The 100 Most Influent Philosophers of All Time by Brian Duignan

 The 100 Most Influent Philosophers of All Time by Brian Duignan


 

…”an ultimate good was a state in which the soul lives peacefully and tranquilly, undisturbed by fear or superstition or any other feeling”

“Aristotle uses “Happiness” to designate the highest human good, by which he means well-being or Flourishing, not a feeling of contentment. “

 

 

From one point on, I’ve decided to concentrate on the “best of all time”, trying not to miss the greatest writers and, in this case, the most “influent philosophers of all time”.

Philosophy is very enticing and attractive. The problem is that it can be very complicated- when I was about seventeen, I have read an introduction to Hegel, written by Constantin Noica. That was a fascinating, even if a rather difficult book. It made me interested in philosophy, which was a rather unpleasant topic at that moment -back then the Marxist doctrine was the only accepted and official explanation for anything from the class struggle, to history and future. When I opened the first book by Hegel or Kant, I felt dizzy: I could not grasp the sentences. It was so overwhelming, that I did not finish one page. Even if with some disarming encounters, the interest in philosophy has been maintained. Reading Plato proved to be more accessible and entertaining.

Reading this book was very rewarding, most of the time and here are some quotes from the book:

“The idea of karma dictates that every action people take-good or bad- will determine what happens to them down the road…if you help an old woman, good things will come your way…”

Confucius – “as a teacher of humanity, Confucius stated his ambition – “to bring comfort to the old, to have trust in friends and to cherish the young –the creation of a scholarly community – junzi- exemplary people –was essential…”

The Confucian golden rule is “do not do unto others what you would not want others to do unto you”

It reminded me of what Socrates said about death:  “he has no fear of death, because he has no knowledge of what comes after it and fear can only be base on a pretense of knowledge”

“The unexamined life is not worth living, ethical virtue is the only one that matters…”

…”an ultimate good was a state in which the soul lives peacefully and tranquilly, undisturbed by fear or superstition or any other feeling”

Happiness and Virtue

“The characteristic question of ancient ethics is:

How can I be happy? – The basic answer is:

By means of virtue

The ancient Greek used Eudaimonia as a word for what is translated as happiness:

It would mean human flourishing

The notions of happiness and virtue are linked

A conventional set of virtues by Plato’s time included: courage, justice, piety, modesty, temperance and wisdom…

According to Plato, there are three parts of the soul, each with its own object of desire:

·         Reason desires truth and the good of the whole individual

·         Spirit is preoccupied with honour and competitive values

·         Appetite has the low tastes for food, drink and sex

Aristotle uses “Happiness” to designate the highest human good, by which he means well-being or Flourishing, not a feeling of contentment.

·         Aristotle argues that human beings must have a function…

·         the highest human good, happiness, is the same as good human functioning

·         good human functioning is the same as the good exercise of  reason

There are two types of virtue: moral and intellectual

Moral virtues: courage, temperance and liberality

Intellectual virtues: wisdom and understanding

 

A temperate person will avoid eating or drinking too much or too little

Virtue chooses the middle ground, between excess and defect.

 

·         Plato has posed the question whether the best life consists in

·         the pursuit of pleasure or

·         The exercise of intellectual virtues.

Aristotle’s answer is that the two are not in competition:

·         the exercise of the highest form of virtue is the same thing as

·         the truest form of pleasure

·         each is identical with the other and with happiness

·         the highest virtues are the intellectual ones: wisdom and understanding

In the Nicomachean Ethics:

·         Perfect Happiness is constituted by philosophical contemplation

·         In the Eudemian Ethics:

·         Happiness is the harmonious exercise of all virtues: intellectual and moral

 

There are some unknown (to me) philosophers like Mencius

Different from the term used today, epicurean life was simple.

Zeno provided the themes essential for Stoic philosophy:

·         Logic as an instrument not an end in itself

·         Human happiness as a product of life according to nature

·         Perception as the basis of knowledge

·         The wise man as the model of human excellence

Auguste Compte founded Positivism

Nietzsche termed

·         Apollonian  elements- measure, restraint, harmony

·         Dionysian: unbridled passion

Peter Singer is one of the founders of the animal rights movement

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