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1. The unexamined life is not worth living Socrates (470-399 BCE)

Socrates [wiki] belief that we must reflect upon the life we live was partly inspired by the famous phrase inscribed at the shrine of the oracle at Delphi, Know thyself. The key to finding value in the prophecies of the oracle was self-knowledge, not a decoder ring. Socrates felt so passionately about the value of self-examination that he closely examined not only his own beliefs and values but those of others as well. More precisely, through his relentless questioning, he forced people to examine their own beliefs. He saw the citizens of his beloved Athens sleepwalking through life, living only for money, power, and fame, so he became famous trying to help them.

2. Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily William of Ockham (1285 - 1349?)

Commonly known as Ockhams razor, the idea here is that in judging among competing philosophical or scientific theories, all other things being equal, we should prefer the simplest theory. Scientists currently speak of four forces in the universe: gravity, the electromagnetic force, the strong nuclear force, and the weak nuclear force. Ockham [wiki] would certainly nod approvingly at the ongoing attempt to formulate a grand unified theory, a single force that encompasses all four. The ultimate irony of Ockhams razor may be that some have used it to prove God is unnecessary to the explanation of the universe, an idea Ockham the Franciscan priest would reject.

3. The life of man [is] solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. Thomas Hobbes (1588 1679)

Referring to the original state of nature, a hypothetical past before civilization, Hobbes [wiki] saw no reason to be nostalgic. Whereas Rousseau said, Man is born free, and he is everywhere in chains, Hobbes believed we find ourselves living a savage, impossible life without education and the protection of the state. Human nature is bad: well prey on one another in the most vicious ways. No doubt the state imposes on our liberty in an overwhelming way. Yet Hobbes claim was that these very chains were absolutely crucial in protecting us from one another.

4. I think therefore I am Ren Descartes (1596 1650)

Descartes [wiki] began his philosophy by doubting everything in order to figure out what he could know with absolute certainty. Although he could be wrong about what he was thinking, that he was thinking was undeniable. Upon the recognition that I think, Descartes concluded that I am. On the heels of believing in himself, Descartes asked, What am I? His answer: a thinking thing (res cogitans) as opposed to a physical thing extended in three-dimensional space (res extensa). So, based on this line, Descartes knew he existed, though he wasnt sure if he had a body. Its a philosophical cliff-hanger; youll have to read Meditations to find out how it ends.

5. To be is to be perceived (Esse est percipi). Or, If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? Bishop George Berkeley (1685 1753)
As an idealist, Berkeley [wiki] believed that nothing is real but minds and their ideas. Ideas do not exist independently of minds. Through a complicated and flawed line of reasoning he concluded that to be is to be perceived. Something exists only if someone has the idea of it. Though he never put the question in the exact words of the famous quotation, Berkeley would say that if a tree fell in the forest and there was no one (not even a squirrel) there to hear it, not only would it not make a sound, but there would be no tree. The good news is, according to Berkeley, that the mind of God always perceives everything. So the tree will always make a sound, and theres no need to worry about blipping out of existence if you fall asleep in a room by yourself.

6. We live in the best of all possible worlds. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646 1716)
Voltaires famous novel Candide satirizes this optimistic view. And looking around you right now you may wonder how anyone could actually believe it. But Leibniz [wiki] believed that before creation God contemplated every possible way the universe could be and chose to create the one in which we live because its the best. The principle of sufficient reason holds that for everything, there must be sufficient reason why it exists. And according to Leibniz the only sufficient reason for the world we live in is that God created it as the best possible universe. God could have created a universe in which no one ever did wrong, in which there was no human evil, but that would require humans to be deprived of the gift of free wills and thus would not be the best possible world.

7. The owl of Minerva spreads its wings only with the falling of the dusk. G.W.F. Hegel (1770

1831)
Similar to vision is 20/20 in hindsight, Hegels [wiki] poetic insight says that philosophers are impotent. Only after the end of an age can philosophers realize what it was about. And by then its too late to change things. It wasnt until the time of Immanuel Kant (1724 - 1804) that the true nature of the Enlightenment was understood, and Kant did nothing to change the Enlightenment; he just consciously perpetuated it. Marx (1818 1883) found Hegels apt description to be indicative of the problem with philosophy and responded, the philosophers have only interpreted the world differently, what matters is to change it.

