How do you differentiate a piece of work as literature or philosophy?

[code_11]

Is there a thin line between literature and philosophy?

How do we consider a man of letters as a philosopher?

Who are philosophers? and who are just mere writers?

[dnerdmode]

Good question. It's like differentiating a comic from a comedian, a tad complicated but doable. I'd say philosophical articles were also considered as literary works first before they were "elevated" to the canon of philosophical ouvre. So to a point they can still be considered as literature. I believe most literatures are written to entertain, to cater to our basic intellectual needs and so on. But once it pounds on the truth-value of things, or the ultimate reality of the universe at the very most then that literary piece transforms to something more substantial and rarely entertaining. I believe that all literary pieces of work carries certain philosophies albeit in their rawest form. I'm making a simple explanation but don't rely much on this. But what i'm 100% sure of is that a philosophical pice should always challenge us to think harder, to analyze our beliefs and most importantly to ask questions that may never have their answers. I hope i didn't make things more complicated. But once you get my drift, you'll be able to distinguish a philosopher from mere writers. And oh by the way, some philosophers didn't write anything. You take away from a writer their pen (or pc) and you've basically taken away their essence. It will take much worse to silence a philosopher.

[ЅUX2BÜ]

When a (creative) writer tackles truth, existence, knowledge, beauty and reality, it is most likely s/he is reasoning out as a philosopher. There is the philosophy of literature that raises questions about philosophical arguments. Some poets like T.S. Eliot and Pablo Neruda are known for their spiritual renewal, psychological state of humanity and the pain coming from a fractured heart and world.

Some of the greatest philosophers, on the other hand, express themselves well through the beauty of verse and poetry. You will find a good number of philosophy works that are written and taught le mode littéraire.

[Lady Chablis]

Is there a thin line between literature and philosophy?

I think literature dramatizes the concerns of philosophy without sacrificing the demands of imaginative writing.

How do we consider a man of letters as a philosopher??

A man of letter philosophizes when he creates a literary fiction and makes it into a vehicle for involving readers in questions of truth, existence, reality, causality, morality or freedom.

Who are philosophers?

I think of John Milton in his “Paradise Lost” and Robert Bolt in his “A Man for All Seasons” as examples writer/philosophers.

And who are just mere writers?

Ian Fleming, John Grisham, etc.

[trogdolyte]

I would like to ask, who makes a good writer, philosophers or literary writers?

[Kray0n]

I wanted this thread to die quickly, but seems like I should post something.

I would like to ask, who makes a good writer, philosophers or literary writers?

good writers make good writers. it's not about the form, or genre, or language.
ano ba yan ha. guys, remember, asking questions merely for the sake of asking them does nothing.

so does trying to conflate two different categories. philosophical work doesn't even have to be written down, for crying out loud.

let's not narrow down the horizons of both philosophy and literature by making worthless comparisons.

[jielun]

Is there a need to differentiate between the two? (honest question)

[vicmesar]

Is there a need to differentiate between the two? (honest question)

Practically, there is.

Pag nakatulog ka agad, literature yan;
pag di ka makatulog dahil buhay na buhay ang utak mo sa kakaisip, philosophy yan.

Joke lang.

Read Murakami, makakatulog ka;
Read Albert Camus, you may be disturbed but makakatulog ka pa rin eventually
Read Sartre, Hegel, St. Thomas, or Marx, wala ng tulugan.

[trogdolyte]

Practically, there is.

Pag nakatulog ka agad, literature yan;
pag di ka makatulog dahil buhay na buhay ang utak mo sa kakaisip, philosophy yan.

Joke lang.

Read Murakami, makakatulog ka;
Read Albert Camus, you may be disturbed but makakatulog ka pa rin eventually
Read Sartre, Hegel, St. Thomas, or Marx, wala ng tulugan.

This is a good comparison.

[Kray0n]

This is a good comparison.

not really. as if everyone will read it the same way

[trogdolyte]

I agreed because I have the same thoughts as him -- which is merely my own. I didn't generalize. Though, I love literature too.