Charles Taliaferro has a good point, but I feel the need to add that many intelligent religious thinkers who might be 'philosophically oriented' end up going to seminary or studying formal religion instead of going into philosophy. So, there are many attractive options open to an 'abstract thinking' religious person who wants to pursue in-depth metaphysical studies that atheists don't have. After all, if you are satisfied with relatively conventional religious answers there's no need to go into philosophy. I wouldn't read any more into the pattern than that. Finally, I'd note that the number of theists in philosophy is increasing rather than decreasing as Charles and I recently commented upon at length in another question.

Wow, there is quite a lot in your question here. First, I think it is true that a broadly 'analytic' approach is probably dominant in the English speaking world, but I wouldn't say that all of philosophy is 'analytic'. Also, I don't think that the broadly analytic approach is reducible to 'rigorous linguistics.' Yes, there is a corner of the philosophical world that never seems to argue about anything other than linguistics, but it seems pretty clear to me that it is only a small portion of philosophy. I still think there are important debates that are being examined.... for example in ethics compare John Rawls's A Theory of Justice , Alasdair MacIntyre's After Virtue or Three Rival Versions of Moral Inquiry , and Peter Singer's How Are We To Live? these thinkers are certainly engaging in very substantial debates. Or in philosophy of religion read J.L. Mackie's Miracle of Theism and Richard Swinburne's The Existence of God . I'm sure other panelists could come up with their...

I'm afraid that philosophy and politics are deeply mixed whether we like it or not. Consider a question like 'what rights do/should people have?' This is deeply philosophical question and what answer you give will be very influenced by your philosophical views. Other important philosophical questions include: what is the purpose of government? what is the purpose of laws? what is justice? Every government is rooted in some sort of philosophy whether we like it or not. Perhaps, you meant to ask a different question like 'what role should philosophers have in society?'.... I've always liked Plato's answer to that question, philosophers should be kings! ;-)

I certainly think that high school juniors and seniors can learn the basics of critical thinking, ethics, and philosophy. I have breakfast semi-regularly with a teacher from a private high school who teaches philosophy to his students. He'll be teaching Plato's Republic to his seniors this year. So, I do not doubt that high school students have the capacity to comprehend philosophy. However, it has also been noted as far back as Plato's Republic that older students are better equipped to study philosophy. This claim also seems correct to me. Even most college age students lack the life experience to understand the importance of philosophical issues. In contrast, I once taught an ethics class to 30-40 year old nursing students.... this was an unusually positive teaching experience since they took the course very seriously and understood its relevance. My biggest concern for you would be whether there are any jobs available to teach philosophy at the high school level. It is hard...

I think it is difficult for most people to learn much philosophy without the benefit of some sort of class structure. Your best strategy would probably be to find a mentor or a group of philosophical inclined friends with some grasp of philosophy who would be willing to read and discuss important philosophical texts along with you. I would also recommend auditing a couple of philosophy courses when you get the chance.

I sense a lot of admirable idealism behind your question. Yes, there is a conceptual difference between being an 'actual philosopher' and a 'philosophy professor', but fortunately there is still a lot of overlap between the two concepts. It is definitely possible to teach philosophy without being serious about advancing philosophical thought or living out a coherent thoughtful philosophy. More often, I think those whom you don't view as 'actual philosophers' started off more idealistically, but were discouraged either by the challenges of the 'philosophy profession' or by the skepticism they embraced as they developed philosophically. Not all philosophy departments are like your own. Some are populated with many professors that have successfully navigated the demands of the profession while maintaining a seriousness about philosophy and about service to their students. You should visit some other departments before embracing complete cynicism about the profession. And your final point is correct......

Whether we realize it or not, philosophy is something that is 'important, but never urgent'. Everyone lives by a philosophy, which is a set of assumptions concerning the ultimate nature of reality, ethics, knowledge, and what is important in life. However, not everyone has reflected upon these issues very deeply. Even if someone is not 'good' at philosophy, these issues are still of immense importance to his or her life. And the kind of life one lives is largely shaped by his or her philosophical assumptions. So, I would say that philosophy might be low on the priority list, but it is never low in importance. I'd also point out that virtually everyone finds time to do many things that are unimportant such as watching television. Also, I don't know if everyone NEEDS a college philosophical education to understand philosophical books, but philosophy is much easier to understand if you have such an education.

I don’t think there’s any necessary connection between doing philosophy and being ‘depressed and sensitive’. However, philosophy constantly puts one in a position where our society’s most cherished beliefs and assumptions are questioned. This can be quite depressing if you let this lead you to the edge of nihilism. I don’t think philosophers are generally dark and depressed, but I do think there are enough instances that confirm this stereotype of the philosopher to many people. Of course, there are also ‘happy philosophers’ who think they’ve figured out something very encouraging about the nature of the world. Similary, I don’t know if the intricacy of philosophy requires a level of ‘quiet reserve and conscientiousness’ that is greater than other academic disciplines in the humanities. One of the hard parts of the job for many philosophers is the enormous amount of alone time needed for writing and research. But, I think that would be true of any research oriented job that required a lot of reading...