Saturday 17 April 2010

Which philosopher am I?

I have to admit, I don't really understand a lot of philosophy. When I was an adolescent, I liked the idea of being one, but when I tried to understand it in detail, I found it too complex for my poor brain.

It continues to interest me though, and about a year ago, I read a book called Sophie's World. This explained things in a style I could get my head around, although I've forgotten most of the details since. What sticks in my mind is that Marxism is a philosophical system as much as it is an economic one.

Another book I've read that deals with philosophy is The Dice Man, by Luke Rhinehart. This proposes that the dice-liver has free will over what options he offers to the dice, but must follow what commands the dice select without quibble. I sort of tried it for a while. I found that I wasn't brave enough to offer the dice any really challenging options.

Luke Rhinehart wondered if we really could change, if we folllowed the commands of the die. Could he turn heterosexuals into homosexuals, Epicureans into Hedonists, etc.

I wondered what an Epicurean was. Wikipedia has this to say:

"Although Epicureanism is a form of hedonism, insofar as it declares pleasure as the sole intrinsic good, its conception of absence of pain as the greatest pleasure and its advocacy of a simple life make it different from "hedonism" as it is commonly understood. In the Epicurean view, the highest pleasure (tranquility and freedom from fear) was obtained by knowledge, friendship and living a virtuous and temperate life. He lauded the enjoyment of simple pleasures, by which he meant abstaining from bodily desires, such as sex and appetites, verging on asceticism."

I must admit, I kind of like that. It fits in with an urge towards simplicity.

But all these 'ism's! If I'm a bit of an epicurean, could I further pigeonhole myself?

So I googled "What philosopher am I?"

and came up with the following result.

Which philosopher are you?
Your Result: Sartre/Camus (late existentialists)
 

The world is absurd. No facts govern it. We live well once we truly accept the world's absurdity. YOU give our life's meaning, and YOU control your world.

(see Nietzsche for very closely tied beliefs)

--This quiz was made by S. A-Lerer.

W.v.O. Quine / Late Wittgenstein
 
Aristotle
 
Nietzsche
 
Early Wittgenstein / Positivists
 
Plato (strict rationalists)
 
Immanuel Kant
 
Which philosopher are you?
Quiz Created on GoToQuiz


It's a bit limited in it's scope, since it only takes into account about 8 major philosophies, when there are surely many more. Still, I wouldn't argue too much with the result.

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