Favorite philosophers/thinkers?

[nen888]

..just want to add a vote for Heraclitus 'the Obscure'...
and throw in Jorge Luis Borges & John D. Barrow for a mention..

 

[nexalizer]

Alan Watts, Terence Mckenna. Some others, but not as familiar with their works.

 

[hixidom]

Philosophers whose ideas I feel I've connected with most during trips are Hume, Kant, Hegel, and Schopenhauer.

Edit: Pony On A Rainbow's post just reminded me that I forgot about Nietszche; Such a wise man.

 

[PrimateSphinx]

I've really been getting in to the environmental and transcendental philosophies of Edward Abbey. I really like what he has to say about how horrible industrialism is, especially in Desert Solitaire, its a great read.

 

[lyserge]

Hermann Hesse for his novels which seem to reflect in an almost uncanny way my own yearnings and growths; Bertrand Russell for his works devoted to teaching philosophy/math/history/logic with the educated laymen; Franklin Merrill-Wolff for his logical synthesis Eastern "mysticism" and Western "empiricism"; Dr. Leary, for his psychological insights; Terence McKenna, psychedelicized Celtic bard; D.M. Turner, for his lucid descriptions in "The Essential Psychedelic Guide"; Robert Anton Wilson, of the Aluminum Bavariati; Malaclypse the Younger, of the Discordian Society; Jorge Luis Borges, for his evocative power that transcends place, time and language; Plato, for the allegory of the Cave; Alan Watts, for elucidating both Eastern and Western philosophy; JRR Tolkien, for evoking a world that seems to have existed long ago; HP Lovecraft, Aleister Crowley. Let's see...

 

[Aegle]

Max Weber
Viktor Schauberger
Anaïs Nin
Henry David Thoreau
Siddharta Gautama
James Lovelock
Paul Stamets
Carl Jung
Carl Sagan
Rudolf Steiner
J.D. Hooker
R. D. Laing
Michel Foucault
Alan Watts
Terence McKenna

To name but a few... ♥


Much Peace and Compassion

 

[polytrip]

yeah, 'the budha' would definately stand-out for me.

When i come to think of it, it seems that nelson mandela actually practiced budhism in real life, right now and right here..and maybe even without knowing it.

 

[pau]

Longchenpa Ragjam (1308-64), prolific Tibetan philosopher who wrote about Dzogchen, "the natural, primordial state or natural condition of the mind, and a body of teachings and practices aimed at realizing that condition." I'd have to add the names of a few exceptional translator/commentators as well, among them Herbert Guenther and Keith Dowman.

 

[InMotion]

The ones who told me to think and be for myself, so I could stop reading without guilt.

 

[bigmack]

My favourite philosopher/thinker besides obviously, terrance mckenna and some of the more traditional ones.
suprisingly is... Edgar Allen Poe.
Here's why.
Although he's not a philosopher... he's definetly a thinker.
You may have to search a little for his 'magic', but trust me it's there.
I'll tell you right now, this guy had an incredible sense and insight along with uncomparable depth for his day and age.
I mean he still outspeaks 90% of writers nowadays.

If anyone is interested... I suggest going to a chapters/indigo or whatever equivalent you have to where you live.
You can find a collection of his short stories for a ridiculously cheap price because he's basically 'old news'. I think I payed eight bucks for a bible-thick collection of all his short stories and poems, and that was the best eight bucks I ever spent.
Like I said, it takes a bit of searching with this guy... but you can literally read ANY of his stories... and I promise you'll come across something that'll blow your mind.
On top of this, he also adds a wonderful imagination into his narrative - so you get some entertainment too.

I always told myself If I was director, the first thing I'd do was re-create some of his short stories and put them on screen.
They definetly have a "Alice in Wonderland" sort of feel. I think it'd be great.

"They who dream by day are congnizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." -Poe

enjoy

 

[jdubs]

Albert Camus, Jacques Lacan, Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault, Lao-Tzu, The Dalai Lama, George Orwell, Kurt Vonnegut, Giorgio Agamben, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Edward Said, James Joyce, Franz Kafka, Slavoj Zizek, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Hunter S. Thompson...

 

[Lichen]

and of course David "Dave" Lister from Red Dwarf:lol:

Dave Lister has probably been one of my greatest influences, no exaggeration.


