How did ancient Greek philosophers make a living? | AskHistorians Archive Observer

There’s a wonderful book on Thales by Patricia F O’Grady which is examines closely how Thales got by. The pre-Socratics probably all had unique circumstances in how they made a living, so here’s an answer for just one:

He may or may not have written down his thoughts in one or more books. Had he done so he might have earned money that way
He taught students who we assume paid him. The students known to us are mathematicians he appears to have taught by drawing in the sand at a temple to Apollo
He probably invested in shipping somehow since he figured out a way to more safely navigate by sea. One book he may have written was a practical book about seafaring so that might have been lucrative
Nevertheless he was not rich and was mocked for being poor. But that’s relative since even in his “poor” state he had enough cash lying around that he could put down deposits on a bunch of olive presses, which he rented out at very favorable rates when the olive harvest turned out (as he expected) to be very good

So he probably started off with a bit of money from his father, then invested off and on in shipping ventures which put him or kept him in a social class of people with a fair bit of money lying around. He invested in his own education, traveling around the region to learn things, and came back home where he taught others but mostly dedicated himself to tackling a variety of intellectual puzzles.

He was able to use his skills at observing the world to make him a bit of extra money when necessary but since he didn’t renounce wealth and yet wasn’t considered wealthy the teaching and shipping investments were probably enough to keep him in respectable enough fashion, but not in the highest echelon of society. His opinions were valued by those with political power but it seems unlikely he was paid directly for his advice (and apparently unlikely that he advised Croesus in fording the Halys, although it’s a cool story).