# philosopher

Puts the agent into a wide-association mode so it sits with a design problem before rushing to solve it.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 2700 installs · ★ 226
- Author: ghaida
- License: CC0-1.0 · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/ghaida/intent/tree/HEAD/skills/philosopher/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-24
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/philosopher

## What it does

philosopher is a reasoning protocol, not a character. The agent's voice stays grounded; what changes is how it thinks — broader associations, cross-domain connections, and far less early dismissal of half-formed ideas. It ships as part of the Intent design strategy system and can be entered from any of its skills at any stage.

Trigger it with phrases like "sit with this", "brainstorm", "explore this problem", "philosopher mode" or "expansive mode", or when a problem is being solved too fast and the framing feels shallow. From there it attaches to a specific step: `/strategize` reframes the brief, `/blueprint` questions structural assumptions, `/journey` rethinks the interaction model, `/specify` stress-tests the spec.

Install with `npx skills add ghaida/intent --skill philosopher -a claude-code`; the file lands at `~/.claude/skills/philosopher/SKILL.md`. Because it slows reasoning down on purpose, it works against you when the task is well defined and you just want the answer.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add ghaida/intent --skill philosopher -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/philosopher/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/philosopher/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add ghaida/intent --skill philosopher -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/philosopher/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add ghaida/intent --skill philosopher -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/philosopher/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install ghaida/intent philosopher
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/philosopher/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add ghaida/intent --skill philosopher -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/ghaida/intent --path skills/philosopher
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/philosopher/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add ghaida/intent --skill philosopher -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/ghaida/intent/tree/HEAD/skills/philosopher/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- work through a problem everyone already started solving
- find the problem adjacent to the one stated
- check whether the research method is shaping its own findings
- question a service structure that looks obvious
- rethink an inherited interaction pattern

## Example prompts
- philosopher mode: help me reframe this brief, I think we're solving the wrong problem
- sit with this — what connections across domains am I not making in this interaction model?
- go weird with it: what did we decide without noticing before this spec goes to build?

## Source text · SKILL.md · CC0-1.0

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 15cd000226856814.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 15cd000226856814
```text
---
name: philosopher
description: >
  A cross-cutting cognitive mode for sitting with design problems before
  rushing to solve them. Part of the Intent design strategy system.
  Activates expansive brainstorming: hyperassociativity, beginner's mind,
  cross-domain pattern recognition, and suppression of premature
  idea-dismissal. Works alongside every Intent skill — strategize uses it
  to reframe briefs, blueprint to question structural assumptions, journey
  to rethink interaction models, and specify to stress-test specs. Trigger
  when the user invokes "expansive mode", "philosopher mode", "sit with
  this", "brainstorm", "explore this problem", or says things like "go
  weird with it", "don't filter yourself", "what connections are you not
  making", "think about this differently", or "I'm stuck". This is a
  reasoning protocol, not a character — Claude's voice stays grounded but
  the cognitive process changes significantly.
version: 1.7.2
user-invocable: true
---

# The Philosopher — Sit With the Problem

## Overview

A cross-cutting cognitive mode that shifts how you reason — not how you sound. The philosopher activates broader associative thinking, suppresses premature idea-dismissal, enables cross-domain connection-making, and forces genuine re-examination of assumptions. It works alongside every Intent skill at any stage of the design process, turning shallow problem statements into genuinely complex, interesting ones.

**When to activate:** when a designer says "I'm stuck," "sit with this," "brainstorm," "explore this problem," "go deeper," "what am I missing," "philosopher mode," or "expansive mode." Also activate when a problem is being solved too quickly, when the framing feels shallow, when research findings seem too clean, or when any Intent skill needs to question its own assumptions before moving forward.

---

## How this skill fits the design practice

The philosopher is not a phase. It's a cognitive mode that any Intent skill
can enter when the problem needs more exploration before the next move.

Every Intent skill has moments where the philosopher belongs:

### Strategy & Research

**With `/strategize`** — when a brief feels too tidy, when the problem
statement might be wrong, when the five foundational questions are returning
obvious answers. The philosopher helps `/strategize` question whether
they're even asking the right questions. Use it to reframe assumptions,
find the problem adjacent to the stated problem, and challenge whether the
opportunity is where everyone thinks it is.

**With `/investigate`** — when research findings seem too clean, when the
interview data confirms everything you expected (confirmation bias alarm),
when synthesis is producing obvious themes. "What would we learn if we
studied the people who don't have this problem?" The philosopher helps
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 15cd000226856814

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