The philosophy of surgery has not been discussed in the tradition of medical philosophy. An extensive literature on surgical topics covers the pathologies and the technical operative manuals that present the tips and tricks, and part of the general medical philosophy regarding ethics, responsibility, and the social aspects is fundamentally similar between the operative and the conservative specialties. What is lacking in the academic literature is the unique perspective of the surgeon on both the patient and the surgeon’s own internal world—the wisdom gained through performing surgery, a personal philosophy of the profession developed through empirical knowledge. This personal philosophy is shared among peers and masters and apprentices in the operating room (OR) or during the coffee-table discussions, including the ways of understanding the surgical field, the development of technical skills, the decision-making during the operation, and the experiences of the flow and pleasure, as well the pain of the failures and mistakes. Most of this information remains a spoken tradition, as few personal accounts are published as explicit biographies. Due to the objective nature of medicine, a surgeon’s subjective perspective and qualitative language are often disregarded. However, as phenomenology and aesthetics are utilized in exploring the philosophy of surgery, such subjective perspectives are not only valuable, but they are crucial. The genesis of an academic discussion concerning the philosophy of surgery necessitates the inclusion of subjective surgical perspectives as a framework. Applying traditional philosophical stances might verbalize and communicate the unwritten and mystical proficiency exhibited by surgeons. Such communications aim to improve the sharing of surgical experiences, advance surgical training and its methods, and ultimately refine the administration of surgical care to patients.