This post was originally published in 2015 · Jacob M Hansen

An old Greek man from the ancient city of Athens was handed the death penalty in 399 BC because people thought he was crazy.  The Athenians made a grave mistake that year, for this man wasn’t your average loony hobo. He was called Socrates—mentor to Plato (who mentored Aristotle), the originator of many western ideals, and the father of philosophy.  

It is generally agreed that the word “philosophy” comes from another old, nerdy greek man by the name of Pythagoras.  You probably know him from the A2 + B2 = C2 theorem.  Pythagoras combined the words philo, “love of” with sophia, meaning “wisdom” into philosophy.  By the broad definition, philosophy is literally the love of wisdom.  

By writing that Socrates is the father of philosophy, I do not mean to imply that he was the first human being to love wisdom.  The reason we remember Socrates is that he started a school through which he taught his students to think like no one else in their society thought: while most people would squabble over who was right and wrong, these students discussed what was right and wrong.  By training the minds of his students, Socrates changed their lives, and the lives of all who understood their teachings, forever. 

These students fell in love with wisdom, and so became philosophers.  Now it’s your turn.  

Convincing you of this idea the formal philosophical way would require a rather lengthy discussion (bring it on, comments!), so let me present the very top of the iceberg and get the conversation rolling with a few reasons for why you should become a teenage philosopher.  

1.  Virtue Begins with Wisdom

Because Socrates thought things through deeply, he never allowed himself to smother the details of his moral code in favor of strong emotions.  For example, while he was in prison after being convicted to execution on wrongful charges, he bravely declined an opportunity to escape and seek asylum in another country because he believed in sustaining the law of the land.  You may or may not think that Socrates made the right call here, but regardless, he knew his principles and his study of wisdom led him to conclude that:

“Not life, but a good life, is to be chiefly valued.  …And a good life is equivalent to a just and honorable one.”  (Plato, Crito)

Virtue is something that most people believe in striving to live by, but it really becomes a meaningless platitude until we understand its importance and uncover the extent of its application in our personal lives.  Hearing that you should “face your fears” is great, but if you also understand that fear is most often based in illogical assumptions and that your life will be better for pushing through it, you’ll automatically have a more courageous mindset. 

2. The skills of philosophy are critical in the “real world”

The #1 best way to succeed at school is to develop a love for learning (which is a prerequisite to wisdom).  If you love learning you’ll be motivated to talk to your teachers, participate in class, read in your spare time, do your best work on assignments, and so on.  Not only will you get better grades and qualify for new opportunities, you won’t hate school.  If you’re going to be sitting in a class for at least 7 hours a day, you may as well learn to enjoy it, right?  

Plus, once you enter the business world you’ll need the skills of logical reasoning and examining multiple sides of an issue to make ethical (and lucrative) decisions.  If you’re more into athleticism, politics and/or taking over the world, just remember that Alexander the Great was personally mentored by none other than Aristotle. Need I say more?

3.  Philosophy is the road to a new universe

Getting deep into philosophy, is like having those WHOA-I-NEVER-KNEW-THAT’S-FREAKING-AWESOME moments all the time!  Your imagination, explored through logic, is an exciting world that you won’t ever appreciate until you’ve tried it out yourself—like the view of the sunset from a mountaintop or the taste of double stuffed pizza crust with extra bacon.  

The philosopher Plato described the journey of becoming a philosopher as entering the sunlit world after living in a dark cave your whole life.  The benefit may not be that extreme for most people, but I can personally attest to the wonder and entertainment that comes from thinking deeply.

How to be a Teenage Philosopher  

The first step to becoming a teenager philosopher is to realize that you don’t have to become a hermit, grow a beard, or stop messing around and having fun—you can be your dynamic self AND entertain great thoughts about life. 

But on the other hand, you have to remember that philosophy is the love of wisdom.  When people say they “love philosophy”, often what they really mean is that when they’re forced to study something, philosophy isn’t as bad as math, but they’d rather be doing something else.  But if you honestly love something, you’ll pay for it with time and energy, and you’ll talk about it often. If you want to become a lover of wisdom, great ideas must become more of an obsession than a casual interest.  

If you’re not in love with wisdom yet (and even if you are), it’s time to ignite your mind.  There is a very simple system that will do this for you; I call it the Circuit Method. To make a light bulb work, there must be a constant flow of electricity through it—in from one side, out from the other.  Your brain is much the same way, requiring both the absorption and expression of ideas to fuel your inner philosopher.

Above all, you MUST READ.  Without exposure to new ideas and questions, your inner-philosopher will shut off as quick as an unplugged lightbulb.  It doesn’t matter so much which specific books you choose to read as long as they provoke you to think deeply. The work of the ancient philosophers is a great start, but even some business books and novels can get your brain spinning.  What matters most is that you find an in-flow of ideas.

Write and Discuss.  An idea never written or shared does as little good as an electrical outlet that never has anything plugged into it.  You need to refine and challenge your thought process, and there is no better way to do this then to have a conversation with others, or even with yourself—thanks, trusty notebook!  You may not think of yourself as much of a writer, but even if you start with something as simple as copying down interesting phrases, you’ll soon find words of your own. And if you don’t know anyone interested in having substantive discussions about great ideas, it’s time to make some new friends!  

The next time you see an old, dusty book, pick it up!  When a conversation drags, throw out a deep question! When a quiet moment falls upon you, ponder!  It’s time to make Socrates proud—and ourselves better—by choosing to be a generation of youth who love wisdom as much as we love fun.  Or in other words, it’s time for you to join the ranks and become a teenage philosopher.