Top 3 philosophers and why?

Question

Every philosopher we study is important and influential, but whose ideas do you find the most insightful, correct, and riveting, changing the way we view reality in the most important ways.

Answer 1

I will answer "why" first, because if we are going to rank something, we need a system of ranking.  Some philosophers are more enjoyable to read than others.  This has no relevance on their value as a philosopher because it is not the purpose of a philosopher to entertain.  Some philosophers may be more correct than others.  While correctness is relevant, we cannot measure it, because correctness is measured against the Truth, which after all these years is still uncertain.  So my one and only criteria is influence.  Given that it is influence, I am tempted to list Homer, Euclid and Jesus as my top 3; however, I will limit myself to those historical figures who used the philosophical method (as opposed to rhetorical, mathematical or theological) to express themselves.

So now, my list:

First, Plato or Aristotle.  It's a toss-up.  Aristotle had more influence on the world as a whole, but Plato has a lot of influence too, and more importantly, he had a lot of influence on Aristotle, so Plato deserves some of the credit for that as well.  I am leaning towards Plato.  Second, Machiavelli.  Almost nobody reads Machiavelli today, and even fewer read him when he was alive.  However, those that did read Machiavelli became the founders of almost every major revolution in the modern world: Bacon, Descartes, Newton (i.e. the scientific revolution) Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Smith, the Founding Fathers of the United States (the American revolution), Tocqueville, Lincoln, Grant, Lee (the American Civil war)... the list goes on.  So its a small, but powerful, readership that Machiavelli enjoys.  Third, Newton.  Today, we think of Newton as a scientist, not a philosopher, and I said in the beginning that I was only considering philosophers.  However, back in the days of Newton, there was no distinction between philosophy and science, and he referred to himself as a philosopher, and his most famous book is the "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy", not "...Natural Science".  So I consider him a philosopher, and he not only was the epitome of the scientific revolution, but also the fore-father of the industrial revolution.  For me, it was a toss-up which revolution was more influential on today's world, the American or the Scientific, so I could have opted for Locke or Smith instead of Newton, but oh well.

Answer 2

Tientai- because he systematized the teachings of Shakyamuni and demonstrated that opinions determine the environment.

Nichiren Daishonin- because he recognized that all humans can realize the true nature of life just as they are.

Daisaku Ikeda- because he modernized the mideaval Japanese approach to humanism and took it to 192 countries.

Answer 3

David Hume - because he makes one question everything. Spinoza - for his precision as a writer. Jean Paul Sartre - tells us we must be authentic and not false to our natures.  

Answer 4

Socrates, because he challenged existing beliefs and forced people to think about metaphysics.

Siddharta Gautama ( Buddha), because he made discoveries about life that modern physics confirms.

Immanuel Kant, because he donated his substantial inheritance to charity, and gave us the "categorical imperative".

Answer 5

Aristotle.

His book: THE ORGANON, is the basis for all Western science and rhetoric.

Lao Tzu

The founder of Taoism and the author of the book: THE TAO TE CHING.  Lao Tzu's invention of the Yin/Yang has permeated every religion and philosophy in world history.

Immanuel Kant

His seminal work: CRITIQUE OF PURE REASON, was inciteful and had influenced all the world's philsophers from his time to the present.