Who was the greatest Philosopher?

[Hermetica]

Opinion question.

[My Favorite Martian]

How do we measure great and small thoughts?

[Helm]

Yoda.

Or this guy, pretty thought provoking stuff.

http://onastick.net/drew/sinistar/

[My Favorite Martian]

If you want to know what authors you could read to find access to philosophy, then you could try it over a detour and read a history of philosophy or an introduction into formal logic. Both are requirements to learn to think philosophical. It is so at least from my point of view but I am not a philosopher.

[DAVIDE]

Arne Naess

[bthizle1]

The one and the only of course:

[Playfishpaste]

It depends on what you consider the ranking system to be.

In terms of influence, I'd say plato, in terms of method, I'd say any kid out of a decent philosophy course who reads a lot of books and does science as a hobby, in terms of perception, I'd say Hume or Finney, in terms of importance, I'd say Berkley. In terms of intelligence, Marilyn Vos Savant. In terms of creativity or innovation, Diogenes.

[The Devil's Sergeant]

Aristotle, everyone one else is just a footnote to his work.

[♔Jean-Luc Picard♔]

Yoda.

Do or do not; there is no try.

[Thanatos]

Considering that everyone built off of everyone else, it really isn't fair to say who is the best.

[Playfishpaste]

Considering that everyone built off of everyone else, it really isn't fair to say who is the best.

That would imply the first one we know of is the best.

[Manoflooks]

That would imply the first one we know of is the best.

The first important one. So, Socrates? Aristotle?

[Denny Crane!]

Isn't this the same question as who is you favorite? Either way my answer remains the same, Rothbard.

mmmhmm actually possibly buddha. Buddhism will lead you to happiness, the theories of the mind were about 2500 years ahead of their time.

[spartan117]

Honestly it would have to be rafiki.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

He operates on a completely different level than that of humans.

[Mr. Pink]

Peter LeFluer.

[nopasties]

I'll define greatest by the fact of persistence in history and the amount of people affected. In that case I'll say Confucius, Zoroaster, Jesus, Aristotle and Muhammed

[Jodius]

Lao Tzu

[The Good]

As I've been reading many of Plato's dialogues, I think he was a pure genius. I would like to think that he was the greatest philosopher, followed by Socrates himself, and Aristotle.

[Baron Thunder-ten-tronckh]

Plato, Socrates and Aristotle seem to be good choices, as they are who are known as the founders of the western philosophic tradition. The Buddha definitely seems to be another big 'un, and his traditions may have even affected particular thoughts of the ancient greeks.

However, as said, it's difficult to gauge greatness. Robert Pirsig says, "Quality is a direct experience independent of and prior to intellectual abstractions." It cannot be defined by intellectual constructions, because it comes before them.

I would like to offer up Machiavelli though. I think his work in Politics is very rewarding to read.

[Denny Crane!]

Plato whilst influential had some really dumb ideas.