Tolkien and philosophy

[Lush]

Tolkien was not a philosopher. That is plain enough. So are we taking things a little far?

Well, any keen thinker is a philosopher in some capacity or other. It's already been mentioned that you don't need to be paid for teaching philosophy to actually practice some form of it, whether in your work, or daily life, or both.

Furthermore, dispensing a philosophy is not contained within writing down truisms on life or beating anyone over the head with a metaphoric hammer of insistence. Writers, I would say, are subtle philosophers in that regard.

And Tolkien, I dare venture, is less subtle than some (well, comparatively speaking).

Are we seeing things that aren’t really there?

In some cases, perhaps, but what is the price we would pay for completely abstaining from that?

I could think of one off the top of my head.

It would be a boring forum.

[Saraphim]

Well, any keen thinker is a philosopher in some capacity or other. It's already been mentioned that you don't need to be paid for teaching philosophy to actually practice some form of it, whether in your work, or daily life, or both.

Saraph agrees with you, Lush. There are some fine philosophers here on the Barrow-Downs, even. I consider myself one, not because I plan on writing a book divulging my opinions on the secrets of life and ect, but because I write fiction with hints of my opinions about life.

This is what all fiction writers do. Lord of the Rings would be a bland, childish story if it didn't have philosophical points ingrained into its very core.

[Lhundulinwen]

The most interesting philosopher I have ever met was a farmer by profession. He made such eloquent arguements on everything from politics, religion and economics. This proves, for me anyway, absolutely anyone can be a philosopher, they just have to think for themselves and be able to express it.