Favorite Philosopher

[searanox]

Probably Nietzsche, although I disagree with about half of what he said. Incredibly influential and to some degree misunderstood thinker.

 

[TheDustyBanana]

"Philosophy consists very largely of one philosopher arguing that all other philosophers are jackasses. He usually proves it, and I should add that he also usually proves that he is one himself." - H. L. Mencken

I think Mencken is the only guy I can get behind, philosophically speaking.

 

[RedDiablo]

Probably Nietzsche, although I disagree with about half of what he said. Incredibly influential and to some degree misunderstood thinker.

Do you disagree with him about the "Ubermensch", Herd instinct, Will to Power, or Death of God?

 

[searanox]

Do you disagree with him about the "Ubermensch", Herd instinct, Will to Power, or Death of God?

I disagree with the whole master/slave morality system he has going. Will to power is one of those things that's hard to debate, but is arguably a capitalist construction rather than human instinct. His conception of the masses is decidedly outdated when compared to later thinkers. Despite this, though, his ideas are very solid and agreeable to me. There are holes, but the general gist of his stuff is good, even though it only really works within its own context.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Do you disagree with him about the "Ubermensch", Herd instinct, Will to Power, or Death of God?

I disagree with the whole master/slave morality system he has going.

Ah, well, you do have to look at his work before his anti-Semitic sister got to it. A lot of the stuff that ended up in the hands of the NASI party wasn't in his original work.

But in the words of the great philosopher Jagger, "You can't always get what you want."

 

[thisnameok]

Major Zero haha. Seriously though i would say Hunter S. Thompson i guess. Although mostly Hunter is just crazy and only other crazy people... or idiots, would call him a philosopher... eh.

 

[searanox]

Ah, well, you do have to look at his work before his anti-Semitic sister got to it. A lot of the stuff that ended up in the hands of the NASI party wasn't in his original work.

I edited my post above a little bit.

In any case, yes, that's why I referred to him as "misunderstood". When not read correctly, without the context of his biography, and in light of how the Nazi party twisted his words, most people consider him to be an angsty little fruitcake, but the reality is that he was a man who truly loved life but was distraught at the circumstances he found himself in.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

When not read correctly, without the context of his biography, and in light of how the Nazi party twisted his words, most people consider him to be an angsty little fruitcake, but the reality is that he was a man who truly loved life but was distraught at the circumstances he found himself in.

TBF, he was also dying of syphilis at the time; but then our dahlink Father of Sexual Psychiatry was taking cocaine which makes you paranoid and impotent.

 

[searanox]

TBF, he was also dying of syphilis at the time; but then our dahlink Father of Sexual Psychiatry was taking cocaine which makes you paranoid and impotent.

Only in the end, when he started writing Zarathustra and pretending he was an epic poet. Good work still, but a little bit over-dramatic and clearly the work of someone who was starting to lose it.

And on Freud... well, let's just not mention him. He did more to destroy psychology in a decade than there was progress made up to that point.

 

[GodsOneMistake]

Mr. miyagi

 

[RedDiablo]

Major Zero haha. Seriously though i would say Hunter S. Thompson i guess. Although mostly Hunter is just crazy and only other crazy people... or idiots, would call him a philosopher... eh.

Wait, Major Zero in MGS, or someone else?

Ah, well, you do have to look at his work before his anti-Semitic sister got to it. A lot of the stuff that ended up in the hands of the NASI party wasn't in his original work.

I edited my post above a little bit.

In any case, yes, that's why I referred to him as "misunderstood". When not read correctly, without the context of his biography, and in light of how the Nazi party twisted his words, most people consider him to be an angsty little fruitcake, but the reality is that he was a man who truly loved life but was distraught at the circumstances he found himself in.

True, Nietzche is probably the most misunderstood philosopher ever. His idea of "Ubermensch", was someone who would overcome the weaknesses of humans now (like Religion, Art, etc), and become a superior being. But his sister, who was married to an anti-semite, edited his works, and made him seem like a posterboy for Naziism.

 

[thisnameok]

Haha yeah i meant the Metal Gear Major Zero

 

[searanox]

True, Nietzche is probably the most misunderstood philosopher ever. His idea of "Ubermensch", was someone who would overcome the weaknesses of humans now (like Religion, Art, etc), and become a superior being. But his sister, who was married to an anti-semite, edited his works, and made him seem like a posterboy for Naziism.

It goes beyond that. Nietzsche's Superman isn't just one that could transcend religion and art, but could make moral decisions, not just to his own benefit but the benefit of the entire species, in any given context or environment. In otherwords, the Superman is the one who can go beyond the social construction of reality, understand it as a social construction, and then thrive in that detached existence. The only real moral absolute for Nietzsche, of course, is the will to power - so long as you act faithfully to it in the proper way, you are moral.

 

[hippo24]

Ayn Rand...Im sorry I cant type that with a straight face.

Umm Im to pompous and prideful to acknowledge the superiority of any other individual, because in my eyes I am perfect vassal of humanity.(Theres a joke here if you can find it)

 

[santaandy]

-Sun Tzu, now there was a man who *got shit done.* He was unquestionably brilliant, and forever changed the face of warfare. Even better still, his philosophies can be applied to all sorts of facets of life. I particularly like the part about spies.
-That person who said "everyone is someone else's wierdo."
-Marx and the other socialists, except when they got distracted from truly great philosophy with terrible things like the Red Terror and anti-Semitism.
-Nietzche, but in this case it was others who perverted his work (Nazis).
-Zoroaster, for the concepts of the Chinvat Bridge and universal forgiveness.
-Hippocrates for his Oath.
-Hypatia of Alexandria for discouraging mysticism and encouraging math, logic, and astronomy.
-Galileo for fucking with The Church.

Anyone have any good Viking philosophers?

-Patrick Henry and Christopher Gadsden for giving America balls.
-All of our Founding Fathers for giving me (and you) America.

 

[PatientGrasshopper]

I never liked Nietzsche and also Descartes was captain obvious, the people I like may actually be more economists than Philosophers, Hans Hoppe, Frédéric Bastiat also Benjamin Franklin. There are more that I cannot think of off the top of my head.

 

[bl82]

Well, while waiting for text, I'll throw out not Kant. He was excessively wordy to the point of obnoxious arrogance, and writes more for himself than the betterment of others. Socrates is pretty good.

To be fair, you'd be hard pressed to find a philosopher who didn't really enjoy hearing themselves talk. It takes a certain self-love to do what Kant and others did.

 

[F_demon]

I am currently studying (western) philosophy but don't really have a lot of time to read most of them.

One of my favourite more recent philosophers is Peter Singer [http://www.princeton.edu/~psinger/] though he might make some 'immoral' choices in the eyes of some, very moral in the eyes of others.
He does however have some very valid arguments.

 

[Jagers1994]

100% Oscar Wilde.

We got a winner.
"Life is too serious to be taken seriously."

"There is no Sin except stupidity."

"The only worse than being talked about is not being talked about."

"We are clowns whose hearts are broken."

"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination."

"Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative. "

"Genius is born, not paid."

"An excellent man: he has no enemies, and none of his friends like him."

"A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutly fatal."

"Truth, in the matters of religion, is simply the opinion that has survived."

"Always forgive your enemys, nothing annoys them so much."

 

[ace_of_something]

Adam Smith