someone who has attained the wisdom which a philosopher seeks
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Sage_(philosophy)
Sage (philosophy) - Wikipedia
October 29, 2025 - Horace describes the Sphairos as "Completely within itself, well-rounded and spherical, so that nothing extraneous can adhere to it, because of its smooth and polished surface." Alternatively, the sage is one who lives "according to an ideal which transcends the everyday." Several of the schools of Hellenistic philosophy have the sage as a featured figure.
Encyclopedia.com
encyclopedia.com › history › dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases › sage-philosophy
Sage Philosophy | Encyclopedia.com
SAGE PHILOSOPHY. Sage philosophy is a body of knowledge attributed to wise men and women in communities and is regarded to be philosophically significant for both its content and its critical approach to the sustenance and growth of knowledge at the communal level.
Videos
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What is sage philosophy? #shorts #podcastclips #philosophy #history ...
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HAP 25 - Wise Guys - Sage Philosophy - YouTube
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Sage (philosophy) - YouTube
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African Sage Philosophy: Critical Thought in Indigenous Traditions ...
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Contemplating the Stoic Sage with Phil Yanov - YouTube
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
plato.stanford.edu › entries › african-sage
African Sage Philosophy (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
February 14, 2006 - Second, they provide evidence of abstract thought about philosophic topics. Chaungo considers what it means for a proposition to be true and expresses what turns out to be a correspondence theory of truth — according to which the proposition “This is a bottle” is true if the object it refers to, this thing, is indeed a bottle. By pointing out that some people choose deliberately to be untruthful for unjust gain he also addresses the moral aspects of truth. Oruka’s survey of sages aimed to counter three negative claims regarding the philosophical status of indigenous African thought:
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
iep.utm.edu › african-sage
African Sage Philosophy | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
He said instead that philosophic sagacity is second order to culture philosophy. Sages reflect upon the culture, though not as it is summarized in consensus form and analyzed by professional philosophers, theologians, or missionaries (as in ethnophilosophy); rather, they do so based on their first-hand observations of the culture philosophy through their personal experiences in the community (Sage 1991 ed., xxiii).
JRank
science.jrank.org › pages › 8066 › Sage-Philosophy.html
Sage Philosophy - Historical Origins, Relation Between Sage Philosophy And Popular Myths, Conclusion, Bibliography - Critical, Knowledge, Communities, and Sense - JRank Articles
Sage philosophy is a body of knowledge attributed to wise men and women in communities and is regarded to be philosophically significant for both its content and its critical approach to the sustenance and growth of knowledge at the communal level.
Brill
brill.com › display › title › 3180
Sage Philosophy – Indigenous Thinkers and Modern Debate on African Philosophy | Brill
June 8, 2022 - Sage Philosophy is an anthology of three main parts: Part one contains papers by Odera Oruka clearing the way and arguing about his research over the last decade on indigenous sages in Kenya. Part Two introduces verbatim interviews with a given number of those sages, while Part Three consists of published papers by scholars who are critics or commentators on the Oruka project.
Big Think
bigthink.com › articles › what-is-the-difference-between-a-philosopher-and-a-sage
What is the Difference between a Sage and a Philosopher? - Big Think
September 30, 2021 - The ancient Greeks thought of a philosopher as an eternal seeker of wisdom: someone who always searches the truth, comes close to it, but ultimately cannot attain perfect wisdom. That was reserved for the gods.
History of Philosophy
historyofphilosophy.net › sage-philosophy
25. Wise Guys: Sage Philosophy | History of Philosophy without any gaps
He had a way of making complex discussions simple. In Africa, they say every African village has a sage. However, the main difference is that a sage can do philosophy, but not every philosopher is a sage. Odera Oruka was a sage and a philosopher rolled into one.
CORE
core.ac.uk › download › pdf › 210995319.pdf pdf
AFRICAN SAGE PHILOSOPHY AND SOCRATES
Both sage and interviewer may end up with a changed view on the topic ... III. SOCRATIC PARALLELS IN ORUKA’S METHOD · Critics like Peter Bodunrin jump at signs of the interviewer's activity to proclaim that the ... African context. African philosophers, he suggests, must "create a critical and dialectical
Quora
quora.com › What-are-the-main-characteristics-of-sage-philosophy
What are the main characteristics of sage philosophy? - Quora
Answer: Sage philosophy ensures the growth and keeping of knowledge at the communal level both in content and critical approach by the wise or judicious men and woman of their groups.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/askphilosophy › why professional philosophers aren't considered sages?
r/askphilosophy on Reddit: Why professional Philosophers aren't considered sages?
