Philosopher’s Bread

Someone snide once said, “Philosophy bakes no bread.”  It was probably an engineer, but they do have a point, philosophers are historically underpaid.  Being a philosopher I take a natural interest in how the greats have managed to buy bread.  I wanted to find a list of philosophers’ other jobs but couldn’t so I started this one.  It will be in a constant state of revision.  I interpret “philosopher” broadly.  Also, for the last century or so most people who called themselves philosophers have worked in academia, that’s not very interesting so I’ll skip most of those.  Without further adieu, the list of philosophers’ other jobs!

Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury
Thomas Aquinas, Dominican monk and master of University of Paris
Aristotle, private tutor to Alexander the Great
Augustine, family wealth, bishop of Hippo
Francis Bacon, politician, author
Berkeley, Bishop of Cloyne
Cicero, Roman senator
Descartes, soldier, private tutor to Queen Christina of Sweden
Benjamin Franklin, publisher, diplomat, author
Hegel, newspaper editor, author, professor
Heraclitus, aristocrat
Hobbes, author, private tutor to the Prince of Wales
Hume, merchant clerk, private tutor, historian, author
Thomas Jefferson, farmer, inventer, diplomat, politician
Kant, teacher, author
Kierkegaard, family wealth, author
Kraft, coffee roaster, tree removal specialist
Leibniz, diplomat, historian, librarian
Locke, physician
John Stuart Mill, worked for the East India Company, Member of Parliament
Newton, Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, Cambridge
Nietzsche, medic, professor, author
William of Ockham, Franciscan friar
Pascal, inventor
Plato, family wealth, teacher
Pythagoras, cult leader
Rousseau, author
Bertrand Russel, aristocrat (3rd Earl Russel) , professor, diplomat, author.
Duns Scotus, Lecturer, Oxford, Cambridge, & Paris (interesting because he died in 1308)
Jean-Paul Sartre, playwright, literary critic
Socrates, soldier
Spinoza, lens grinder
Thales, olive press tycoon
Voltaire, author
Wittgenstein, extreme family wealth but he gave it up, professor, author, military officer