kid: " Did you use philosophy to come to that answer?"

by janegirl July 21, 2009

freshman philosophy major

A person who thinks that her or his oversimplified answer will solve a controversial debate. The person is normally is in the late teens and the subject matter is usually religious, political, or ethical.
The phrase originates from the most common source of this stereotype.

"What does she look so smug about?"
"You mean Freshman Philosophy Major? After an intro philosophy class she thinks she can definitively prove that God does not exist."

by Mr. Mulch December 6, 2006