Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A student of or specialist in philosophy.
- noun A person who lives and thinks according to a particular philosophy.
- noun A person who is calm and rational under any circumstances.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun One who is devoted to the search for fundamental truth; in a restricted sense, one who is versed in or studies the metaphysical and moral sciences; a metaphysician.
- noun One who conforms his life to the principles of philosophy, especially to those of the Stoical school; one who lives according to reason or the rules of practical wisdom.
- noun An alchemist: so called with reference to the search for the philosopher's stone.
- noun One who deals in any magic art.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun One who philosophizes; one versed in, or devoted to, philosophy.
- noun One who reduces the principles of philosophy to practice in the conduct of life; one who lives according to the rules of practical wisdom; one who meets or regards all vicissitudes with calmness.
- noun obsolete An alchemist.
- noun an imaginary stone which the alchemists formerly sought as instrument of converting the baser metals into gold.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A person devoted to studying and producing results in
philosophy .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a specialist in philosophy
- noun a wise person who is calm and rational; someone who lives a life of reason with equanimity
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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As to the term philosopher's stone, he alleged that it was a mere figure, to deceive the vulgar.
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 12, No. 342, November 22, 1828 Various
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We have loitered long with Yehuda Halevi, and still not long enough, for we have not yet spoken of his claims to the title philosopher, won for him by his book _Al-Chazari_.
Jewish Literature and Other Essays Gustav Karpeles 1878
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But I do believe that he will be the personification of what I call the philosopher king.
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If they are, they possess a virtue which produces, in some measure at all events, all those effects which the alchemist usually ascribes to what he calls the philosopher's stone; and if their content does not bring riches, it banishes the desire for them.
Across China on Foot Edwin John Dingle 1926
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And this is what they call a philosopher in France!
Amiel's Journal Henri Fr��d��ric Amiel 1885
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But despite its runaway success in Great Britain, the U.S. publisher changed it to "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" because they believed that no American child would buy a book containing the word philosopher.
NPR Topics: News 2011
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This virtue does indeed produce, in some measure, all those effects which the alchymist usually ascribes to what he calls the philosopher's stone; and if it does not bring riches, it does the same thing, by banishing the desire of them.
The Young Gentleman and Lady's Monitor, and English Teacher's Assistant John Hamilton Moore 1772
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But unlike Karl Barth or Paul Tillich, for example, who saw themselves as fusing philosophy and theology, Rosenstock-Huessy refused to see himself primarily as a philosopher or theologian ” though when the term philosopher was qualified by the preceding ˜social™, he was more willing to accept that designation. [
Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy Cristaudo, Wayne 2008
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I sometimes wish that I were: Socrates described himself as shameless, and argued that any true philosopher is by definition shameless, because the true philosopher loves wisdom/truth above all else, and certainly above any concern for social approval.
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The first-time candidate and small-government philosopher is practically tea party royalty since his father is libertarian hero Ron Paul, the Texas congressman.
The Rise Of Rand Paul & How Tea Party-Backed Candidates Could Face Rocky Road On Capitol Hill The Huffington Post News Team 2010
vanishedone commented on the word philosopher
A discussion at the Garden of Forking Paths has provided numerous suggested collective nouns for a group of philosophers.
March 10, 2008
vanishedone commented on the word philosopher
The winner was 'a fog of philosophers'.
March 25, 2008