Who is the greatest world philosopher?

Question

Is he a Chinese, an American, a British or the mystical Indians...

Answer 1

He's neither, He's the Lord, Jesus Christ and his father Jehovah.

Answer 2

As some else has already said the greatest living philosopher is probably Chomsky - in the Western world. I'm woefully ignorant of what's going on in places like China and Latin America. The greatest world philosopher was probably Hegel as he influenced thinkers all across the spectrum from Marx to Heidegger.

Answer 3

number three
Karl Marx (1818 -- 1883)
Karl Marx was a German philosopher who lived in England for a great part of his life. Early on, he was inspired by the idealist philosophy of Hegel and his theory that the world is governed by the Absolute Spirit. However, Marx revolutionized this premise by saying that it's actually money that makes the world go around.

The forefather of economic sociology, his Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital served as the basis for political revolutions around the world, like in the Soviet Union and Cuba. Marx believed that capitalism is a society's last phase before the proletariat is bound to take over, winning the class struggle. The problem is that Marx never explained how such a utopia could be ruled under proletarian dictatorship.

Famed quote: "The philosophers have already perceived the world in various ways; the point is to change it."

Number 2

Rene Descartes (1596 -- 1650)
A French philosopher of the 17th century, he began his career as a mathematician scholar. While serving in the Bavarian army, he found his life's ambition: to redefine human wisdom without skepticism. Always rational, not only did he develop the Cartesian coordinate system in mathematics, but he also sought a new method of understanding life, mostly with books like Meditations on First Philosophy and Discourse on Method .

His new principal was to accept nothing except the fact that one's own existence is the only thing that can't be doubted. His universal doubt theory led to the belief that one's thinking is the only dependable element. In essence, he teaches us to believe in ourselves and make our own deductions.

Famed quote: "I think, therefore I am." ("Cogito, ergo sum.")

Number 1

Aristotle (384 -- 322 B.C.)
The mack daddy of Greek philosophers, Aristotle studied under Plato in Athens before becoming the private tutor of Alexander the Great. Aristotle then founded his own school, the Lyceum, where he taught and made significant advancements in all fields such as psychology, biology, poetry, politics, and physics. His works include Nicomachean Ethics, De Anima, Poetics, Metaphysics, Politics , and Rhetoric .

He is famous for having observed nature and all its phenomena, using logic to explain them. Being the foremost inspiration for Western thought, he greatly inspired medieval thinkers with his championing of reason, logic and causation. For Aristotle, virtue is located between extremes, and using the intellect should be man's main purpose in life.

Famed quote: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit."

honorable mention

Plato (427 -- 347 B.C.)
There's something almost royal about Greek philosophy; Socrates was the teacher of Plato who in turn taught Aristotle. Hailing from a noble Athenian family, Plato was educated in all fields of knowledge. After teaching at the Gymnasium Academe, he established his own Academy, which remained until the 6th century A.D.

Like Socrates and Aristotle, Plato was searching for the great Truth. He believed that because the soul is immortal, it has thus already passed different spheres of consciousness. Accordingly, humans never learn anything new, they simply remember. Although an important figure in philosophy in his own right, recording the discussions of others has made him quite famous. His own works include Cratylus, Theaetetus, Menexenus , and Republic .

Famed quote: "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

Answer 4

Many consider the history of philosophy to be all footnotes to Plato, he discussed many of the classic philosophical arguments. However I find more wisdom in Eastern philosophy and Aboriginal knowledge. Eastern philosophy is more holistic, everything is one and connected. I have an hunours degree in philosophy from University but outside of the course I found philosophies that go way deeper than the stuff we studied on the course.

I'd say Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Alan Watts, Llama Anarika Govinda, Bodhidharma, Hermes Trismegistus and Helena Blavatsky.

Answer 5

Beings you use the copula "is," I must assume you mean living philosopher. Right now I would have to say Noam Chomsky and he is American. That probably will change , but as far as modern (living) philosophers go, I haven't read or studied too many. Also the dude is almost eighty, he can't live for ever.

Answer 6

I would have imagined someone else here, but I am not sure about others, how can I be? I therefore do not find any reason why this should not be me, myself. The way I have managed the life I have no one else could have done any better, this is what I have come to believe in now. Where I have just a couple of problems, someone else in my place might have made a complete mess of it all.

Answer 7

The philosopher is irrelevant. Its the idea that matters. There is nothing worse that making idols out of men. Its better to have students understand the ideas rather than worship to the great alter of egos.

and if all else fails... Nietzsche.

Answer 8

Homer Simpson

Answer 9

Bertrand Russell.

Answer 10

Confucius

Answer 11

the farmer.. he knows all about the 'hard', earthly philosophy
the fisher.. he knows all about the philosophy of fishes and water
the shepherd.. he knows all about the philosophy of rearing and sheeps and grass
the mother.. she knows all about the philosophy of pains and happiness of life
dun know if the belong to 'china', or 'america', or, 'britain' or, 'mystical india' but they belong to this 'mystical world, this wonderous life' :)