A Student of Philosophy's Love of Wisdom

Since my very first Philosophy class I have thought of Philosophy as more than a study. One does not study Philosophy as one studies Biology, Physics or Mathematics. I once had a roommate who tried to explain to me how easy calculus really was. He said simply "You just have to know why something equals, just that it does." But the answer didn't jive with me too well. I was starting to wonder if maybe I was losing my mind. Perhaps the years of, what can best be described as a mild form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, had finally caused my mind to turn on itself. Perhaps I was about to think myself into a catatonic state. Then again, it worked for Nietzsche.

Math was just the tip of the iceberg. How can I say that 2+2=4 with so much certainty. What are numbers? Do numbers truly exist? Are numbers simply an expression of a greater whole? In that case, every number know as a "whole number" is, in reality, simply a fraction of an infinite? What does that mean for our numbering system? It wasn't until I took Philosophy that I realized I wasn't going crazy (at least not crazier than many famous people who lived before I was born). I had always thought that to study Philosophy would basically be like studying literature or history. We would read the works of famous ancients and discuss. Though that was a big part of the course of study, to be a philosopher involves something much greater. It requires you to love wisdom.

It is very easy for us to say that we love wisdom. Who doesn't want to be wise? Unfortunately, many people seem to be under the impression that wisdom is something that comes to us naturally as we age, alongside ear hair and creaking joints. But if we truly love wisdom, we don't just sit idly by and wait for it to happen upon us. We must seek wisdom. To do this, we must search for truth.

Of paramount importance to this search is our motive. Why do we search for truth? What do we intend to do with wisdom? For some, wisdom is seen as essential to the professional world. For others, wisdom is a way of not making the same mistakes twice. But for a very select few, wisdom is precious simply because it is wisdom. Imagine something so valuable that it gives itself value. Such is the treasure of wisdom.

All of the men and women we commonly associate with philosophy, Socrates, Plato, Nietzsche, Rand and countless others were seekers of truth. Though their methods and conclusions were as diverse as they were, the common thread among them all is their search for truth, their embracing wisdom. They did not philosophize so that one day they may adorn the walls of a Barnes and Noble cafe. They sought the truth.

Anybody can be a philosopher. It can be as simple as asking the question "Why?" about matters that other people blindly accept as fact. I certainly hope that I am as good of a friend to wisdom, as wisdom is to me. I know at times I betray my friendship by falling back into preconceived notions and diving headfirst into illogical conclusions driven by emotion, but I'm still learning. I hope that one day, I can without reservation or resistance love wisdom simply for wisdom's sake.