Thread by @JunChengTan1, Looking back at how ancient philosophers made money. I sometimes wonder if [...]

JC Tan

JunChengTan1

Looking back at how ancient philosophers made money. I sometimes wonder if there are great differences from today. Structurally, there are some variations, but fundamentally the forces that support deep reflective thinking more often than not remain the same.

In Ancient Rome, it mainly splintered into 3-4 forms of income:

Begging
Getting a rich patreon
Consulting for wealthy / noble families
Teaching
Administration

When we come to think about them as of today, are they really any different?

Forming think tanks
Academic professions
Roles involving strategy
Coaches
Thought leaders?

Am I missing any? Genuinely curious.

Don't mean to be dissing the field at all. I think philosophy is awesome. Just a really tough field to make money in. Sure it's better today but like man, must it have been tough back then.

I wonder how much technology has helped this particular field?

Easier spread of mental frameworks via social media?

Statistical modeling of data to test axioms?

Providing more cases where ethical thinking is required? (Utilitarian vs ego-driven self-driving car algos?

Surprisingly, in a world as polarized about its identities as today, I think this is the one field we shouldn't delegate to others. But I wonder if the best tech can do to contribute back to this field is create a mini PHIL encyclopedia app on our phones. Or is there more?

Would an app that questions your axioms and notions about life even be attractive?

hmmm

Or a pseudo-spiritual growth tracker?

Unfortunately, the only apps out there that have to do with this are probably meditation apps that are too surface level to effect change.

I'll get back to this thread one day, hopefully with my own naive answer on such an abstract conceptual world

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