Greatest Philosophers in your mind

My favorites would be:

1. Arthur Schopenhauer
2. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
3. Diogenes
4. Friedrich Nietzsche
5. Søren Aabye Kierkegaard
6. Jean-Paul Sartre
7. Immanuel Kant
8. Plato
9. Spinoza
10. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

Originally posted by Novise
reply to post by DaddyBare

 

"We learned to be patient observers like the owl. We learned cleverness from the crow, and courage from the jay, who will attack an owl ten times its size to drive it off its territory. But above all of them ranked the chickadee because of its indomitable spirit." - Tom Brown, Jr., The Tracker

What is it about the chickadee that would make him say that? Just curious. I really liked those quotes, thanks.

The chickadee is one of the smallest. he builds his nest and works tirelessly to feed and protect his little family. if anything approaches that nest another bird, a human, even a bear, anything that threatens his family... fearlessly he will throw himself into the fray! Unconcerned that the odds are against him. His tenacity often wins the day...
the chickadee cares nothing of odds or size of the opponent, only his little family... got to love the the little chickadee...

My finest contribution to philosophy is something I've lived by for some time now, and goes something like this...

"Life is one big arsehole, and we are but mere turds in the arsehole of life..."

Pardon my analytic preferences.

1. W.V.O. Quine
2. A.J. Ayer
3. Donald Davidson
4. Hilary Putnam
5. David Hume
6. Elliot Sober
7. Van Inwagen
8. Patricia Churchland
9. Jaegwon Kim
10. Bertrand Russell

In order of how much I enjoy their thinking and writing rather than impact or how much I agree with them.

Bonus props to Alvin Plantinga for sheer force of will.


In terms of pure greatness with all its connotations:

1. Aristotle
2. Plato
3. David Hume
4. Nietzsche
5. Wittgenstein

[edit on 26-4-2010 by Mr. Duchamp]