May anyone call themselves a philosopher?

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| Subject classification: this is a philosophy resource. |
Philosophy is the love of or the desire for wisdom[fact?]. Everyone can philosophize. You ask yourself big questions and then think about those questions. But if everyone can philosophize, does that mean everyone may call themselves a philosopher, regardless of their experience or education? Or are there certain requirements for this?
Anyone may call themselves a philosopher
Pro
Pro The term 'philosopher' is not protected, unlike 'doctor' or 'historian'.[1] This means that anyone can call themselves a philosopher.
Pro Everyone is a philosopher, since everyone does ask questions about life.
Objection It’s a false ungrounded assumption that everyone does so.
Objection Admittedly, all (adult?) people have to resolve some fundamental philosophical questions, such as what should I do in my life or is the world my dream. However, if that suffices for one to be called a philosopher, the statement "I am a philosopher" loses all meaning/differentiating power. And the point of predicating about subjects is to differentiate/discriminate. This suggests this approach is not a good idea.
Con
Con One should have completed an accredited education in philosophy.
Objection Education is arbitrary. We consider Socrates a philosopher, yet he did not receive an accredited education. It seems reasonable to say that Socrates is popularly considered to be a philosopher. In this case, is popular thought wrong?
Objection Meta: An argument proper should not contain questions. This is an argument analysis exercise, not an interactive debate.
Objection What if people struggle with studying in school but are still good at philosophizing? Then they would never get the chance to call themselves a philosopher.
Objection Meta: An argument proper should not contain questions. This is an argument analysis exercise, not an interactive debate.
Con One should be able to prove that one is engaged in philosophy if one wants to call oneself a philosopher. Otherwise even a non-philosopher with dishonest intentions can call himself a philosopher.
Notes and references
- ↑ Jonathan Janssen (November 2, 2023). "Wat is filosofie? Over het belang en de betekenis van het filosoferen". Filosofie Magazine (in Dutch).