8. Who is also aware of the tremendous risk involved in faith when he nevertheless makes the leap of faith this [is] subjectivity at its height. Sren Kierkegaard (1813 1855)
In a memorable scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indy deduced that the final step across his treacherous path was a leap of faith. And so it is in Kierkegaards [wiki] theory of stages of life. The final stage, the religious stage, requires passionate, subjective belief rather than objective proof, in the paradoxical and the absurd. So, whats the absurd? That which Christianity asks us to accept as true, that God became man born of a virgin, suffered, died and was resurrected. Abraham was the ultimate knight of faith according to Kierkegaard. Without doubt there is no faith, and so in a state of fear and trembling Abraham was willing to break the universal moral law against murder by agreeing to kill his own son, Isaac. God rewarded Abrahams faith by providing a ram in place of Isaac for the sacrifice. Faith has its rewards, but it isnt rational. Its beyond reason. As Blaise Pascal said, The heart has its reason which reason does not know.

9. God is dead. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 1900)

Well, you might not hear this one in a graduation speech, but youll probably hear it in college. Actually, Nietzsche [wiki] never issued this famous proclamation in his own voice but rather put the words in the mouth of a character he called the madman and later in the mouth of another character, Zarathustra. Nevertheless, Nietzsche endorsed the words. God is dead is often mistaken as a statement of atheism. It is not, though Nietzsche himself was an atheist. Dead is metaphorical in this context, meaning belief in the God of Christianity is worn out, past its prime, and on the decline. God is lost as the center of life and the source of values. Nietzsches madman noted that himself came too soon. No doubt Nietzsche, too, thought he was ahead of his time in heralding this news.

10. There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide. Albert Camus (1913 1960)
Camus [wiki] solution to the philosophical problem was to recognize and embrace lifes absurdity. Suicide, though, remains an option if the absurdity becomes too much. Indeed Camus own death in a car crash was ambiguous. Was it an accident or suicide? For Camus, the absurd hero is Sisyphus, a man from Greek mythology who is condemned by the gods for eternity to roll up a stone up a hill only to have it fall back again as it reaches the top. For Camus, Sisyphus typified all human beings: we must find a meaning in a world that is unresponsive or even hostile to us. Sisyphus, Camus believed, affirms life, choosing to go back down the hill and push the rock again each time. Camus wrote: The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a mans

heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.

11. One cannot step twice in the same river. Heraclitus (ca. 540 ca. 480 BCE)
Heraclitus definitely isnt alone here. His message was that reality is constantly changing its an ongoing process rather than a fixed and stable product. Buddhism shares a similar metaphysical view with the idea of annica, the claim that all reality is fleeting and impermanent. In modern times Henri Bergson (1859 1941) described time as a process that is experienced. An hour waiting in line is different from an hour at play. Today contemporary physics lends credence to process philosophy with the realization that even apparently stable objects, like marble statues, are actually buzzing bunches of electrons and other subatomic particles deep down.

Bonus: Fake Your Way Through a Conversation (with Correct Pronunciation!)

If you fumble with a philosophers name, nothing you say afterward will sound credible. So, learn to pronounce these names correctly, then start worrying about their ideas. (George) Berkeley is properly pronounced like Charles Barkley (bark-lee). This name is commonly mispronounced burk-lee like Berkeley, California, which, ironically, is named after George Berkeley. (Friedrich) Nietzsche is commonly mispronounced as nee-chee. The correct pronunciation is nee-ch-ya and rhymes with pleased ta meetchya. Pleased ta meetchya, Neechya. Say it! Lao-tzu (born ca. 604 BCE) is spelled several different ways in English transliteration from the Chinese. But no matter how you spell it, the proper way to pronounce it is lau (sounds like ouch)-dsuh. The stress goes on the first syllable. (Charles Sanders) Pierce Peirce (1839 1914) is commonly mispronounced as peer-s. The correct pronunciation is purse, which is somewhat funny because Pierce Peirce rarely had a penny in his purse. Oddly, Pierce Peirce took his middle name, Sanders, as an anglicized form of Santiago, or St. James, in honor of a fellow pragmatist, William James (1842 1910), who helped him out financially. (Ludwig) Wittgenstein (1889 1951) is a name that demands authentic German pronunciation, and there are plenty of ways to slaughter it. Heres one that embodies all of them, wit-jen-steen. The correct pronunciation is vit (rhymes with bit)-ghen (rhymes with ken)-shtine. The first name is pronounced lude-vig. If you think its hard to pronounce his name, try reading his Tractatus. ___________ From mental_floss book Condensed Knowledge: A deliciously Irreverent Guide to Feeling Smart Again, published in Neatorama with permission. Be sure to visit mental_floss extremely entertaining website and blog!

