Based, of course, on the top vote getters in the prior rounds--and, yes, the top vote getters here will then go head-to-head with the historical greats of the more distant past! And, then, at last we'll have an official canon. Have fun! (And, again, other philosophy blogs are welcome to link to this.)
UPDATE: I fear some folks are taking this way too seriously. This is just some amusing sociological data, which tells me more about the readership of the blog then it does about the greatness of philosophers! Please, just have fun with it or let it pass in silence.
ANOTHER: So with 1200 votes cast, here are the results:
1. Ludwig Wittgenstein (16%)
2. Friedrich Nietzsche (13%)
3. John Stuart Mill (12%)
4. Gottlob Frege (11%)
4. Bertrand Russell (11%)
6. G.W.F. Hegel (10%)
7. David K. Lewis (8%)
8. Martin Heidegger (5%)
9. Karl Marx (4%)
9. W.V.O. Quine (4%)
9. John Rawls (4%)
So two "anti-philosophical" figures are #1 and #2, two extravagant metaphysicians are #6 and #7, with more conventional figures tucked in at 3-5. More than anything, this list, and the failure of anyone to get even a clear plurality, is testimony to the fact that "philosophy" as people conceive it is more art than science.
Recent Comments