What is the exact definition of a philosopher?

Answer 1

Philosophy comes from the Greek words philos meaning "love" and sophia meaning "wisdom". Originally philosophers were people who were interested in knowledge of all kinds, and were indistinguishable from scientists. In the Middle Ages, when Europeans did not do much thinking about anything other than religion, philosophers were indistinguishable from theologians.

Nowadays, with scientists pursuing their own methods and theologians pursuing theirs, philosophers can be said to be those people who inquire into the fundamental principles of things using carefully disciplined thought and language and the principles of logic. Philosophers grapple with questions such as "What is real?" (Metaphysics), "How do we know things?" (Epistemology), "What does it mean to be good?" (Ethics), "What is beauty?" (Aesthetics) and so on.