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85 Comments to 11 Most Important Philosophical Quotations.

1. ..... Says: February 6th, 2007 at 3:04 am No John Locke? 2. Chris Says: February 6th, 2007 at 3:14 am Ive always been fond of Wittgensteins Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent. Loosely interpreted, its good advice even in non-philosophical contexts. 3. terry Says: February 6th, 2007 at 4:17 am Doesnt Wittgensteins Tractatus propose that language shapes thought? I cannot think what I cannot say? Pronunciation Schmunciation! Understanding is the point! 4. Louis Says: February 6th, 2007 at 7:39 am Kierkegaard is pronounced Keer-keh-gore, (silent -d) or there abouts. 5. anonymous idiot Says: February 6th, 2007 at 10:18 am Ive always been fond of Wittgensteins Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent. Or, in plain English STFU & GBTW 6. Peter Says: February 6th, 2007 at 10:43 am Hmmm. All white males. What a suprise. Nagarjuna takes a **** over all of these guys. 7. jeem Says: February 6th, 2007 at 10:47 am How could you leave out the correct way to pronounce Albert Camus? al-bair kay-moo Say albirt kamis and youre sure to be dismissed as a rube. 8. rolandog Says: February 6th, 2007 at 10:59 am These are some of my favorites. *Art Blakey: Opinions are like ******** everyones got one. *Voltaire: A witty saying proves nothing.

9. Mike Says: February 6th, 2007 at 11:16 am If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? I dont think it does. It generates waves which have the potential to become a sound but only if they hit a tympanic membrane. Without an ear, the tree simply pushes around some air. 0. Monster Says: February 6th, 2007 at 11:21 am The ultimate irony of Ockhams razor may be that some have used it to prove God is unnecessary to the explanation of the universe, an idea Ockham the Franciscan priest would reject. Lets see, the universe came into being billions of years ago from a single atom, which slowly but surely expanded into the universe as we know it. Somewhere along the way, space dust formed into what we now call Earth. At one point microbes simpler in function than even the simplest single-celled organism we can observe today somehow formed, and over millions of years accidentally formed into fish, which eventually grew appendages (and rudimentary lungs) that allowed them to flop onto land. Add a few more millions of years and eventually that organism grew into all the biological life forms we know today. Or, God made it all. Somehow I doubt anyone can honestly say Ockhams Razor proves the first belief over the second. 1. Seamus Says: February 6th, 2007 at 11:31 am Nietsche is not pronounced Nee-ch-ya but rather NeeTchUh thought you might want to know that. Of course, opinions and regional accents vary and apply. Great article - thanks. 2. Jorge Says: February 6th, 2007 at 11:35 am Douglas Adams: Zaphod: I could really -be- in this cave. Ford Prefect: Zaphod, you -are- in this cave! 3. raincoaster Says: February 6th, 2007 at 11:42 am Ive always liked Camus, It is the obligation of the intelligent to oppress the stupid, otherwise they will take over the world. 4. J Bone Says: February 6th, 2007 at 11:49 am Its important to remember, when putting any filosophikal weight onto Camuss death, that he was the passenger and not the driver of the little red sports car. 5. Lea Says: February 6th, 2007 at 11:52 am Pronunciation isnt the important part at all. Theyre all dead old white men; who cares if we get their names right? So long as we try to understand their ideas, they would be more than pleased. 6. Bill Says: February 6th, 2007 at 12:17 pm Yeah mom.. this is Socrates Johnson Dennis Frood and uh uhAbe Lincoln - Bill from Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure Socrates above was pronounced So Crates

