Who do you think is the most underrated philosopher?

Question

...and why?

Answer 1

i dont underate him but the folks here seem to, how about the father of politics and logic ert cetera:  Platos

a

Answer 2

I wouldn't descibe Chomsky as a philosopher, more of a linguist and political commentator, and yes he's brilliant.

To answer your question, I'd say Kahlil Gibran, notably because of the following, which says it all for me.

    On Children

     Kahlil Gibran

    Your children are not your children.

    They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

    They come through you but not from you,

    And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

    You may give them your love but not your thoughts,

    For they have their own thoughts.

    You may house their bodies but not their souls,

    For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,

    which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

    You may strive to be like them,

    but seek not to make them like you.

    For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

    You are the bows from which your children

    as living arrows are sent forth.

    The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,

    and He bends you with His might

    that His arrows may go swift and far.

    Let our bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;

    For even as He loves the arrow that flies,

    so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Answer 3

Currently Noam Chomsky - because he hits the nail on the head but is little known outside of certain media and academic circles... never was there such a pressing need for finding 'the truth', never has the world been in such peril.

Answer 4

I'm not sure if he qualifies as a 'Philosopher' but as a speaker, teacher and writer of great insight and compassion I feel that Dr Stephen Covey deserves a mention. His most popular work being the 7Habits.. series of books and seminars.

Answer 5

E. Husserl without doubt!

Answer 6

Many philosophers are underrated and unsung largely because by their very nature they are administrants and dispensers of wisdom. The wise cannot join forces or give allegiance to the reigning judiciary. If wisdom is popularised this in turn nullifies the prevailing power who defend their livelihood by destroying the credibility or mind of the philosopher.

Answer 7

John Uglietta.

Answer 8

Permission to blither on a bit Sir?

Noam is indeed interesting but a little naive with regards to the 911 scenario. Like many who simply say the conspiracy theories surely cannot be true because they would never be and able to keep it quiet, but hang on! That type of thinking leaves a shut subject straight away.

So getting back to the real feckless world we live in we need to reconsider, by totally twisting the psychology of the matters at hand.

From the aftermath of 911, along comes extra business for weapons, security and enforcement of which spys on everyone not just suspects of terror. At the same time this has given powerful leaders another vantage point from a "control" perspective, this is a perfect "device" for the manipulation of anyone and everything, like the method of God as a device.

Whilst people are on their knees with bills to pay, the labour can remain desperately cheap and the interest can rocket so banks can control how poor they want people to be or how rich they could be.

Friendly people don't get power because they remain humble, and genuinely innocent, they just want to get on with the struggle and therefore sometimes become accepting. Humble is a good thing to be but should it immorally therefore take away our rights to freedom? And short change us from our hard earned money which is worked for to supposedly make us comfortable in old age? This is the real myth because after all is said and done our governments even have the audacity to tax the dead on money they have already been taxed for??? Who do they think they are to impose such made up stuff? Grrrrr!!!!! And it is clearly bullshit and bad manners.

Answer 9

someone who no-one has heard of.

Answer 10

Hegel. One way or another he influenced political philosophers across the entire political spectrum from far left to far right.

Answer 11

The one that has never been heard.

Why? because they've never been heard.

Besides,  ratings are for profiteers.

Answer 12

The unpopular Philo.

Answer 13

The roaming Noam (Chomsky) is actually getting a good amount of critical acclaim for a philosopher who's still alive.  He's very VERY far from being underated, consequently.

I'd say the most underrated guy in the annals is Machiavelli.

Answer 14

Ourselves. Or in other words, "Common Sense Values".

Simply because we are all perfectly unique in our view and experiences of life, yet "Commonly" reach equal common ethics.

As for Mr Chomsky .. he only seems to state what I would consider the above. "Common Sense" .. if that is indeed underachieved in the philosophical world I am both surprised and disappointed.

Answer 15

"Anonymous". -He/She's contributed MORE to the World's Understanding & Thought, than ALL the Known Philosophers COMBINED...  :)

Answer 16

ganja - it sets the minds of the world alight yet gets general disapproval.

Answer 17

John Hick.

Check out some of his lectures on youtube that were done at the google complex and also his lectures in uni/college.

Answer 18

me, because when you look at the stars do you see distant suns or pinpricks in the canvas of the sky

Answer 19

Winnie the Pooh.

Yes," said Winnie-the-Pooh.  

"I see now," said Winnie-the-Pooh.  

"I have been Foolish and Deluded," said he, "and I am a Bear of no Brain at All."

Socratic wisdom at it's best!

"That buzzing-noise means something. If there's a buzzing noise, somebody's making a buzzing-noise, and the only reason for making a buzzing-noise that I know of is because you're a bee. ....  

And the only reason for being a bee that I know of is making honey.....  

And the only reason for making honey is so as I can eat it." So he began to climb the tree.

Deductive/constructive positivism!

Answer 20

Ordinary elders that no one listens to because they are considered to be senile and old. I think every elder is wise in their own way, because they have lived the years that younger people think they have lived. You can read books, go to school for years and have intellectual debates with intellectual people and still not have even 1% of the wisdom that elders have.

I think the disrespect that people have for elders is reflective of society in general. It symbolizes the dumbing down of society, the lower standards people have, accepting the lowest common denominator.

Answer 21

my uncle

he is silent mechanical.

Answer 22

The great ones are almost always ignored / underrated while still alive; don't ask me why, but humanity finds dead heroes more venerable [ mitigated risk?, respect for the dead?, nostalgia and/or hip effect?, who knows!]

Anyway, I agree with you on your assessment of Noam Chomsky.   Though, what's most impressive about Noam Chomsky isn't merely his vast intellectual contribution to linguistics, psychology, and political thinking [some of which I do NOT personally agree with BTW], but rather his courageous stance, his commitment to human decency, and his indomitable search for the truth behind the ideological facade.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzGd0t8v-...

.

Answer 23

Noam Chomsky can unveil truth with logic that any open minded person can follow and yet he is unknown to many Americans despite being one of the greatest minds their country has ever produced.

Answer 24

i agree with you on Noam Chomsky however lets not forget that  there are many Noam Chomskys in this world who don't enjoy the freedom of speech and many who are in political prisons of developing nations.many who were killed and most likely never be known .of course Noam Chomsky exposes this fact and fights for justice and i admire that about him. long live people who fight for justice wherever they are.    peace