Another book I’ve enjoyed is Nigel Warburton’s Philosophy Bites, where he writes that “philosophy is an unusual subject in that its practitioners don’t agree what it’s about.”

Some of the examples of such not-agreeing as to what philosophy means include:

“Philosophy is thinking really hard about the most important questions and trying to bring analytic clarity both to the questions and the answers.” – Marilyn Adams

“Philosophy is the successful love of thinking.” – John Armstrong

“I don’t think it’s any one thing, but I think generally it involves being critical and reflective about things that most people take for granted.” – Allen Buchanan

“Philosophy is critical thinking: trying to become aware of how one’s own thinking works, of all the things one takes for granted, of the way in which one’s own thinking shapes the things one’s thinking about.” – Don Cupitt

“Most simply put it’s about making sense of all this… We find ourselves in a world that we haven’t chosen. There are all sorts of possible ways of interpreting it and finding meaning in the world and in the lives that we live. So philosophy is about making sense of that situation that we find ourselves in.” – Clare Carlisle

“Philosophy is what I was told as an undergraduate women couldn’t do – by an eminent philosopher who had best remain nameless. But for me it’s the gadfly image, the Socratic gadfly: refusing to accept any platitudes or accepted wisdom without examining it.” – Donna Dickenson.

Is there an example of a definition of philosophy that you don’t agree with? Let me know at www.365daysofphilosophy.com.