What if Aristotle and Socrates were opposing attorneys in the Michael Jackson trial? If Sartre Descartes met the head of the head with a large rubber ball, Descartes would stop thinking during the nanosecond of impact? And if so, he would cease to be? While comic book buff, if Superman could enter the Incredible Hulk's ass ask us, we argue here at Associated Content about what the All-Time Greatest is a philosopher. In a not-so-quantitative analysis, we have ten titans put thoughts into the ring to settle this debate once and for all. Who will come to the forefront to be crowned the king and philosopher? Jean Paul Sartre (1905-1980) The Mack Daddy of existentialism conjures up images of beret-wearing, pipe-smoking pseudo intellectuals idle the afternoon away in college-town coffee shops. Perhaps that has something to do with the accessibility of some of his work. It takes a Ph.D. to understand the efforts of most philosophers, Sartre wrote a series of plays and novels, that the general public could enjoy. However, his principle work, Being and Nothingness, needs some background in philosophy to appreciate fully. It is within these pages fully explored, that Sartre to be the difference between "being" and a man. Once said, "Hell is other people!" Did you know: Sartre served in the French army as a meteorologist during World War II. He was taken prisoner by German troops and spent nine months in prison. I would tell Bush: "Congratulations - you've condemned the Iraqis to be free." Impact on our lives: 5 Fame Points: 5 eccentricity: 8 Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) had a profound influence on almost every philosophical movement that followed him. Since the early days in Greece, philosophy was primarily concerned with asking questions like "How can we know, tied the world really works, how we think, it works?" Kant was often compared to two schools of thought that rationalism and empiricism, wove them together and asked a different question: "How can our preconceptions make the world around us?" He suggested that the reality was unknowable in itself, as we inevitably filter through our own senses and knowledge . This opened the door to new, radical philosophical movements like existentialism. That Kant is sometimes described as the greatest philosophical thinkers since toga were the rage. Once said: "Act only on that maxim through which you at the same time that they will a universal law." Did you know: His parents christened him as Emanuel Kant, which he later, after learning Hebrew, he moved to Immanuel. I would tell Bush: "Do unto others as you want them to do you." Impact on our lives: 8 Fame Points: 6 eccentricity: 6 Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527), the infamous author of "The Prince , one has the worst reputation of a philosopher. To this day, to deceive people who lie and steal to get ahead are often described as "Machiavellian". Many of his followers, but to say that Machiavelli is misunderstood. We have to ignore time and again that his views leaders act "with due care and humanity should," that "it is desirable to be loved and feared," and that, although crimes may win an empire, they do not glory win. However, it is easy to see why Machiavelli bears the burden of his sinister reputation, if you look in his view of mankind: "Men, in general, are ungrateful, fickle ... eager to win, "and quick support for the leaders to lose if push comes to shove. Therefore, leaders can not count on the citizens, how consistently the love, as they can, to be fear. Once said: "It is better loved than to be cruel to fear smarter than compassionate." Did you know: Mussolini submitted a thesis on Machiavelli for his doctorate. I would tell Bush: "He who built a tyranny and not to kill Bin Laden, and who established a democratic regime and not to kill Bin Laden, will not last long." Impact on our lives: 9 Fame Points: 8 eccentricity: 6 Socrates (470-399 BC) wrote nothing. We know of him from others, such as Plato, his most famous pupil and biographer. Most of Socrates' philosophy of the order of a case is tainted: He taught us to think, question thinking, to consider ... Although he is not the first philosopher, he was the first to teach us what was actually philosophy. Socrates was arrogant in his humility, the claim to the wisest man because he is the only one who know diddly squat was admitted. If you think that sounds strange, you are not alone, the great men of Athens did not understand him either, and Socrates was condemned to death for his arrogance. Alleged crimes included his corrupting the youth and introducing new gods. Socrates would probably have proved his innocence of these false accusations, he had not defended themselves in the same way that he taught by asking questions and guide the listener on a path until they found the right answer for themselves. As now known the Socratic method, this technique often lead listeners to rant. Once said: The unexamined life is not worth living. Did you ever leave: According to Plato, the last words of Socrates' lips were, "Crito, I owe a cock to Asclepius, you will remember to pay the debt?" Insert gay joke here. I would tell Bush: "If you think that by killing men you can avoid the accuser ... They are wrong, the easiest and noblest way is not to destroy the other, but in order to improve themselves. "Impact on our lives: 8 Fame: 10 Eccentricity: 6 Aristotle (384-322 BC) was less optimistic about human nature than Socrates. He believed we could know what was right and still something else. He also rejected Plato's idea of a utopian "Republic" as nonsense and said greed and vices are quite separate from private ownership. Rather, Aristotle claimed these evils proceed from human nature, and would survive even in the middle of absolute communism. The only way to be happy for the people, according to Aristotle, was to live a life of moderation. You can too thick or too thin, too cowardly or courageous, a pathological liar, or the friend who says' yes dear your ass look fat. " Such analogies were, but uses a device to convince the audience Aristotle. It will be seen by many as the founder of the rhetoric - so much despised language used by lawyers and politicians. Once said: "The man who is angry at the right things and with the right people, and praised in the right way and at the right time and for the right length of time." Did you know is already Aristotle taught Alexander the Great. I would tell Bush: "A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Using less fearful of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they as God-fearing and pious. "The impact on our lives: 7 Fame: 9 eccentricity: 5 Rene Descartes (1596-1650) believed that what is doubtful, could and should be rejected. If this sounds like something that would say a mathematician, it's no wonder. Descartes was a famous man, numbers, long before he announced that well known, the ability to think his own existence proved. But what about trees, rocks and Diet Pepsi? Do not think. Are they simply do not -? This is a common argument for his thesis. But Descartes never said, thought was not necessary. He simply implied that thought was proof of being. Descartes regarded as inferior to human perception of logic and deduction. For example, while the observation of a candle, he noted that although his senses told him that the shape, size, color, texture and smell changes, as it melted, only his ability to perform logic he said, it remained essentially unchanged. Once said: "I think therefore I am." Did you know: Descartes, also known as Descartes, geometry and combined alegebra known to produce the Cartesian coordinate system - and thus the way for the calculus. I would tell Bush: "You think you're so good with common sense that you never feel like more than you have already been delivered." Impact on our lives: 7 Fame: 8 eccentricity: 4 Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900) believed most of the basic driving force of nature "is the will to power", as the desire to own will be explained by practicing self-control. Over time, lead a series of evolutionary self-improvement would be born to one day become a "Superman" - would consider such a way that our self-induced moral would be irrelevant to him. He would be "about" other men. Although Nietzsche himself was deeply contrary to the ideals of National Socialism, Hitler was not as opposed to the ideals of Nietzscheism. Still, it is easy to see why a man bent on creating a superior race would be adopted, "the will to power". Nietzsche left a blueprint for ever a rock star of philosophy: Be extremely quotable, describe Christianity as a religion for the removal of nihilistic meaning of earthly existence, writing about dwarfs and Superman. And from the top all by crazy. Once said, "God is dead". Did you know: Hitler personally presented a copy of Nietzsche's works to Benito Mussolini. I would tell Bush: "He who fights with monsters to see it, that he was not in the process become a monster, convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies." Impact on our lives: 7 Fame: 8 eccentricity: 9 Adam Smith (1723-1790), the author of The Wealth of Nations is considered by many as the father of the modern economy. His "philosophy" of the free market has Smith to the level of the Messiah in the eyes of economists and entrepreneurs around the world. While governments at the time believed the economy should be controlled, or it would be in chaos, Smith claimed that a free market would be led by an "invisible hand" to produce the right amount of goods for the right price through actions such as supply and demand. For this to work, however, governments could not go too far in the implementation of a laissez-faire economy. Obstacles to free trade, such as large monopolies have controlled, because they have enough power to the invisible hand can influence - from withholding resources, underpaid work and raise costs. Once said: "It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest." Did you know: In the age of four, Smith was a band of gypsies kidnapped. He was quickly rescued by an uncle. I would tell Bush: "If Alan Greenspan and I got into a fist-fight, who would make money on?" influence on our lives: 9 Fame: 8 eccentricity: 3 John Stuart Mill (1806-1973) hated paternalism. If he ruled legislation today, marijuana would probably be legal and adults were not wearing a seat belt. Mill's view of law was that it should exist only when necessary to prevent people from inflicting harm on others hold. A passionate utilitarian, Mill believed that governments should seek the highest good, to bring the greatest amount of people. Unlike his contemporaries, but it emphasized Mill, the quality of good over the crowd. For example, during the "greatest number" of Americans enjoy large SUV's, cable television, and excessive amounts of fast food, Mill could say that the government is not working properly because these things are trivial, if the education, health care and in comparison, a comfortable retirement. Once said: "It's better to be satisfied Socrates dissatisfied than a pig." Did you know: Mill was a feminist and said that the subordination of women one of the main obstacles to human improvement. I would tell Bush: "I never wanted to say that the Conservatives are generally stupid. I wanted to say that stupid people are generally conservative. "Has influence on our lives: 5 Fame Born: 4 eccentricity: 4 Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) conquered England in Spain. As a child, given Hobbes's father, his three sons and skipped town to take a sick relative. Hobbes was middle-aged in a civil war in which the king was beheaded, and was retirement age, if Britain went to war with the Netherlands. He was an old man, as the black London in 1664 came the plague. At the ripe ol 'age of 91 years, a few years after the great fire of London, and Hobbes, finally, this little world happy. Given the circumstances of his troubled life, it is no wonder, Hobbes thought the state of man "is a condition of war of all against all." He argues that people want peace, just because he hurt himself fears. It is easy to acquire the protection that man enters a "social contract" with the government. Hobbes' philosophy is similar to that of JS Mill's negative but rather a version of utilitarianism. Instead, governments are formed to the greatest amount of good care, they should seek to insure the least bad. Once said: "The life of man is solitary, poor, dirty, brutal and short." Did you know: After writing Leviathan, Hobbes in the UK was banned from publishing anything in relation to human behavior. I would tell Bush: "Not believing in force is the same do not like gravity. ... Stupid liberals. "The impact on our lives: 5 Fame: 4 eccentricity: 8 And the winner is ... When I taught Heart Huckabies us nothing - except the rubber ball thing - it is that there always be a philosophical balance of power. It is no wonder that the grandfather of philosophy with the philosophy of Marilyn Manson are bound. Each with 24 points, Socrates and Nietzsche share the title of philosopher Ayn Rand King.Honorable Mentions (1905-1982) Karl Marx (1818-1883) Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) Plato (427 - 347 BC) Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) Confucius (551-479 BC 1908-1986), Simone de Beauvoir ()