Franz Kafka
Aldous Huxley
Terence McKenna
My Father
Demetri Martin
Phillip K Dick
Douglas Adams
Bill Hicks
David Suzuki

Tyler Durden

 

[The Day Tripper]

Just got turned on to Robert Anton Wilson. Watched mabey logic, and it blew my f-in mind. Want to read some of his work, i really connect with alot of what he says about tuning your perception in to things.

Not only that, but the soundtrack for that bio documentary turned up some real gems as well.

 

[aliendreamtime]

I think it doesnt get much better than the Plato and Socrates duo. The Allegory of the Cave is divine. A bit out of context though for the modern world. But they had the Mysteries to work with. I started getting into philosophy when I got into mushrooms for my first experience, and I knew as soon as I read them they had done psychedelics. I wouldnt confirm that until years later. Pretty cool synchronicity!

I like Descartes a lot but theres a lot of god talk. Also a bit out of context. Terence and Dennis has some pretty good things to say too. A little more on the pragmatic side. Henry David Thereau and one of the major contributors to modern psychology- John Dewey. Alex Grey is a great Artist and he sometimes has some good things to say. I've heard him talk a few times.

I didnt see anyone mention him yet but Einstein is one of my favorite philosophers. He comes out of left field with some great stuff considering he was a scientist. Very well-rounded human.

Im going to look into some good native american thinkers, I bet they had some good things to say. Sitting Bull comes to mind, I dont know anything about him though.

Much of my cosmology is based on Terences Ideas. The better ones at least. Eros & the Eschaton = GOLD

 

[blue lunar night]

Longchenpa Ragjam (1308-64), prolific Tibetan philosopher who wrote about Dzogchen, "the natural, primordial state or natural condition of the mind, and a body of teachings and practices aimed at realizing that condition." I'd have to add the names of a few exceptional translator/commentators as well, among them Herbert Guenther and Keith Dowman.

Yes! I'm in the middle of Longchenpa's 'Natural Perfection' at the moment; it is superb.

I'll also add Gilles Deleuze, France's most psychedelic philosopher.

 

[cellux]

According to the Buddhist tradition, the spiritual path is the process of cutting through our confusion, of uncovering the awakened state of mind. When the awakened state of mind is crowded in by ego and its attendant paranoia, it takes on the character of an underlying instinct. So it is not a matter of building up the awakened state of mind, but rather of burning out the confusions which obstruct it. In the process of burning out these confusions, we discover enlightenment. If the process were otherwise, the awakened state of mind would be a product, dependent upon cause and effect and therefore liable to dissolution. Anything which is created must, sooner or later, die. If enlightenment were created in such a way, there would always be the possibility of ego reasserting itself, causing a return to the confused state. Enlightenment is permanent because we have not produced it; we have merely discovered it. In the Buddhist tradition the analogy of the sun appearing from behind the clouds is often used to explain the discovery of enlightenment. In meditation practice we clear away the confusion of ego in order to glimpse the awakened state. The absence of ignorance, of being crowded in, of paranoia, opens up a tremendous view of life. One discovers a different way of being.

(from Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism)

From the Western tradition, I enjoyed the work of Ken Wilber (esp. A Brief History of Everything).

 

[Seldom]

add Thomas Bernhard, Herman Melville, Samuel Beckett, William S Burroughs, Tom waits

 

[benzyme]

frank zappa

 

[Pup Tentacle]

frank zappa

word

 

[Sally]

I would have to say that my favourite philosopher is Diogenes of Sinope / Diogenes the Cynic. Why?

In a nutshell:
1. He lived in a barrel.
2. He barked at anyone who walked too close to his barrel.
3. He would urinate on people!
4. He told Alexander the Great to move aside as he was in the way of the sunshine.
5. He was utterly mental and fantastic.
7. Through his strange behaviour he intentionally made a mockery of the society he lived in.
8. Despite being seen as utterly crazy, he managed to be well known for his wisdom and philosophy. What is more, he gained a fair amount of respect by the very people he mocked.

In short it would seem that he didn't take things too seriously. Here are some quotes:

In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face.

What I like to drink most is wine that belongs to others.

Recommended reading :d

Much love,
Sally xx