If one wants to be a philosopher, what basic knowledge must they know?

Some of the answers are good, but they don't answer your question: what are the basics?

Well let's say you want to be an accountant or a doctor. There is a language each profession uses, with words that have meanings specific to those professions.

It is no different with philosophy. The basics are (and they "are" in this order):

Metaphysics

Epistemology

Ethics

Politics

Aesthetics

You must learn what each one consists of, what the terminology is for the concepts used, and the competing theories. If you do not learn these, it would be like learning medicine from practical experience in a jungle with no medical texts or trained help, then going to a hospital in a large city and trying to understand the language everyone is using around you.

Sure, you might have a great idea that saves a life, but if you cannot articulat that in the language doctors will understand, and back up your theory, you will look as if you are babbling nonsense until your idea finally begins to makes sense to someone.

That "babbling" is unfortunately the only thing that most of the users of this forum have going for them. Most of them wouldn't know "cognoscenti" from "cognoscente".

Understand that there is no exact way to become a philosopher, you either have the ideas or you don't.

1) Think freely - Free yourself of prejudice, ignorance, and point of view when examining an issue.

2) Justify your opinions without bias.

3) While critiquing, use more of logic than senses

4) Search and re-search for truth

5) Be bold to agree or disgree on a view point

6) Be the source of your own investigation, since you're always available to yourself

7) Question yourself and identify your reasoning.

8) Share yur assumptions with others and seek their opinion

9) Have a healthy measure of humility. Yet, be bold to accept only the truth, based on evidence

10) Read philosophy copiously, learning new questions and problems to think about and past solutions, and their criticisms.

Pursuing a bachelor's or master's degree in philosophy is a good way to structure these studies, but many great philosophers were also self-taught.

Pursue philosophy as a career by acquiring a doctorate in philosophy and getting a professorship at a university. This can be highly competitive, expensive, and challenging, but getting paid to think can be extremely rewarding!

Ok; there are very intelligent Philosophers-to-be who sit in Academic premises for a number of years, in order to acquire a thorough knowledge of all the Philosophies and Philosophers of the Past.

These past Philosophers are presented as their Seniors, and they are their Juniors.

Fine.

This is a good School of learning and training.

Nothing wrong with that.

But eventually, life is calling, and this newly trained Academic Philosopher gets a bit disturbed, and disrupted and disquieted.

Hopefully he does.

In matters that are important to his present days.

Then amazing thoughts come to him.

Thoughts that were never heard before.

He does not have the Answers, (yet), but he has all the Questions all right.

During this period in time, he could, yes, very well be considered as a "day dreamer".

As there is nothing written in the old School Books that can satisfy this new inquisitiveness.

So, he has to find the Answers somewhere ...

It is a matter for him now, to listen to and to trust the process of inner inspiration and of inventiveness.

Not to worry too much, ... however.

Because this "day dreaming" in question, is a blessful phase that all his previous School Book Philosophers went through also, without exception.

And this is why they are in the School Books at all !

Take care.

Philosophers back up their daydreams with a solid argument, they educate themselves on the arguments made by previous philosophers throughout the ages so that they can have useful daydreams.

They debate with other philosophers, not carelessly or dogmatically, but by carefully listening to others and fine tuning their arguments.

I agree you must have solid credible evidence. but one basic thing that all philosopher's should have is an open mind unclouded by fear, love, and hate. Emotions and worldly possessions can blind us from seeing the full picture. Of course that's my opinion that hasn't yet seemed to be proved wrong. e-mail me if you ever want to chat.

Philosophy is, by definition, the questioning of facts. the belief of more than just what is seen, outside the box

You design your OWN philosophy for your OWN adventure in life.

That I still really don't know anything...

Seriously, this works out the seeking as it never ends..

your own knowledge is base of your own philosophy

Where your a$s is and how to write a decent sentence.