Who is the worst philosopher ever?

[Cottagecheeseman]

The editors of Hume Studies, perhaps?

Pretty much any empirically minded philosopher since Hume as well. 

[bar_scene_gambler]

http://www.critical-theory.com/march-madness-the-overrated-philosophers-bracket/

 

Seen this?

Interestingly this list contains pretty much everyone who has been worth reading in the last 200ish years

EDIT: Scratch that, this list has pretty much every important philosopher on it. Except for bell hooks. Who the hell is that?

Edited March 26, 2014 by bar_scene_gambler

[perpetuavix]

Interestingly this list contains pretty much everyone who has been worth reading in the last 200ish years

EDIT: Scratch that, this list has pretty much every important philosopher on it. Except for bell hooks. Who the hell is that?

You don't know bell hooks? Most of her writing is about race and gender. Her work on education is amazing; I read Teaching To Transgress before I started teaching and I was a million times better for it. She's more well known as a critical theorist, I guess. 

[dgswaim]

I'm going to have to say Judith Butler. Reminds me of reading Zizek, except it's less coherent.

[Weltgeist]

yeah Hume. It's like hello, 1781 called, synthetic a priori judgments are possible via their transcendental basis in the synthetic unity of apperception, idiot.

[bar_scene_gambler]

You don't know bell hooks? Most of her writing is about race and gender. Her work on education is amazing; I read Teaching To Transgress before I started teaching and I was a million times better for it. She's more well known as a critical theorist, I guess. 

No, I've never really had any interest in race and gender theory. Not that it isn't valuable, it's just that I have never wanted to read anything that deals with race or gender. It's just not my thing. The only race/gender theorist I have ever had an interest in is Angela Davis, and that's mainly because of her stuff on the prison system.

[stressedout]

Depending on how you judge "worst" will depend on my answer.  If you judge it by the amount of false beliefs a philosopher held, then I say Hume wins hands down.  At least in Modernity.

[Establishment]

Depending on how you judge "worst" will depend on my answer.  If you judge it by the amount of false beliefs a philosopher held, then I say Hume wins hands down.  At least in Modernity.

 

Why do you hate America so much?

[stressedout]

Why do you hate America so much?

 

I threw an upvote your way for that.

[Cottagecheeseman]

Interestingly this list contains pretty much everyone who has been worth reading in the last 200ish years

EDIT: Scratch that, this list has pretty much every important philosopher on it. Except for bell hooks. Who the hell is that?

I don't see anyone on that list outside of the old-dead people who I have read or see as major figures in philosophy. Which is good. We make fun of continentalists in America. Don't you know that by now? 

(I should note that this is in jest, and mostly a reference to Bar "dirty continentalist" Gambler's other posts elsewhere)  

[bar_scene_gambler]

I don't see anyone on that list outside of the old-dead people who I have read or see as major figures in philosophy. Which is good. We make fun of continentalists in America. Don't you know that by now?

(I should note that this is in jest, and mostly a reference to Bar "dirty continentalist" Gambler's other posts elsewhere)

Ah. So I've been discovered.

[Cottagecheeseman]

Ah. So I've been discovered.

It wasn't very hard. Same with your name. Or what college you went too. Or your social security number. 

[bar_scene_gambler]

It wasn't very hard. Same with your name. Or what college you went too. Or your social security number.

I'm not sure if you're joking considering that there is apparently someone here who knows my first name because she recognized my writing style.

[Cottagecheeseman]

I'm not sure if you're joking considering that there is apparently someone here who knows my first name because she recognized my writing style.

Honestly, I just know your Reddit username and name of the college you attend. Add me on facebook and I'll know your name

[Kierkegaardashian]

Any of the logical positivists.

[Establishment]

Any of the logical positivists.

 

 

If I could go back to any decade, it'd be back to when positivism was a viable philosophy. What a grand time that was.

[dgswaim]

Any of the logical positivists.

I'm sympathetic to this... although I do like some of Hempel's work.

[stressedout]

 

If I could go back to any decade, it'd be back to when positivism was a viable philosophy. What a grand time that was.

 

Positivism was never a viable philosophy.

[TheVineyard]

 

If I could go back to any decade, it'd be back to when positivism was a viable philosophy. What a grand time that was.

 

 

Positivism was never a viable philosophy.

 

What do you mean "was?" It still is viable!

[Establishment]

Positivism was never a viable philosophy.

 

Psst, your bias is showing.

[stressedout]

Psst, your bias is showing.

 

People have biases, or opinions, or make strong judgments concerning certain propositions.  No way!

[brettmullga]

 

If I could go back to any decade, it'd be back to when positivism was a viable philosophy. What a grand time that was.

 

Agreed! When reading Ayer's Language, Truth and Logic one can't help but feel the excitement. It was as if they solved everything at once. 

[PedagogodeLiberacion]

Hegel (for European Philosophy) and Plantinga (for Analytic Philosophy)

[PhilApplicant]

I don't know, but I'm sure that there's a fact of the matter to this question.

[dgswaim]

I don't know, but I'm sure that there's a fact of the matter to this question.

I was thinking the opposite. Shit philosophy is so very often in the eye of the beholder.