7. Seamus Says: February 6th, 2007 at 12:23 pm Lea, Opinions and regional accents vary and apply. But youre right - its only ideas that count. 8. Bryan Says: February 6th, 2007 at 12:56 pm The explanation of God is dead is wrong. With Heidegger, Nietzsche brought phenomenology to philosophy, the notion that things can only be understood as processes not merely existing, but becoming. The religious metaphor was to imply that belief in static objects and absolute ideals had had its day. 9. JohnD Says: February 6th, 2007 at 1:02 pm God is Dead. - Freidriche Nietzche Nietzche is dead (d. Aug. 25, 1900, according to wiki) Seems to me God may have had the last word here. 20. Denita TwoDragons Says: February 6th, 2007 at 1:13 pm *bursts out into song* IIIIIIIIIIIImmanuel Kan was a real p*ssant, who was very rarely stable. Heidegger, Heidegger was a boozy beggar who could think you under the table *runs away singing at the top of her lungs* TwoDragons 21. Mister Electricity Says: February 6th, 2007 at 1:58 pm Man is a self-centered brute that will seek his own gain regardless of the cost to others Thomas Hobbes.sometime long ago 22. johnnygoner Says: February 6th, 2007 at 2:25 pm Yes, most important WESTERN philosophical quotations interesting how easily we ignore the profound contributions to philosophy of Arabs, Persians, Indians, Chinese, Japanese and every other culture. Dogen, Nagarjuna, Confucius, Mencius, Ibn Arabi, Avicenna, and on and on. The West would not have had the Renaissance or the Age of Reason without Africans, Arabs and Turks many of these quotations would never had been made. Wake up to the world! 23. Chris Says: February 6th, 2007 at 2:31 pm Doesnt Wittgensteins Tractatus propose that language shapes thought? I cannot think what I cannot say? His point was that the physical world has a logical structure that our thought and language should reflect. That we should recognize the limits of logic, and not overstep those bounds. 24. Amused Philosopher Says: February 6th, 2007 at 2:56 pm Blah. Ive said more important things whilst drunk. 25. Tim Says: February 6th, 2007 at 3:53 pm Im too drunk to taste this chicken. Col. Sanders.

26. D2theMcV Says: February 6th, 2007 at 4:01 pm Im surprised they left out When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. Hunter S. Thompson (pronounced hun-ter ess tomp-sun) 27. Nevele Says: February 6th, 2007 at 4:30 pm I have always enjoyed MArk Twain quotations. To name a few: - Truth is more of a stranger than fiction. Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isnt. - Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest. - If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man. - Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. And my all time favourite: - I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him. 28. Albert R. Wechsler Says: February 6th, 2007 at 5:22 pm My version: The truth shall meke you free, but not necessarily happy. Keep up the good work 29. Spencer Says: February 6th, 2007 at 5:58 pm Thanks for that comment, johnnygoner. 30. Chris Says: February 6th, 2007 at 7:14 pm Another pronunciation is Immanuel Kant (kahnt) not (cant). 31. Fake Says: February 6th, 2007 at 7:25 pm Number 6 is the most arrogant thing Ive ever heard and should not be on there. Plus the guy looks like he paid someone to write it for him. 32. michael Says: February 6th, 2007 at 7:26 pm I completely agree with monster. Ive always thought of Ockhams razor as a supporting argument for the existence of God, not an atheistic worldview. The theory of evolution clearly breaks the law of thermodynamics and could not be considered the simplest theory by any means- any credible scientist will tell you that if evolution in fact did happen, the odds against it are one in a billion and is certainly *not* the simplest answer to how our universe began. 33. Bartedous Says: February 6th, 2007 at 7:39 pm Who said: If God did not exist we would find it necessary to invent Him.? 34. Mike Jones Says: February 6th, 2007 at 7:40 pm

