I understand that philosophers had a double feature: there were none in ancient times that did not provide examples of virtue and lessons of moral truths to men. As Voltaire said, a philosopher does not present himself as a prophet, claiming to be inspired by the gods. Those who proclaimed themselves sons of gods were masters of fiction; and even if they used a lie to teach the truth, they were unworthy to teach it; they were not philosophers, the most of them were deceivers.
Certainly, it is not to the honor of the people of the West, but we must get to the Far East to find a wise man simple and truthful, who taught men to live happily, six hundred years before our era, in a time when all the North did not know yet the use of letters and Greeks were just beginning to stand out for their culture. This wise man was Confucius, who introduced himself as legislator and never claimed to deceive men. Admittedly, there was no legislator who has announced truths more useful for mankind.
A number of Greek philosophers after him taught a morality equally pure. If we still honor them, it is because they were virtuous, and taught men justice. The Romans had Cicero, who - alone - is worth many philosophers of Greece. After him were men even more worthy of respect: they were the slave Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius and Julian emperors.
As for us Europeans, there are plenty of honest philosophers; but where are the wise men? Presently, where are spirits inflexible, just and tolerant? All philosophers, with the exception of a few, have been persecuted. This is, I think, the extreme limit of human wickedness: persecute those same philosophers who strive to make us better.
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