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The characterisation of [[The Philosopher]] is dependent on the nature of the show/book/comic they're appearing in. A straight fantasy tale will usually make the Philosopher sage-like, a valuable source of information for the characters. If it's a video game, this is probably the guy to talk to if you want a hint as to what to do next - though he'll probably tell you in a roundabout way. Instead of saying "Go to the harbour," he's likely to muse out loud that all life comes from the sea. Usually male, he's generally a mage, a sage, or a bookkeeper of some sort. In action series, though, the Philosopher might be surprising - in superhero teams ''anyone'' can fall into this category, even the most vicious and seemingly cynical member of the team can suddenly start quoting Socrates.
 
In a comedy series, particularly [[Sadist Show|Sadist Shows]] and dark comedies, however, [[The Philosopher]] is extremely rare and if they do exist, may vary from the [[Only Sane Man]] to the [[Butt Monkey]]. Perhaps due to the [[Viewers Areare Morons|assumed anti-intellectualism of television culture]], or simply the perception that people who like to ponder the nature of life never get around to ''doing'' anything useful, the fact that this character "thinks too much" is likely to get him [[Talk to The Fist|punched]] or killed off, mostly if the philosopher is a [[Wide Eyed Idealist]] (cynics are often portrayed as [[Deadpan Snarker|Deadpan Snarkers]]). An alternative tactic is to have said idealist [[Too Clever By Half|ponder something at great length]] [[Straw Vulcan|while coming to no useful conclusion, whereupon]] [[The Ditz]] (or [[Brain Chain|other appropriate character type]]) [[Too Dumb to Fool|will pipe up with]] [[Cutting the Knot|a mind-numbingly simple and effective solution]].
 
Another version is the tragic philosopher, someone who understands life at a deeper level because life has made them suffer for that knowledge. Can go one of three ways; he is either motivated to change the world around him, using his personal angst as proof that the world is basically unfair and needs to be remodelled, becoming a [[Well -Intentioned Extremist]]. Or, he is [[Go Mad From the Revelation|totally paralysed by "knowing too much,"]] [[Heroic Blue Screen of Death|and virtually useless,]] [[Get a Hold of Yourself, Man!|unless the hero can snap him out of it]]. Still another, and more extreme one, is of course, the [[Nietzsche Wannabe]]. A tragic philosopher is difficult to write without descending to [[Wangst]] however, as he's not only angsty but pretty verbose about it.
 
Compare [[The Fatalist]]. The [[Warrior Poet]] may have aspects of this... Indeed, if [[The Philosopher]] holds his own in combat, they'll often overlap. May also be an [[Erudite Stoner]].
 
{{examples|Examples:}}
 
 
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== Video Games ==
* Citan Uzuki from ''[[Xenogears (Video Game)|Xenogears]]'', doubtlessly. Of course, he is also [[The Obi -Wan]], [[The Professor]], a [[Double Agent]], [[Implausible Fencing Powers|the best swordsman in the world]], and rather the [[Magnificent Bastard]], and therefore a living reminder that one very well ought to [[Beware the Nice Ones]].
* There are a worrying amount of philosophers in the ''[[Pokémon]]'' games -- every third person you meet will wax lyrical about the nature and origin of Pokemon and the right way to train them. Most of these musings are useless, but some provide a clue as to what you should do next, or hint at a secret location.
* Godot from ''[[Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney]]: Trials & Tribulations.'' You'd be surprised how philosophical you can get about coffee.
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