Question of the Day, October 2, 2010

[A-Heart-Of-Gold]

Bertrand Russell, just 'cause!

 

[secondcircle]

John Stuart Mill.He advocated very strongly for individual rights, while acknowledging the need for some form of government to keep the country running.

I do also like Rosseau because I think the idea of a civil contract is something all country's need to adhere to, but I think that's more politics/philosophy.

 

[Halceon]

I am apalled at your lack of Socrates.

Anyway, I'd vote for Epicurus, if he were there. SInce he isn't, des Cartes is my next favourite.

 

[icyneesan]

Whoever first said 'KILL IT WITH FIRE'

It's gotten me out of the worst situations...

 

[Heart of Darkness]

Locke. I can at least get behind the ideas of the Enlightenment.

 

[Metcarfre]

Immanuel Kant.

 

[crystalsnow]

Philosoraptor.

Spoiler

 

[niege]

I must say Homerus or Sun Tzu

 

[Halceon]

I am amazed by the feedback this poll caused. I happen to study philosophy for several years now and always was under the impression that most of my fellow students didn't even bother to read the philosophers original texts but settled with secondary literature, wikipedia even, at worst.

May I ask who, if any, of you have actually read anything from their favorite philosopher?

Especially Nietzsche strikes me as an odd candidate. German is my native language and I will be damed before I can safely say that I can take more than an accurate guess at what Nietzsches texts are about, because his language is so overloaded with symbolism and metaphors.

So I wonder how you non-german folk happen to develop such a liking for Nietzsche? Is that actually thougt in school, is it based on pop-culture ideas about his philosophy or is the average person on the internet just way more literate than anybody in real life? ^^

I've read most of the poll's options. In translation, mostly. What i've always stumbled upon is what i like to call the neoillexia - the lack of a vocabulary to describe the concepts they have grasped, because nobody has before. This makes most treatises practically unreadable. Then again, some just don't know how to express themselves clearly. (I'm counting Nietzsche among the latter)

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Immanuel Kant was a real pissant who was very rarely stable,
Heidegger, Heidegger was a boozy beggar who could think you under the table...

cookie for the reference.

Bruce's Philosopher Song from Monty Python.

That's really not worth a cookie

Do you want your cookie or not?

Now it's worth one Cookie please.

 

[Vetinarii]

Freud, if you consider him a philosopher.

Closest to what I feel really goes on in the world, but still, some of his ideas are still quite sickening.

I hate you... You sully the name of Philosophy with your poisonous perverted ideas... Nah but seriously Freud should be outlawed.

I voted other. my vote is for "Sun Tzu."

The art of War isn't really Philosophy is it? Well maybe... Nice call though

I'm going for Xeno, because of his paradox...
Or Xenu (Scientology joke xD)

 

[BehattedWanderer]

Karl Marx, Epicurus, and Plato. I like a few ideas from a few others, too. Diogenes, Locke, Rousseau, Demosthenes, Camus.

 

[SoranMBane]

Ayn Rand, no contest. I don't think there's anything about Objectivism that I find disagreeable.

 

[Comrade_Beric]

Karl Marx. Easily the most influential philosopher of the last 1,000 years.

 

[Crowser]

Aristotle - His ideas about the scientific method are the basis for all disciplines of science today.

 

[MoNKeyYy]

Me. Failing that, I've always liked Daniel Quinn, if he counts.

 

[Feylynn]

Descartes for his Cogito ergo sum, admittedly I don't know much of the list and briefly wiki'd some of it. But it interested me reading the concept of doubting everything to establish the absolute truths. The thought that you could only prove your own minds existence because it doubts and is capable of thought, is interesting to say the least.

On a less philosophically sound note, i like seeing references to him in TV and anime, Ergo Proxy for example.

More then his work or reference to his thoughts specifically, I enjoy relating my primitive understanding of the thinking to stories that deal with the uncertain nature of what exists. Something like Dollhouse, Inception, or Final Fantasy IX that challenge the idea of existing at all.

 

[sheogoraththemad]

Andrew Ryan

 

[McBurks]

Confucius.