I think Heraclitus quote is elegant, but it could be more so; Heraclitus is also noted for saying Panta Rhei, its greek and means Everything changes. It has the same poetic denotation as his previously mentioned quote, but this version is quicker and catchier! 35. Mike Jones Says: February 6th, 2007 at 7:52 pm @Michael And Monster Evolution has far too much evidence to completely discount the idea. I say this a trained biologist. You say that the odds against evolution are too staggering to believe? but Id argue that the nature of any nucleotide molecule is self-preservation. If you could make our world over and over again, any RNA molecule you put on the planet will evolve in to life. We are just the inherent outcome of one of the simplest chemicals around - who could design such a beautifully simple system? G_d? 36. Joseph Hutchison Says: February 6th, 2007 at 7:54 pm Curious. All these quotations spring from within (roughly) a 1,000 mile radius of Prague. Can The 11 Most Important Philosophical Quotations really be traced to such a small area? Or is this an indication of some sort of, wellbias? 37. Jordan Dimov Says: February 6th, 2007 at 7:58 pm These guys clearly had nothing better to do with their life. 1. The unexamined life is not worth living. Totally useless statement. No life can ever be lived without being examined. Every moment of existance adds upon All That Is and enhances it. 2. Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily And who are you to say, exactly? Entities get multiplied. Thats what entities do, like it or not. Screw you. 3. The life of man is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. Uhmmm. ok?? Loser?? Why did u even live??? 4. I think therefore I am This might have something to it. I dunno. Its a self-confusing statement. Id much rather just say I am and I love it. 5. To be is to be perceived Yea. No need to worry about that. 6. We live in the best of all possible worlds. Abso-******-lutely, my man! But not because of all that sufficient reason bullshit. Just because we all live on the cutting edge of existnece, and it always just gets better and better, and everything is better now than it has EVER been. Anyone whos not seeing this is clearly not seeing clearly. Sure, the media would have you believe we live in hell right now, with wars and poverty and everything, but that is just not true. We live in paradies, and life in the universe has NEVER been better than right now, right here. 7. The owl of Minerva spreads its wings only with the falling of the dusk. Why would you ever want to change anything anyway? I mean We LIVE in change. 8. Who is also aware of the tremendous risk involved in faith when he nevertheless makes the leap of faith this is subjectivity at its height. There is never a risk. Because nothing really bad can ever happen. Nothing really bad HAS ever happened. 9. God is dead. No one ever really dies. 10. There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide. Yea, thats a bit of a bummer. But its not all that bad, really. Its just a system reboot. Annoying, to be sure, but every once in a while some dim wit does it. 11. One cannot step twice in the same river. Now were talking. A-man, brother. 38. tim Says: February 6th, 2007 at 8:05 pm never noticed how many philosophers had big noses 39. James Says:

February 6th, 2007 at 8:23 pm Michael, I have some news for you about these things that you state as being unequivocally true. Actually, there are two things I want you to know. First, you do not understand entropy (which you are undoubtedly referring to when you say the law of thermodynamics). Its the second law of thermo, by the way. Yes, there is more than one. The second thing you must know is that when you make arguments based on things that you havent studied (thermodynamics) but others (me, others) have, you cannot begin to convince your opponent or the greater audience. Take awhile and learn about evolution and thermodynamics. If you do so and still maintain your viewpoint, then try again and you will at least make a coherent argument. 40. Scott Delaney Says: February 6th, 2007 at 8:42 pm @Bartedous Thatd be Voltaire. 41. Trat For Says: February 6th, 2007 at 9:05 pm This is all true to the word 42. Bjrn Magnus Mathisen Says: February 6th, 2007 at 9:15 pm My #1, Immanuel Kantfrom his tomb: Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe, the more often and steadily we reflect upon them: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me. 43. Intellectual Soup Says: February 6th, 2007 at 9:27 pm Voltaire was one of my favourite, I believe he was house imprisoned by the Vatican for defying Godly Rules and for debating the existence of God. The Pope even went to his house and had lunch with Voltaire on mutiple occasions, and at one point a high ranking bishop for the Vatican even told him The people are not ready for the inexistance of god 44. Josh H Says: February 6th, 2007 at 9:27 pm Commenter #37 is, if not a ******* ******, then a pretty passable satirist. If any of you guys actually read his **** all the way through and thought hey, hes right, well, let me explain a few things. 1) Examine your own life. Think about what you are doing, where you are going. Thats the point. RTFA. 3) This is the natural state, without all the things that keep people in check, like governments. Although I cant say I agree. RTFA. 4) If this confuses you, then by Descartes logic, you clearly are not. 6) Do you ever get a nosebleed? On your high horse? You over-privileged snot. Go read something, anything, by or about Siddhartha Gautama, and *then* tell me how you feel about existence. After you come down. From the MDMA. 7) Theres a big difference between transition between one state of being and another, and simple change. Hint: one is important. 8) The risk in question is the risk of losing all objectivity. Youve got a brain, dont be afraid to use it. 45. Ignat Drozdov Says: February 6th, 2007 at 9:48 pm L. Wittgenstein also said: I dont know why we are here, but I am fairly certain it is not to enjoy ourselves. I

