Philosophy Now Forum

A fairly straightforward question mainly concerning a scholastic sense of importance, but it would also be good to take into account regional trends since that's a large factor as well.

So which philosophers have either risen from obscurity or suffered a massive decline in academia?

This guy perhaps.

The philosopher Jean Wahl once said that “if one had to name the four great philosophers one could say: Socrates, Plato—taking them together—Descartes, Kant, and Bergson.” The philosopher and historian of philosophy Étienne Gilson categorically claimed that the first third of the 20th century was “the age of Bergson.” He was simultaneously considered “the greatest thinker in the world” and “the most dangerous man in the world.” Many of his followers embarked on “mystical pilgrimages” to his summer home in Saint-Cergue, Switzerland.

I'd certainly never heard of him before stumbling across that article.

FlashDangerpants wrote: I'd certainly never heard of him before stumbling across that article.

He's featured in the two most well known history of philosophy books, Russell's A History of Western Philosophy and Durant's The Story of Philosophy. Although his prestige certainly does seem to have greatly diminished with the passage of time.

Alan Smithee wrote:A fairly straightforward question mainly concerning a scholastic sense of importance, but it would also be good to take into account regional trends since that's a large factor as well.

So which philosophers have either risen from obscurity or suffered a massive decline in academia?

How about the ones who remain in relative obscurity? That's just as fascinating, if not more so.

How about JC? He had a lot of good ideas, philosophical ideas. Yet nowhere is he even listed as a philosopher.

Dalek Prime wrote:

Alan Smithee wrote:A fairly straightforward question mainly concerning a scholastic sense of importance, but it would also be good to take into account regional trends since that's a large factor as well.

So which philosophers have either risen from obscurity or suffered a massive decline in academia?

How about the ones who remain in relative obscurity? That's just as fascinating, if not more so.

Who are they? ;)

Since I've been chatting on these forums for a while, about a year ago bought a philosophy textbook, summarising the main ideas of eminent philosophers. What I noticed is that the claims of most of the philosophers were wrong because they'd been formulated before the advent of modern discoveries. Some, like Kant and Wittgenstein, seemed to address universals that remain relevant, eg. what is reality? What is the gap between our words/models and actual reality?

I find it difficult to find any one thinker - be it a philosopher or scientist - that satisfies. So I am a philosophical bowerbird (or vagrant, as Alan Watts might have suggested) - gathering "shiny philosophical baubles" from scientists, philosophers, artists, programmers, teachers, commentators and, yes, some forum members :)

Greta wrote:

Dalek Prime wrote:

Alan Smithee wrote:A fairly straightforward question mainly concerning a scholastic sense of importance, but it would also be good to take into account regional trends since that's a large factor as well.

So which philosophers have either risen from obscurity or suffered a massive decline in academia?

How about the ones who remain in relative obscurity? That's just as fascinating, if not more so.

Who are they? They're obscure. How would I know? *Begins giggling*

Since I've been chatting on these forums for a while, about a year ago bought a philosophy textbook, summarising the main ideas of eminent philosophers. What I noticed is that the claims of most of the philosophers were wrong because they'd been formulated before the advent of modern discoveries. Some, like Kant and Wittgenstein, seemed to address universals that remain relevant, eg. what is reality? What is the gap between our words/models and actual reality?

I find it difficult to find any one thinker - be it a philosopher or scientist - that satisfies. So I am a philosophical bowerbird (or vagrant, as Alan Watts might have suggested) - gathering "shiny philosophical baubles" from scientists, philosophers, artists, programmers, teachers, commentators and, yes, some forum members

I think you're on the right track. Philosophers aren't the only ones with bits of the puzzle.

Seriously though, Zapffe and Benatar have my vote. And they are reasonably obscure.

Dalek Prime wrote:Seriously though, Zapffe and Benatar have my vote. And they are reasonably obscure.

They are in Wiki, though. Still, they weren't included in The Philosophy Book, which has around 70-80 philosophers. Quasi famous? Quasi obscure? :)

Greta wrote:

Dalek Prime wrote:Seriously though, Zapffe and Benatar have my vote. And they are reasonably obscure.

They are in Wiki, though. Still, they weren't included in The Philosophy Book, which has around 70-80 philosophers. Quasi famous? Quasi obscure?

Infamous perhaps. The cousins no one talks about. Oh, you should read up on Mainlander, and the will to death, just for fun.

(I'm gonna be in big doodoo for still being here lol!)

The not yet obscure Isiah Berlin was a big fan of history of ideas. He wrote a couple of cool books on largely forgotten old timey philosophers (Crooked timber of humanity is one). A couple of them were spookily prescient.

Dalek Prime wrote:

Greta wrote:

Dalek Prime wrote:Seriously though, Zapffe and Benatar have my vote. And they are reasonably obscure.

They are in Wiki, though. Still, they weren't included in The Philosophy Book, which has around 70-80 philosophers. Quasi famous? Quasi obscure?

Infamous perhaps. The cousins no one talks about. Oh, you should read up on Mainlander, and the will to death, just for fun.

(I'm gonna be in big doodoo for still being here lol!)

Oh yes, you should be in bother. You are perhaps the first person in human history not to follow up on an idea or resolution! Tsk!!

The exclusions remind me of politics in the jazz scene. Any jazz history material released where Stanley Crouch and Wynton Marsalis are involved won't say much about free jazz (because it didn't swing) and third stream (classical-influenced jazz): http://jazztimes.com/articles/20327-eva ... burns-jazz