Who is your favorite philosopher?

Chat about anything your heart desires here, just be civil. Factual or scientific questions about philosophy go here (e.g. "When was Socrates born?"), and so most homework help questions belong here. Note, posts in the off-topic section will not increase new members post counts. This includes the introductions and feedback sections.
User avatar
Mosesquine
Posts: 189
Joined: September 3rd, 2016, 4:17 am

Re: Who is your favorite philosopher?

Post by Mosesquine »

Consul wrote: February 12th, 2019, 1:32 am
Mosesquine wrote: January 14th, 2017, 1:42 amDavid Kellogg Lewis is the most important metaphysician in the analytic tradition in the 20th century. So, he is on the list.
David Malet Armstrong is no less important than Lewis (they were good friends, by the way)!

For example, here's a splendid lecture on The Scope & Limits of Knowledge:

Armstrong was a friend of Lewis, and he was one of the great analytic metaphysicans, but his Aristotellian metaphysics is sometimes weaker than Quine and others' different version of ontologies of nominals. So, Armstrong's reputation has been downgraded so far, but his philosophy of mind still stands strong enough, I think.
User avatar
Consul
Posts: 6036
Joined: February 21st, 2014, 6:32 am
Location: Germany

Re: Who is your favorite philosopher?

Post by Consul »

Mosesquine wrote: March 11th, 2019, 6:49 amArmstrong was a friend of Lewis, and he was one of the great analytic metaphysicans, but his Aristotellian metaphysics is sometimes weaker than Quine and others' different version of ontologies of nominals. So, Armstrong's reputation has been downgraded so far, but his philosophy of mind still stands strong enough, I think.
It's no wonder that the nominalists don't like Armstrong's realism about properties, but his arguments against nominalism (antirealism) are still very powerful, and I think fully convincing. As Charlie Martin puts it concisely: "Without properties, objects are empty and predicates blind." (The Mind in Nature, 2007, 80)
What I don't find convincing is his view that real properties (and relations) are (immanent) universals rather than particulars (called modes or tropes).

By the way, Lewis equated properties with sets, but he regarded Armstrong's realism and trope realism as serious alternatives:

"The simplest plan is to take a property just as the set of all its instances—all of them, this- and other-worldly alike. Thus the property of being a donkey comes out as the set of all donkeys, the donkeys of other worlds along with the donkeys of ours."

(Lewis, David. On the Plurality of Worlds. Oxford: Blackwell, 1986. p. 50)

Quine's basic ontology comprises individuals (individual objects) and sets.
"We may philosophize well or ill, but we must philosophize." – Wilfrid Sellars
User avatar
Mosesquine
Posts: 189
Joined: September 3rd, 2016, 4:17 am

Re: Who is your favorite philosopher?

Post by Mosesquine »

Consul wrote: March 12th, 2019, 8:58 am
By the way, Lewis equated properties with sets, but he regarded Armstrong's realism and trope realism as serious alternatives:

"The simplest plan is to take a property just as the set of all its instances—all of them, this- and other-worldly alike. Thus the property of being a donkey comes out as the set of all donkeys, the donkeys of other worlds along with the donkeys of ours."

(Lewis, David. On the Plurality of Worlds. Oxford: Blackwell, 1986. p. 50)

Quine's basic ontology comprises individuals (individual objects) and sets.


Your quote from Lewis' On the Plurality of Worlds above is not much related to Armstrong's view. Rather, it is related to showing Lewis' view on properties is very similar to Quine's basic ontology - existing things are either individuals (or bound variables) or sets.
User avatar
Plaffelvohfen
New Trial Member
Posts: 14
Joined: March 5th, 2019, 1:40 am

Re: Who is your favorite philosopher?

Post by Plaffelvohfen »

Spinoza, Camus... And Phistophicles, lesser know greek philosopher... ;)
User avatar
Teralek
Posts: 857
Joined: March 16th, 2012, 7:20 pm
Favorite Philosopher: Bertrand Russell
Location: Edinburgh
Contact:

Re: Who is your favorite philosopher?

Post by Teralek »

A much better question would be "who's your favourite living philosopher"

My favourite is Russell, others I like are Plato and john Rawls.

My favourite living ones are Peter Singer, David Chalmers and Alain de Botton
Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. ~Bertrand Russell
User avatar
Pantagruel
Posts: 202
Joined: July 2nd, 2019, 5:26 pm
Favorite Philosopher: George Herbert Mead

Re: Who is your favorite philosopher?

Post by Pantagruel »

My favourite philosopher is Henri Bergson. :)
User avatar
amplified cactus
Posts: 26
Joined: December 29th, 2019, 6:00 pm

Re: Who is your favorite philosopher?

Post by amplified cactus »

Bas van Fraassen
David Hume
Ian Hacking
John Dupré
Paul Feyerabend
Robert Nozick
User avatar
Terrapin Station
Posts: 6227
Joined: August 23rd, 2016, 3:00 pm
Favorite Philosopher: Bertrand Russell and WVO Quine
Location: NYC Man

Re: Who is your favorite philosopher?

Post by Terrapin Station »

Some favorites are Bertrand Russell, WVO Quine, AJ Ayer, Robert Nozick, Paul Feyerabend, Hans Reichenbach, Ernst Mach, George Santayana, Karl Popper, Donald Davidson, David Hume, Achille Varzi/Robert Casati, John Stuart Mill, Jerry Fodor, G.E. Moore, Kit Fine, Michael Martin

That's not an endorsement of any particular views. It's an endorsement of both the way they approached philosophy and their communication skills.

