what, really, is philosophy?

Must music only be made by musicians who attended 6 years of conservatory, can read and write sheet paper and know and understand what the mixolodan mode is?

Because if that's the case, I'll lose both of my favorit pass times and 50 million Elvis fans were wrong after all (something I suspect to be true any way).

My late uncle was a passionate nature lover. He has published prominent works on various subjects from the formation of ice shapes to the stuff that grows under dead trees.

But he was a school teacher, not a biologist. Does it matter?

Philosophy as an art is the result of centuries of thought by the greatest minds in history. That shouldn't be discarded as academic humbug.

But it makes it hard for people (like myself) to catch up with all that's been said and written.

So I strayed from the academic path and simply started observing myself and my surroundings.

Does it matter?

Russell has a good quote on this: We may note one peculiar feature of philosophy. If someone asks the question what is mathematics, we can give him a dictionary definition, let us say the science of number, for the sake of argument. As far as it goes this is an uncontroversial statement... Definitions may be given in this way of any field where a body of definite knowledge exists. But philosophy cannot be so defined. Any definition is controversial and already embodies a philosophic attitude. The only way to find out what philosophy is, is to do philosophy. —Bertrand Russell, The Wisdom of the West

For me, philosophy shouldn't and i don't think have definitions. Its just something that made you think. Famous philosophers are known because their thoughts impress people and they are at the right time and at the right place, there could be a lot of people with the same ideas at the same time and if they keep on thinking and asking, then they're philosopher as well. So philosophy doesn't have to be spewed according to people known to be philisophers. They're after all just human like us. :)

Philosophy is the intellectual activity you engage in when observational control levels off and sheer speculation sets in. It is letting your cognitive impulses roam freely, unconstrained by external sources of input.

Well, you can add - but only as a joke - that philosophers are some guys that try to discuss about everything and denies the other guy's arguments. They look for unanswerable questions and do everything they can to wrap them in as many neologisms as possible; and when they cannot find arguments, they use clubs, battle axes or naked fists; and he who breaks the other one nose wins the dispute. In rest, you have all the definitions

Philosophy is the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct.

Philosophy is the exploration of an unknown area of study, and philosophers are the brave explorers...

SIMPLY put philosophy is the love of wisdom and if you love something it is unconditional and you take care of it. That is the one who gets it.

Philosophy is " a meeting of the minds."

Omphaloskepsis. Something only engaged in by those not preoccupied by poverty, hunger, survival, social and sexual persuits, and the rest of the world at large. It's completely, totally, entirely useless to survival, and mostly practised by bored people with no freinds.

It's great fun.