September 10, 2023 -
For the majority of history, being a philosopher was identical to being a sage that even these terms were interchangeable in many philosophical traditions.
Why current professional philosophers aren't referred to as sages, in the contemporary era?
Is because contemporary philosophy is purely intellectual effort, while Sageness implies a practical effort accompanying the intellectual effort?
If that so, then why contemporary Thomist scholars aren't referred to as Sages, unlike ancient & medieval christians?
Did this "Intellectualization" of Philosophy effect even contemporary religious philosophies?
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Why current professional philosophers aren't referred to as sages, in the contemporary era? Because referring to oneself as "a sage" would be viewed as, at best, exceedingly quirky, and, at worst (and this is the most likely outcome) deeply, deeply pretentious.
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I don't think this is a bad question, but I'd push back on your assumption that none of the people who study philosophy are also practicing philosophy in the ancient sense. You mention Thomists, to take a single example consider Garrigou-Lagrange's "The Three Stages of the Spiritual Life" - this book is all about prayer and virtue and mysticism, but he was also a serious Thomist who did lots of academic work. And when I read Simplicius' commentary on Epictetus, it was quite close to what Christian writers in ascetic theology talk about including Garrigou-Lagrange (same division of purgatio/illuminatio/unio etc). In general Catholicism does not view philosophy/theology and ascesis as being really separable; John of the Cross, Augustine, Maximus the Confessor, you could list names for a long time, all of them studied academic philosophy seriously. Even Albert the Great, who you might think of as more of an academic than the others inasmuch as his reputation is as a natural scientist and commentator on all of Aristotle, wrote about mysticism and prayer. Other religions are like this too, I just don't know enough about them to say much, but for example Buddhism has a complex tradition of intellectual philosophy and debate, but it's pursued in the context of spiritual practice. Further, even philosophers who aren't at all "churched" - consider the philosopher Peter Singer, who lives as simply as possible and gives most of his money to charity because of a utilitarian ethic that is totally atheist. Or I know a professor who describes himself as a religious Platonist, and he definitely lives an upright life and volunteers etc. And then, even people like me who basically do treat philosophy as an intellectual pursuit, and aren't particularly wise or sage-like - few philosophers are sociopathic, anyway. It's hard to imagine someone who studies philosophy engaging in outright antisocial behavior and so on, because intellectual pursuits are elevating in themselves, and I'd say the same thing for mathematicians etc. (And there are socioeconomic factors, it need hardly be said). Grappling with the complex thinking of a stranger, especially a stranger you're biased against in some way, would probably tend to strengthen empathy in its own right (and this is not unique to philosophy of course). Certainly, though, philosophers were not generally referred to as sages or any similar term in the west, unless they had already been dead for a good amount of time. But in general people don't talk about their do-gooding or meditation or prayer, first because it would make you look like a jackass, second because all of these traditions see pride as an obstacle. Aristotle writes about pride as a virtue, but there's a difference between pride and arrogance. In the Phaedo Socrates says that every pleasure and every pain is like a nail riveting the soul to the body - but complacent contemplation of your own supposed virtue is just such a pleasure, and even though Socrates clearly did think that he had some special gift, he was usually respectful to others.
Boston University
bu.edu › wcp › Papers › Afri › AfriPres.htm
20th WCP: Who Counts as a Sage? Problems in the Further Implementation of Sage Philosophy
With the recent death of Prof. H. Odera Oruka, founder of the sage philosophy school of research based at the University of Nairobi, there is a need to look at some now-problematic issues. I suggest that the original impetus for starting the sage philosophy project-the defense against Euro-American skeptics who thought Africans incapable of philosophizing-has been outgrown.
PhilPapers
philpapers.org › rec › ORUSPI-2
H. Odera Oruka (ed.), Sage Philosophy: Indigenous Thinkers and Modern Debate on African Philosophy - PhilPapers
Sage Philosophy is an anthology of three main parts: Part one contains papers by Odera Oruka clearing the way and arguing about his research over the last decade on indigenous sages in Kenya. Part Two introduces verbatim interviews with a given number of those sages, while Part Three consists of published papers by scholars who are critics or commentators on the Oruka project.