Re views, even my favorite philosophers--Russell would probably be my #1 if I had to rank them--espoused views that I disagreed with at least 50% of the time.

Philosophers who I don't care for so much--folks like Heidegger, Hegel, Derrida, Marx, Kant, etc.--I'm not at all a fan of continentalism in general, not only do I disagree with almost all the time, but I think they're completely garbage authors, too, who can't effectively write/communicate for crap.
Fellowmater
Posts: 77
Joined: November 23rd, 2017, 11:12 pm

Re: Who is your favorite philosopher?

Post by Fellowmater »

for me, it would be Aristotle and Immanuel Kant
Post Reply

Return to “Philosophers' Lounge”

2023/2024 Philosophy Books of the Month

Entanglement - Quantum and Otherwise

Entanglement - Quantum and Otherwise
by John K Danenbarger
January 2023

Mark Victor Hansen, Relentless: Wisdom Behind the Incomparable Chicken Soup for the Soul

Mark Victor Hansen, Relentless: Wisdom Behind the Incomparable Chicken Soup for the Soul
by Mitzi Perdue
February 2023

Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature: How Civilization Destroys Happiness

Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature: How Civilization Destroys Happiness
by Chet Shupe
March 2023

The Unfakeable Code®

The Unfakeable Code®
by Tony Jeton Selimi
April 2023

The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are

The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are
by Alan Watts
May 2023

Killing Abel

Killing Abel
by Michael Tieman
June 2023

Reconfigurement: Reconfiguring Your Life at Any Stage and Planning Ahead

Reconfigurement: Reconfiguring Your Life at Any Stage and Planning Ahead
by E. Alan Fleischauer
July 2023

First Survivor: The Impossible Childhood Cancer Breakthrough

First Survivor: The Impossible Childhood Cancer Breakthrough
by Mark Unger
August 2023

Predictably Irrational

Predictably Irrational
by Dan Ariely
September 2023

Artwords

Artwords
by Beatriz M. Robles
November 2023

Fireproof Happiness: Extinguishing Anxiety & Igniting Hope

Fireproof Happiness: Extinguishing Anxiety & Igniting Hope
by Dr. Randy Ross
December 2023

Beyond the Golden Door: Seeing the American Dream Through an Immigrant's Eyes

Beyond the Golden Door: Seeing the American Dream Through an Immigrant's Eyes
by Ali Master
February 2024

2022 Philosophy Books of the Month

Emotional Intelligence At Work

Emotional Intelligence At Work
by Richard M Contino & Penelope J Holt
January 2022

Free Will, Do You Have It?

Free Will, Do You Have It?
by Albertus Kral
February 2022

My Enemy in Vietnam

My Enemy in Vietnam
by Billy Springer
March 2022

2X2 on the Ark

2X2 on the Ark
by Mary J Giuffra, PhD
April 2022

The Maestro Monologue

The Maestro Monologue
by Rob White
May 2022

What Makes America Great

What Makes America Great
by Bob Dowell
June 2022

The Truth Is Beyond Belief!

The Truth Is Beyond Belief!
by Jerry Durr
July 2022

Living in Color

Living in Color
by Mike Murphy
August 2022 (tentative)

The Not So Great American Novel

The Not So Great American Novel
by James E Doucette
September 2022

Mary Jane Whiteley Coggeshall, Hicksite Quaker, Iowa/National Suffragette And Her Speeches

Mary Jane Whiteley Coggeshall, Hicksite Quaker, Iowa/National Suffragette And Her Speeches
by John N. (Jake) Ferris
October 2022

In It Together: The Beautiful Struggle Uniting Us All

In It Together: The Beautiful Struggle Uniting Us All
by Eckhart Aurelius Hughes
November 2022

The Smartest Person in the Room: The Root Cause and New Solution for Cybersecurity

The Smartest Person in the Room
by Christian Espinosa
December 2022

2021 Philosophy Books of the Month

The Biblical Clock: The Untold Secrets Linking the Universe and Humanity with God's Plan

The Biblical Clock
by Daniel Friedmann
March 2021

Wilderness Cry: A Scientific and Philosophical Approach to Understanding God and the Universe

Wilderness Cry
by Dr. Hilary L Hunt M.D.
April 2021

Fear Not, Dream Big, & Execute: Tools To Spark Your Dream And Ignite Your Follow-Through

Fear Not, Dream Big, & Execute
by Jeff Meyer
May 2021

Surviving the Business of Healthcare: Knowledge is Power

Surviving the Business of Healthcare
by Barbara Galutia Regis M.S. PA-C
June 2021

Winning the War on Cancer: The Epic Journey Towards a Natural Cure

Winning the War on Cancer
by Sylvie Beljanski
July 2021

Defining Moments of a Free Man from a Black Stream

Defining Moments of a Free Man from a Black Stream
by Dr Frank L Douglas
August 2021

If Life Stinks, Get Your Head Outta Your Buts

If Life Stinks, Get Your Head Outta Your Buts
by Mark L. Wdowiak
September 2021

The Preppers Medical Handbook

The Preppers Medical Handbook
by Dr. William W Forgey M.D.
October 2021

Natural Relief for Anxiety and Stress: A Practical Guide

Natural Relief for Anxiety and Stress
by Dr. Gustavo Kinrys, MD
November 2021

Dream For Peace: An Ambassador Memoir

Dream For Peace
by Dr. Ghoulem Berrah
December 2021