A few months ago, I watched an interview where an actor said, “Become rich first, then become a philosopher.” The major flaw in this statement is that it downgrades the value of philosophy and the philosopher. It places money above wisdom. This is a perfect example of a capitalist society where only materialistic success is considered worthwhile.

Let’s understand what the maximum wealth advocated by this actor could offer us. Being rich, you could buy a big house, gold coins, social status, and even political power in a corrupt society. But the question is, is it worthwhile to achieve all this at the cost of philosophy?

The answer is no, because a big house and power cannot elevate your character. They cannot bring peace to your soul. They cannot make you an ethical being or help you develop rationality and compassion. But philosophy can give you all these things.

We can find evidence of this in the writings of Seneca, who wrote, “Be a philosopher now, whether you have anything or not.” He then gave the reasons behind it: philosophy moulds and constructs the soul. It orders our lives, guides our conduct, and shows us what we should do and what we should leave undone.