Awhile ago, a friend introduced me as a philosopher, artist and writer. It turns out that philosophy may be a potentially hazardous lifestyle.
From Simon Critchley:
Philosophy should come with the kind of health warning one finds on packs of European cigarettes: PHILOSOPHY KILLS…. Socrates was charged with impiety towards the gods of the city and with corrupting the youth of Athens…. A couple of generations later…. Aristotle, escaped Athens saying, “I will not allow the Athenians to sin twice against philosophy.” From the ancient Greeks to Giordano Bruno, Spinoza, Hume… philosophy has repeatedly and persistently been identified with blasphemy against the gods, whichever gods they might be. Nothing is more common in the history of philosophy than the accusation of impiety.
Link: NYT: What Is a Philosopher?
Maybe being introduced as an “intellectual” would be safer than a “philosopher.”
Coffeehouse Junkie 