Your top ten philosophers

@Theaetetus,

Let me examplify what i mean exactly: Ibn Khaldun, for instance, was only seemingly religious. His "Muqaddimah", studied at length by Marx in the writing process of Capital, was an example of a very secular sociological study and a philosophical analysis of the early Islamic society. My point is exactly our (I don't say your) conception of philosophy.

Theaetetus wrote:

Just curious. How did the Ancient Greek philospoher's translate Islamic text. Islam was not founded for a thousand years after the ancient Greeks. Do you mean that the Islamic philosophers translated ancient Greek philosophers, because that actually happened.

Sorry for that, of course the reverse is true. (Islamic philosophers translated the Ancient Greek texts.) Regarding that (wrong) example about the Ancient Greek, what I tried to mean was that philosophy was not "invented" by Ancient Greeks, although they as the free citizens of Ancient Greek did iconoclastic philosophical studies (along with other types of studies) thanks to the institution of slavery. Western philosophy has its own idiosyncratic features, as the Islamic or Far East philosophies have their own forms and contents. It is pointless to argue that one of them is more philosophical or religious. In my own conception of philosophy, as a mere student of political theory, it (as the perspective) exists in every realm of knowledge in different forms and contents. In this respect, Gramsci's notion of "philosopher" is striking which does not exclude the ordinary men and philosophy, in his conception, penetrates into every realm of life.

@The Ant,

Well, there are two types of philosophy as far as I am concerned. There is "Philosophy" which is only for academics where they do their charade with their colleagues in the exclusive "club." And then there is "philosophy," which is potentially studied and practiced by everyone. It is practical, unlike academic Philosophy, and it is for people, rather than status.

@michael88,

michael88 wrote:

In YOUR opinion which ten philosophers are the greatest philosophers to have ever lived? Remember this is based on your opinion so there no wrong answer.

this is a really difficult question for me, since i have problems with just about all of them and ten? ten philosophers? Since i really can't decide myself and i see a lot of repeat responses, im just going to go with one that is highly underrated and that is;

Alan Watts

@Krumple,

Alan Watts, a great example of a little-p philosopher.

@Theaetetus,

Theaetetus wrote:

Alan Watts, a great example of a little-p philosopher.

if he is little p, then what does that make you? little n?

@Krumple,

I was actually referring to my previous post. Just a different way of say a non-academic philosopher.

@Theaetetus,

Theaetetus wrote:

I was actually referring to my previous post. Just a different way of say a non-academic philosopher.

but he is an academic philosopher it's just he doesn't get the same amount of time because of his position.

What do I need to do to get a big "P"?

@Khethil,

Take graduate level courses, publish in well-respected philosophy journals, defend a Ph.D. dissertation, attain a tenure-track position at a university or respected college, attend philosophical conferences, teach students about philosophy, diss other philosophers for being stupid, write a philosophical book, kiss other philosophers who agree with you, attain tenure, and finally, make universites pay you money to give a two hour speech at their campus theatre hall.

@Victor Eremita,

Victor Eremita wrote:

Take graduate level courses, publish in well-respected philosophy journals, defend a Ph.D. dissertation, attain a tenure-track position at a university or respected college, attend philosophical conferences, teach students about philosophy, diss other philosophers for being stupid, write a philosophical book, kiss other philosophers who agree with you, attain tenure, and finally, make universites pay you money to give a two hour speech at their campus theatre hall.

Why... thank you!

Now I know; and in this knowledge I've become much more content with my little "p" Smile

@michael88,

1. HexHammer
2. ..eeeh?
..

@Victor Eremita,

Victor Eremita wrote:

Take graduate level courses, publish in well-respected philosophy journals, defend a Ph.D. dissertation, attain a tenure-track position at a university or respected college, attend philosophical conferences, teach students about philosophy, diss other philosophers for being stupid, write a philosophical book, kiss other philosophers who agree with you, attain tenure, and finally, make universites pay you money to give a two hour speech at their campus theatre hall.

Is it unethical to think that this sounds like a good life?

Because I think it is unethical. But I also think that sounds like a great life. Internal conflict ensues.

Mahatma Gandhi
Gautama Buddha
Rabindranath Tagore
Jesus The christ
Karl Marx
Bertrand russell
Spinoza
Albert Einstein
Confucious
Ralph Emerson

@Krumple,

No, Alan Watts is not an academic philosopher. As far as I know, Watts' highest degree was a master's in theology. That's not to say that I don't respect Watts as a philosopher, but he is not an academic philosopher--which in his case, was probably a good thing.

@michael88,

I have some really weird (as in not too traditional ones), and while I find myself unable to compile an ordered list, I could definitely list some one's I really like.

First I'd like to state that a philosopher does not mean you have a Wikipedia page or have been given an inked scrawled piece of paper that humans associate with intelligence, or taking classes. Everyone is a philosopher, from the five year old who steals the cookie to the skater kid who is told about a situation and says, "Wow, that was a real dick move." Being a thirteen year old 'philosopher,' I find myself to be the sort-of living embodiment of that idea.
So I have a list that I have gone out of my way to exclude the obvious famous philosophers:

Doctor Manhattan (Fictional, featured in Watchmen by Alan Moore.)

Adrian Veidt (Fictional, featured in Watchmen by Alan Moore.)

Bokonon (Fiction, featured in Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle.) In fact, if I were to adopt any Religion it would most likely be Bokononism (of course, I'd have to see the books first.)

Myself (Duh...)

Perhaps I can brainstorm more as I go on.

@Sentience,

I really wouldn't consider fictional characters to be philosophers--the creator of the fictional characters could be, but not the characters themselves. Its not like they did any philosophy of their own.

I also just 'love' how members have gone out of their way to list themselves. Nothing like a bit of modesty.

Goethe, Leibniz, Pascal, Locke, Plato, Socrates, Rand, Thoreau, (Adam) Smith, Gödel

No one listed William James and Heraclitus?

And nobody has mentioned Saul Kripke. He's also one of the few major philosophers still alive.

Philosophy Forum

Your top ten philosophers

Quick Links

My Account

able2know