the last blog

poking intellectual holes in the lid of your simplicity

Thursday, July 14, 2005

The Philosophical Rankings

Dadahead has listed his top ten favorite and least favorite philosophers. Click here for the run down. (I particularly enjoyed his summary of Ayn Rand's philosophy). I think Nietzsche would be at the top of my favorite list. I loathe Ayn Rand above all others. Anyway, it's a fun list and I may have to read Wittgenstein now.

Next Week: Best Dressed Linguists

posted by Samwick @ 6:40 AM  

13 Comments:

  • At 9:21 AM, Blogger Snave said…

    Arrrrgh. I haven't read enough philosophy to know the great from the shit. I liked reading The Fountainhead because it showed me that I definitely don't like Rand... it was a sad, sad book. I've read some Camus and Nietszche and I like both. I guess I'm kinda into the existentialism and despair. One of my favorites is R. Crumb, who once opined: "Chuck the Duck sez: Life is mostly hard work." He also came up with some gems like "T'was ever thus" and "Keep on truckin'" (the latter became an industry of sorts). George Carlin is one for whom I have built an altar in my family room, replete with incense and the blood of fresh young goatlings. I will have to check out some of the Top Ten from the link you provided. Does Chomsky (aka Nim Chimpsky) count as a philosopher? I guess I need to read some of the "classics", anyway.

     

  • At 2:45 PM, Blogger Sheryl said…

    I hate Ayn Rand too. Thanks for the link.

    Hey, I just mentioned Camus in the comments of the link mentioned. Along with Oscar Wilde. :-)

     

  • At 1:57 AM, Blogger Samwick said…

    "George Carlin is one for whom I have built an altar"

    Stand up comedy is one of the last safe havens for free speech. Lenny Bruce got his ass beat down getting on stage and saying whatever he wanted, so I love folks like Carlin and the late Bill Hicks.

    "Does Chomsky count as a philosopher?"

    I'm not sure, actually. I know he's a linguist, which is distinct from philosophy, and a commentator/critic...fuck it, let's just call him a philospher. Damn, it's nice to have Snave back!

    Hi Sheryl! I was wondering if anyone was going to notice the link. I like your picture...is that you?

     

  • At 3:31 AM, Blogger Sheryl said…

    Thanks, Matt. Yeah, that line about getting Snavey back was too intriguing to pass by.

    The picture is me, but alas it's not my most current photo. What a shame! I was such a babe at one and half. :-)

    You guys are right. Comedians do tend to be philosophical (now that you mention it.) Or at least some of them.

     

  • At 11:53 AM, Blogger Snave said…

    Thanks for the glowing comments! Of course just as you make those fine remarks, for which I am grateful, I will be gone again until Sunday night (we teachers DO tend to have too much free time in the summer months). Think of me playing rock and roll music with the guys from the band I was in 23 years ago in college, and quaffing a few beers... that's what I will be doing! But I'll be back in my usual unsound state of mind soon.

     

  • At 2:00 PM, Blogger Sheryl said…

    Lalalalala.

    Through the door there came familiar laughter.
    I saw your face and heard you call my name.
    Oh, my friend, we're older but no wiser
    For in our hearts the dreams are still the same.

    Those were the days, my friend,
    We thought they'd never end.
    We'd sing and dance forever and a day.
    We'd live the life we chose.
    We'd fight and never lose.
    Those were the days.
    Oh, yes, those were the days...
    Lalalalalala

    Oh, sorry. The song rushed to mind. :-)

     

  • At 9:15 PM, Blogger Damien said…

    You name it I've probably got it sitting next to my monitor, I saved a collection from being dumped. Hmmm so my top five,

    Socrates

    Locke

    Aristole

    Spinoza

    Emmerson/Bacon

    Yeah I'd count Chimpsky.

     

  • At 3:23 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Friends don't let friends read Wittgenstein alone. It's incredibly dense and very difficult to really understand, so I would find some explicatory aids (professors, philosophy students, commentaries, etc.) when you do read him. Also, it ruins you for most other philosophy.

    That being said, my top five would probably be

    1) William James
    2) John Stuart Mill
    3) John Rawls
    4) John Austin
    5) Karl Popper

    ...and when I'm done reading Wittgenstein, maybe he'll be #6. I started two years ago. =)

     

  • At 4:17 AM, Blogger Samwick said…

    "It's incredibly dense"

    I know, I'll really have to do some calming Yoga before I read him each day. Not that I do Yoga, I'll just need to start if I'm gonna read Wittgenstein. Yoga beforehand, beer afterwards. In fact, maybe I'll just skip the Wittgenstein and go straight for the beer, it's how I got through college.

     

  • At 9:27 PM, Blogger Tonto said…

    St. Thomas Aquinas then Plato for me. George Carlin would definitely be in there somewhere too though.

     

  • At 9:36 PM, Blogger Sheryl said…

    Oh, wait. How could I forget? Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes!!!! You can't get any more philosophical than that comic strip.

     

  • At 1:59 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    George Carlin is more like my spiritual guru, rather than a philosopher, per se.

    "My problem with reincarnation was that the math didn't quite add up for me... somebody's printing souls! And it diminshes their value."

     

  • At 2:07 AM, Blogger Samwick said…

    I'm pretty sure that reincarnation is god's way of re-gifting humanity. He's disinterested, but politely so.

    Hi Georgina! You know, I've never read St. Thomas Aquinas, and I feel bad about it. There is a lot of required reading that I've missed out on. Haven't read Sartre yet, or Derrida. And speaking of comedians, I enjoy the late Spalding Gray.

     

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