Philosophy Now Forum

Each answer below receives a book. Apologies to the entrants not included.

https://philosophynow.org/issues/135/Who_Is_The_Worst_Philosopher

Some of those I'd place at the top of the list are Heidegger, Wittgenstein, Kant, Hegel, and Marx, where it's not only their horrible writing and confused thinking that's a problem, but the long-lasting, deeply-rooted negative influences they've had on philosophy and the academic world at large. (Plus in Marx's case, the influence he's had outside of the academic world as well.)

A French post-modernist or someone from the Frankfurt School...

hands down

Terrapin Station wrote: ↑Mon Feb 15, 2021 6:40 pm Some of those I'd place at the top of the list are Heidegger, Wittgenstein, Kant, Hegel, and Marx, where it's not only their horrible writing and confused thinking that's a problem, but the long-lasting, deeply-rooted negative influences they've had on philosophy and the academic world at large. (Plus in Marx's case, the influence he's had outside of the academic world as well.)

I am not familiar with Marx's philosophy. One or two contributors in the above article nominated Marx for contributing to the real totalitarianism that arose from his theories.

As for Heidegger, Wittgenstein, Kant, Hegel, they are very great philosophical thinkers who contributed new paradigms within the sphere of philosophy.
I am very certain [based on what you have posted] you don't have an in-depth knowledge of their philosophical theories and it is intellectually shameful and dishonesty for you to condemn them based on such ignorance of yours.

Show me what serious negatives had Heidegger, Wittgenstein, Kant, & Hegel contributed to hinder humanity in the past and in the present? Heidegger toyed with Nazism but his philosophies are not "Nazistic."

On the other hand I believe the philosophies you are inclined toward are inherited from the worst philosophers of the logical positivists and the classical analytical philosophers like Carnap, Frege, Russell [analytic leanings], Ayers, early-Wittgenstein and the likes.
While these philosophers promoted 'analysis,' which is necessary, the serious problems is they are very arrogant and dogmatic that what the proposed are the only-way for the future which is now proven wrong by Sellars, Quine, and others.

Heidegger, late-Wittgenstein, Kant, & Hegel philosophies are of the anti-realist genre which hinges on the context of human nature and history which is very variable thus cannot be dogmatic at the core.

The worst philosopher for me would be the one who does not challenge my own personal beliefs or perception, and not because they themselves is a bad philosopher it is because I would not gain any additional perspective from them.

I do not presume to know much about anything therefore, I would not find any philosopher to be worst, as they are only sharing their perception.

If I do not understand the perspective or agree with the philosopher, would that be grounds for a personal opinion of them being a bad philosopher? For some perhaps.

I think the way people answer this question will give insight into their own personal beliefs, and I suspect the answer will reflect what the person is unable to accept and believe and will say nothing about the philosopher themselves.

IMHO Wittgenstein. Cause I kind of know him. Got the same personality type, am also a civil engineer, Would probably have seen the wold like him if born in the same family as him. For sure, the likes of Russell was taken down by the success of science and was going piecemeal. But Wittgenstein took it to a whole new level, reading Tractatus is like a programmer trying to program the world, kind of the birth of analytical philosophy. And thus making sure that no results of academical philosophy has been seen outside of academical philosophy, a total rejection of the concept of ”first science” where philosophy IMHO ought to be.

Heidegger and Husserl, and further on the likes of Sartre on the contrary, tried to get somewhere, trying to get into the minds of people, an area where the laws of physics have a long way to go. But thinking deeply about the King of France seems to be rather fruitless even if correct. For the world.

There are good philosophers and bad philosophers, but René Descartes was a weapon of mass destruction.

Terrapin Station wrote: ↑Mon Feb 15, 2021 6:40 pm Some of those I'd place at the top of the list are Heidegger, Wittgenstein, Kant, Hegel, and Marx, where it's not only their horrible writing and confused thinking that's a problem, but the long-lasting, deeply-rooted negative influences they've had on philosophy and the academic world at large. (Plus in Marx's case, the influence he's had outside of the academic world as well.)

Of those you listed (with which I totally agree) Kant was the worst, followed by Hegel and Marx (whose philosophy Kant made possible. Heidegger was just a mystic and Wittgenstein an idiot, like all the rest of logical positivists who destroyed epistemology. The very worst of all philosophers, who made all future philosophy impossible, was Hume.

Everything that goes by the name, "philosophy," today, especially in academia, is worse than the most outrageous mystic nonsense ever to infect the minds of human beings.

Ayn Rand is such a bad philosopher she barely deserves the title.
After her - all the other theologians.

KLewchuk wrote: ↑Tue Mar 16, 2021 1:28 am A French post-modernist or someone from the Frankfurt School...

hands down

Everybody from the school known as "Critical Race Theory." If you've ever read their stuff, you know that it's a series of intellectually dishonest arguments couched in abominably bad prose...the purpose of the latter being purely to make the whole so incomprehensible as to hide the true nature of the propositions contained therein.

Sculptor wrote: ↑Sun Apr 18, 2021 9:57 pm Ayn Rand is such a bad philosopher she barely deserves the title.
After her - all the other theologians.

See things as they are and try to make your best attempt to create as good as possible an objective view of what the world is like.

Thats not so bad imho

Then, the conclusions she arrives at, well, lets say that my objective view is different from hers. But I like the start she makes.

Ansiktsburk wrote: ↑Sat Apr 24, 2021 11:11 am

Sculptor wrote: ↑Sun Apr 18, 2021 9:57 pm Ayn Rand is such a bad philosopher she barely deserves the title.
After her - all the other theologians.

See things as they are and try to make your best attempt to create as good as possible an objective view of what the world is like.

Thats not so bad imho

It's what you tell a nine year old with existential angst.

Then, the conclusions she arrives at, well, lets say that my objective view is different from hers. But I like the start she makes.

So did my nine year old.

Sculptor wrote: ↑Sat Apr 24, 2021 12:31 pm

Ansiktsburk wrote: ↑Sat Apr 24, 2021 11:11 am

Sculptor wrote: ↑Sun Apr 18, 2021 9:57 pm Ayn Rand is such a bad philosopher she barely deserves the title.
After her - all the other theologians.

See things as they are and try to make your best attempt to create as good as possible an objective view of what the world is like.

Thats not so bad imho

It's what you tell a nine year old with existential angst.

Then, the conclusions she arrives at, well, lets say that my objective view is different from hers. But I like the start she makes.

So did my nine year old.

Most people tell their 9yos to follow the family paradigms or to shut up because its their own subjective view.

Ansiktsburk wrote: ↑Sun Apr 25, 2021 10:26 am

Sculptor wrote: ↑Sat Apr 24, 2021 12:31 pm

Ansiktsburk wrote: ↑Sat Apr 24, 2021 11:11 am
See things as they are and try to make your best attempt to create as good as possible an objective view of what the world is like.

Thats not so bad imho

It's what you tell a nine year old with existential angst.

Then, the conclusions she arrives at, well, lets say that my objective view is different from hers. But I like the start she makes.

So did my nine year old.

Most people tell their 9yos to follow the family paradigms or to shut up because its their own subjective view.

I'm way ahead of them, and way ahead of Rand

How about, "Who is the worst 'philosopher' on this board?"