Who Is Your Favorite Philosopher?

Comte De Maistre

[ComtedeMaistre]

That was the question that George W. was asked in the 2000 campaign. Unfortunately, the questioner failed to provide a precise definition of how to define a philosopher.

A useful definition of a philosopher is anybody who has ever written a book on ideas. Anybody. Whether he is an economist, theologian, politician, mathematician, soldier, boxer, musician, historian, artist, psychologist, sociologist, anthropologist, biologist, physicist, athlete, etc, etc, etc.

Yes, I do recognize Yogi Berra as a notable philosopher. Even Barry Goldwater, notwithstanding the fact that his book, "Conscience of a Conservative" was ghost-written for him.

Certainly, if some of the well-read freepers know of philosophers noted for conservative ideas, their contributions are certainly welcome.

For my part, my favorite philosopher is the anti-enlightenment thinker, Joseph de Maistre (also known as Comte de Maistre). I regard him as the most authentic conservative intellectual of all time. Reading his works made me realize how the spread of moral relativism can endanger civilization.

[Puddleglum]

Plato, Thomas Aquinas (standing in for all the Schoolmen), and as a wildcard, Henri Bergeson.

[galt-jw]

Genghis Ghandi.

Or maybe Hugh Hefner.

I heard Ayn Rand is really kewl, but a lot of people here have said that the liberty and individualism that objectivism represents is silly and bad, so I guess I think that whatever everyone else here says to do is right. I don't know what philosophy they follow. But they sure seem certain that bigger government is groovy if its THEIR tribe doing it.

So, in order to fit in, I guess my philosophy is whatever the tribe says it should be.

these flouride cookies are awesome.;-0

[Snuffington]

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin? Wasn't he the moron who was conned by the whole "Piltdown Man" hoax?

Lots of smart people were conned by the Piltdown hoax. I abhor de Chardin for his abominable theology. I give him a pass on Piltdown.

[KnutCase]

Two come to mind ......

Pericles and Testicles

[Antoninus]

I'll stick with Mr. Bush's answer....

Christ

[ComtedeMaistre]

>>>I assume we're talking pure philosophy and not economic philosophers like Smith, Bastiat, etc?<<<

No, no. I specifically used the very broad definition that a philosopher is any person who has ever written a book on ideas. Any sort of idea. Even economic philosophers - Smith, Ricardo, Hayek, Keynes, and the rest of the gang.

Of course, I specified "ideas", so that a Freeper who maybe has only read Hardy Boys or Harry Potter, will not be able to offer up the names of the authors of those books as "philosophers". But, who knows?

[Mr. Mojo]

Without a doubt, Mark Twain

I'll second that.

[Snuffington]

Genghis Ghandi.

Lol... a joke or a typo?

[John Locke]

Favorite ancient philosopher - Aristotle.
Favorite medieval philosopher - Ibn Khaldun
Favorite modern philosopher - David Hume.

[Cannoneer]

Recently my daughter asked me what I knew of Nietzsche.

I replied " He thought God was dead, but it is he instead."

[AuH2ORepublican]

Jesus Christ is God, and God is God, not a philosopher. So I'll go with Kant for general philosophy, and Madison and Hamilton for political philosophy.

[Rudder]

Pogo

[jocon307]

LOL, how wonderful to see this here!

Well, and fondly, do I remember dragging my brother, who was a bona fide philosophy major from the University of Chicago (God alone knows how that was accomplished!), into the room to help me and my best friend get those philosophers' names right, so we could sing along.

As I just have! As I so often do! A thrilling tune, thrilling!

Oh, thanks MOM, you've really brightened my day!

My fave philosoph? Gotta say C.S. Lewis.

Or maybe Herr Budweiser, yeah, him too!

[Greg Packer]

Dolly Parton

[Greg Packer]

. . . for two reasons.

[PMCarey]

Gilbert Chesterton

[nothingnew]

Soupy Sales, without question.

FMCDH

[ComtedeMaistre]

>>>According to your "useful definition" of a philosopher, neither Socrates nor Jesus qualifies, since neither ever wrote a book or treatise that we know of. And yet, both of these qualify as philosophers of the first rank.<<<<

But their ideas were written down. That makes them philosophers.

That is why in my post, I mentioned Barry Goldwater, whose ideas were ghost-written by Bozell.

>>>Again, Buddha does not qualify<<<

Buddhas teachings have been written down. He would qualify.

>>>But, any Tom, Dick, or Harry who wrote a children's book does!?!<<<

I specifically excluded authors of children's books, from being mentioned as philosophers.

[AuH2ORepublican]

Carey, is it just a coincidence that you named Chesterton right after Packer mentioned Dolly Parton? : )

[freedumb2003]

>>Robert Heinlein <<

Very interesting answer. I was saddened by his increased impatience as he got older. His characters got more Perfect and more intolerant of anyone who couldn't tell a zygote from a gamete.

Even Laz Long probably couldn't measure up to what RAH expected from humanity.

But his obesrvations - "Notebook" , both pithy and precise, were certainly food for thought.