Meh, I'd be careful of that.
S people are more concrete than abstract by definition.
It doesn't mean they can't have deep thoughts, or that they're shallow.
I think too as people become older, they become more nuanced, and S's look deeper than the surface, just as N's get more grounded and stop being so flighty. The best S's I know can go very deep; they also just usually retain a strong sense of practicality and paying attention to what's around them, they're very realistic and don't like "deep abstractions" as an end in themselves, they want it to be useful to accomplish some end or make their lives richer and/or more successful..
That's very true. SPs and SJs tend to be more interested in wanting to connect what they're learning to real life, which means that just philosophizing for the heck of it tends to take a lower priority than, say, getting things done that need to be done which would have immediate value to us now. That doesn't mean I never think about anything below the surface -- but I do tend to be on the lookout for ideas that could have
relevance to my life today. If you can show me how your deep insights could have practical applications, I'm all ears! I do think "deeply" about some things, but not about all things, which I think is true for everybody, including intuitives.
Searching for stuff that has "relevance to today" would be the reason why, if I were given the choice between spending a Saturday repainting the inside of my kitchen cabinets or spending that same day attending a lecture on philosophy, I'd choose the former, since it seems more fun (physical) and more relevant to my happiness today (fresh-looking cabinets to enjoy for years to come). But if you convince me that the all-day lecture on philosophy will be understandable to someone who doesn't have a background in that subject area,
and that there will be frequent breaks so I don't feel like my legs have atrophied,
AND that it would have profound relevance to my life today, then I would definitely consider doing that instead.
Being dominant Fi, I tend to think very deepy about things, people and ideas that matter to me. Being an I*S*FP, what I think about more often has to do with improving my relationships than about pondering abstract stuff purely out of intellectual curiosity.
Sarah
ISFP