were miserable?

Question:It really depends on their stability to begin with I think. If they are reasonably mentally healthy, have a strong family support, philosophy/broad thinking can not be too harmful to an individual.

When I was clinically depressed/suicidal in my teenage years was when I got into philosophy, the broader I thought the further I sunk, of course I didn't have that family support(abusive drug addict family) and I was also dealing with a very rare disfiguring condition.

I would never suggest a mentally unstable person to delve to deeply into the human condition, my ventures almost killed me, but as most aren't anywhere near as messed up as I was, while it might get a person down from time to time, most certainly can think deeply philisophically and live happy lives.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: It really depends on their stability to begin with I think. If they are reasonably mentally healthy, have a strong family support, philosophy/broad thinking can not be too harmful to an individual.

When I was clinically depressed/suicidal in my teenage years was when I got into philosophy, the broader I thought the further I sunk, of course I didn't have that family support(abusive drug addict family) and I was also dealing with a very rare disfiguring condition.

I would never suggest a mentally unstable person to delve to deeply into the human condition, my ventures almost killed me, but as most aren't anywhere near as messed up as I was, while it might get a person down from time to time, most certainly can think deeply philisophically and live happy lives.

idk...

well i majored in Philosophy ( currently a Lawyer) and I am NOT miserable nor was i whilst i was in college (in fact college was the best time of my life)

VISIT AND HELP OUT THE CAUSE: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Depends on who you consider to be a "great" philosopher. John Ralston Saul is modern and seems happy enough.

yes, we can see the world and reality in a different way than most people. i think sometimes we may feel alone in our heads...

Where did you hear that?
No it is not true. All the famous ones have different life stories.
They all had interesting lives. Probably they annoyed to no end.the authorities and the religious pundits of their day

Nope, that is the impression people who don't understand philosophy get.

yah they say things you can understand obviously becuase people remenber to talk about them but also they are only telling you something you can enjoy in your life and clearly think and deal with,., instead of writing in the past that they"didi noit know about problems we have to day"

Could be that they think there selves into depression.I don't think i really want to go there..

The thing that makes them great is an original way of thinking. If we had 1000 Nietzsche's only the first would be great.

So not all of them... although a lot of them do seem to feel somewhat isolated from the majority of people.

Is it factually true - I think no...
If you realy think about it, they might of been. You are constantly thinking and mulling over things... you don't have a moment to just sit and watch clouds because then you woul dbe thinking about the shapes, color, lack of color, how they got there, why they are there, what they are made of...

as for modern day philosophers... they are just college grads who refused to get a real major... therefore they "think" (haha) they should be paid to sit and eat cheetos, drink sam's cola, and stay in their lounge pants all day.

No but probably most were. Because when they were miserable they were lonely and they turned their minds to philosophy.

misery also makes them look at the great questions of life
WHY IS LIFE WORTHWHILE,
WHAT IS LIFE,

You can see some of these questions would come to the mind of a miserable person easily

ok people the question is about great philosophers, not yourselves.

and i believe that most of them were miserable. but this is for a reason. i think that most people would be miserable if no one accepted them because the society that they live in is too blind to see the truthes that philosophers offer. most famous philosophers are only accepted after death. with oblivous exceptions

I don't think they were miserable but I do think they did go through greater trials than the average person. I think it's because they had these hard lives that they questioned everything and became wiser/more intelligent.

Being alive contains all the extremes, so at some point they are very miserable. Anyone who isn't numb has to have great joy & great sorrow, etc.

All great philosophers were often very intellecutal individuals with troubled pasts and futures. their lives were miserable for them, their great minds influenced in every aspect in their life, making it almost impossible for them to enjoy life to the greatest ability. the people around them, their 'followers' were overjoyed with their new quotes and innovating inspirations but inside, these tortured souls were suffering. they brought happiness to all, but none, sadly, to themselves. and this is why they were considered the best philosophers.

It has it's ups and downs for me. So I would suspect the same for most philosophers.

No. A few had severe psychological problems (Neitzsche's nervous breakdown, Kierkegaard's depression, Kafka's depression and anxiety), but the numbers are probably little different from those of the general population. Maybe the irony attracts attention?

It's a myth, like the one that all artists suffer for their art.

Not all. But many are because they do not find the answer they are looking for. Many rely too much on their intellect and too little on their inner self. Buddha was not miserable because he was able to free his mind from thought and become aware of himself in the moment. Few people do this. It was what Christ was talking about but the followers did not understand. They got it wrong and in order to have power totally distorted his message till it was lost.

Eckhart Tolle has hit the mark in his book A new Earth. Awakening your life's purpose.

It may be that Philosophers like Schopenhauer just got so much wrong they made themselves miserable. Spencer's first dynamic was all organisms seek to survive. Survival was the most important dynamic. Yet he did not cover anything deeper. Most fail to recognize the soul or the spirit. The observer of the mind. Without this they can't succeed. And to think only man has a life force, a spirit or whatever you want to call it is wrong and a dead end. Everything lives and breaths through a connection of spirit. The other part, the body, the brain are mechanical.

Let's face it if you are able to see this force of life and understand it you can be happy; But if you see it only as the mind you will be completely frustrated. Now I am not speaking of religion. Religion does not get it.

The Greek's came at a time that was not used to or ready for logic. Look how long the world lived without the question why in the minds of most men and women. If you read Chaucer The Canterbury tales they never attempt to explain why what happens in the stories occurs. Reason and logic were not important.Shakespeare's characters sometimes fail to think things out. But in his writing for the first time we see some of the questions humans ask. They begin to ask why.

So those philosophers that ventured past the norm were lonely and disappointed because they had no one to understand with them. They were frustrated. Add Christianity and Islam, and it's narrow make believe superstitious ideas and you have a real problem for a thinking man.

i recently read somewhere...."Those who feel, cry about lifes injustices , those who think laugh at its absurdity...." well it went something like that anyway....and I would agree....

Well, it's possible of course. Most of them realised life is meaningless - but it's given meaning through the things we do. I think maybe philosophers construct their theories and ideas out of boredom - I mean who's thoughts or ideas are more valid than someone who doesn't study or write books. :-)

Yes, they lost the "golden laughter" in which came from ignorance. now, they know the lies and problems life brings humanity. this is why they can't just laugh out of ignorance or innocence. with all these thoughts in their heads, hey just can't give out the laugh of his/her life. i'd rather say, "we" not "they". (im included)