Can a monk live alone and live his own philosophy?

Answer 1

Answer 1: Yes, to a degree. A monk may live alone in some degree of isolation, but must still have contact with his/her holy order from time to time. The degree to which he may "live his own philosophy" is the tricky part. If no monk were ever permitted to develop his own philosophical and theological hypothesis -- some of which ultimately becoming tenets and/or practices -- then there would never have been any growth of either thought or practice down through the ages. St. Francis, himself, could not have developed the magnificent body of writings and refinement of contemplative life and practice had he not been allowed to "live his own philosophy," to some degree.

However, it is typical for a monk, even in the development of his own hypothesis, tenets and practices, to so do within the framework of those of his order's.

That said, when a monk begins to realize that the beliefs of his order and/or the larger church may well be wrong -- as happened with Martin Luther, who was an Augustinian monk -- then all bets may be off.

History is rife with the stories of monks, living either in community or in hermitage (a monk living in isloation is called a "hermit"), developing philosophy and theology that his order and the larger church have considered downright heretical.