Author H. Odera Oruka
Brill
brill.com › downloadpdf › display › title › 3180.pdf
SAGE PHILOSOPHY
Founded in 1683 in Leiden, the Netherlands, Brill is a leading international academic publisher in the Humanities, Social Sciences, International Law, and Biology. With offices in the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, the USA and Asia, Brill today publishes more than 360 journals and 2,000 new ...
Quora
quora.com › What-is-the-difference-between-a-philosopher-and-a-sage
What is the difference between a philosopher and a sage? - Quora
Answer (1 of 3): I will speak as a Hindu, in the typical meanings we use those words. A philosopher is an ordinary person, but much more intelligent. In Hinduism, a philosopher is called a daarshanik, which is derived from Darshan or vision. So a daarshanik is a person who has insights into subj...
Philosocom
philosocom.com › post › the-sage
The Rubinshteinic Philosophy On The Sage
February 25, 2025 - A philosopher actively seeks knowledge, driven by an insatiable thirst for understanding reality. In contrast, a sage has already attained this wisdom, embodying it in their actions and imparting it to others.
Amazon
amazon.com › Rethinking-Sage-Philosophy-Interdisciplinary-Perspectives › dp › 166690385X
Amazon.com: Rethinking Sage Philosophy: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on and beyond H. Odera Oruka (African Philosophy: Critical Perspectives and Global Dialogue): 9781666903850: Kresse, Kai, Nyarwath, Oriare: Books
Edited by Kai Kresse and Oriare Nyarwath, the collection engages perspectives and interests from within and beyond African philosophy and African studies, including anthropology, literature, postcolonial critique, and decolonial scholarship. The chapters focus on: studies of women sages; sage philosophy in relation to oral literature; an Acholi poem on 'being human' in context; takes on aesthetics and gender in Maasai thought; a comparative discussion of Oruka’s and Gramsci’s approaches to the relevance of philosophy in society; a critical review of method; a comparative discussion dedicated to the project of decolonization, with a South African case study; and a conceptual reconsideration of Oruka's understanding of sages, presenting the 'pragmatic sage' as typical of the late phase of the sage philosophy project.
Wiley Online Library
onlinelibrary.wiley.com › doi › abs › 10.1002 › 9780470997154.ch20
Sage Philosophy: Its Methodology, Results, Significance, and Future - A Companion to African Philosophy - Wiley Online Library
November 26, 2007 - Summary This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Methodology Results Significance and Future
Reddit
reddit.com › r/stoicism › who are the sages?
r/Stoicism on Reddit: Who are the Sages?
November 21, 2013 -
In Donald Robertson's The Philosophy of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy, there is an interesting exercise one can practice inspired by Stoicism:
" 3.1. Periodically try to contemplate the ideal of the sage, try to put his philosophical attitudes into a few plain words, what must he tell himself when faced with the same adversities you must overcome? Memorize these precepts and try to apply them yourself. Ask yourself, 'What would someone with absolute wisdom do today?' Adopt a role model such as Socrates, or someone whose wisdom and courage you admire."
Who would your sage be? Personally, I find it easier to consider fictional examples with the exception of some of the Stoic philosophers themselves. Possibly this might reflect my studies in Medieval literature (where the moral of the story was often of more importance than its literal truth).
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I just finished reading Philosophy as a Way of Life by Pierre Hadot and he had an interesting view of the sage. He saw the sage as a transcendent ideal or norm. The sage, in other words, is one who is a perfect actualization of wisdom. Philosophers, being 'human, all too human', are therefore not sages but those who are aware that they lack wisdom (i.e. Socrates' claim that he is wisest because he alone knows that he lacks wisdom). Lacking wisdom, the philosopher desires wisdom, and as a lover of wisdom one who strives to become a sage. The philosopher is therefore one who is devoted to the perfection of his/her being through the attainment of wisdom (although the complete actualization of wisdom is not possible for human beings). "The philosopher lives in an intermediate state. He is not a sage, but he is not a non-sage, either. He is therefore constantly torn between the non-philosophical and the philosophical life, between the domain of the habitual and the everyday, on the one hand, and, on the other, the domain of consciousness and lucidity." (Pierre Hadot)
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For me, I always come back to the big man himself. . . Superman. He has absolute power but uses it to fight for others. He could crush coal into diamonds but instead holds down a day job where he routinely allows himself to be made fun of by his co-workers. He could use his power to force solutions upon us, but instead seeks to be an example and let's people make their own mistakes. all in all, a much better role model than the ever popular Batman.