@Reconstructo,
actually to be honest, I don't think philosophy would mean nearly as much to me if it were not for my contact with Buddhism. This is because, first, Buddhist teaching is actually a living tradition which is still in contact with its roots; whereas in the West, there has been this complete rupture between 'traditional' and 'modern'. I am not putting Western philosophy down in saying this. But in Buddhist philosophy, the 'classical' teaching is still very much alive to this day and age, whereas in the West, there is a sense in which the ancient tradition has been very deliberately abandoned and even scorned by many influential philosophers, except for amongst those scholars who are sympathetic to it.
Second, as far as wisdom as concerned, in the Buddhist teaching, there is a common understanding of wisdom, which is approached through mindfulness (or insight) meditation. So through this it is possible to actually 'realize' the teaching about wisdom, to feel it in your bones. There is a roadmap for navigating this territory, and stories of those who have done it before. Finally, Buddhism teaches the meaning of renunciation. Renunciation is key to philosophy. It has taken me a long time to understand why this is, but it is essential to understand it, even if one is living a professional life with family and mortgages and the rest of it.
But it does not mean that Western philosophy is lacking in wisdom. Far from it. Having approached it with the benefit of the Buddhist teaching, I am now starting to appreciate how great the Western philosophical tradition is. And it also has many qualities and insights of its own which are not represented in Buddhist philosophy.
But anyway, all of the schools of traditional philosophy, even though they are intellectually challenging, are not really that abstract at all. They have a real quality of humanity about them at the same time. So even if they have their head in the clouds, their feet are firmly planted on the ground. Also the main quality of them is that, aside from their intellectual qualities, they also have heart. They are living teachings. They are not just a matter, as a teacher once said, of 'verbally rehearsing your existence'. They are a way of making you confront your real situation as a human being. This may not sound like a great achievement, but actually delusion is rife in today's world. As Socrates said, self-knowledge is the first thing that a philosopher needs to acquire.
Hope that is helpful.
