At what point does a writer or intellectual become a philosopher? This may be a bit of a silly and subjective question, but I have noticed that many in the academic philosophical community tend to be very hesitant or averse to calling *certain* figures "philosophers." But, more broadly, many writers and artists (such as Victor Hugo, Richard Wagner and Dostoyevsky) definitely have articulated "philosophies" of their own, but are rarely called philosophers. Does the distinction have to do with the depth and breadth of their thinking or is it mostly arbitrary?