thought that would have made the list 46. Jon Says: February 6th, 2007 at 11:11 pm Just wanted to agree with a comment above. Nietzsche is pronounced Neat-chuh. No y sound. So it would be more like.. Nice to meetcha, Nietzsche. 47. Nick Says: February 6th, 2007 at 11:13 pm I have a homemade poster of Wittgenstein which shows his portrait and under it is the whereof/thereof quote. 48. michael g Says: February 6th, 2007 at 11:40 pm to Ignat (and L. Wittgenstein) and anyone else asking that question: Love, liberty, and the pursuit of God. 49. anonymous Says: February 7th, 2007 at 12:00 am What, no Aristotle? Excellence is a habit. Virtue is a mean. Dear is Plato, Dearer still is truth. 50. Caboose Moose Says: February 7th, 2007 at 12:17 am @10 and 32 Ockhams razor is a suggestion about explanatory redundancy which seems to have passed you both by. It tells us to postulate entities only in so far as they are required for explanation. The postulation of the supernatural endowed with limitless power is both an extra entity and an empty one, since it does not in fact present a mechanism for explanation, it merely dismisses explanation, for omnipotence has no bounds and an infinity of mechanisms could be employed, rendering any one particular mechanism meaningless. Physics, chemistry and the modern synthesis are mechanisms by which the entities we seek to explain, namely the organisms of the biosphere, in fact explain themselves, without the postulation of the extra divine entity. And no, evolution doesnt violate entropy. You want a list of how many self-organized local examples of order the universe holds while continually either maintaining or gaining entropy? Think about it, there are a great many. 51. Jake Says: February 7th, 2007 at 12:52 am Heh, mention Nietzsche but not one of his greatest influences. For he states, Dostoevsky was the only psychologist from whom I had anything to learn: he belongs to the happiest windfalls of my life, happier even than the discovery of Stendhal. Verily, Verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 52. Am I cheating when I say... Says: February 7th, 2007 at 1:19 am that there are just so many opinions? I am astonished that science has been unable to figure this all out in a suitable manner, have you ever seen them smart kids with numbers? And no matter, them just working. That, if someone should figure out some answer? That, the chances? That, we are all going to come to some agreement. On That. Is t before we off each other or we die? Seems very unlikely. And did I mention that guy is earning a living? And his feet stink? What we may do and do. What is happening is hard to describe. Kierkegaard was not real either.

53. Atash Says: February 7th, 2007 at 1:41 am The author does not seem to be very familiar with philosophy. Worse, (s)he seems to have an agenda. Friedrich Neitzsche was not a Christian, but I cant imagine what the evidence was that he was in fact atheisticparticularly since his writing is rather rich in seemingly reverend references to God (his concept of God). The whole point of Also Sprach Zarathustra was to write down his ideas in a cryptic form so that only those who were worthy would understand them. It is hard to be understood, especially when one thinks and lives gangasrotogati among men who think and live kurmagati, or at best the way frogs walk, mandeikagati - I do try to make myself hard to understand! Didnt people have to sacrifice God himself and, out of cruelty against themselves, worship stone, stupidity, gravity, fate, nothingness? (the context is not one of approval) The possibility of an apparent existence of the subject, hence the soul, might not have always been alien to himthat thought which, as Vedanta philosophy, was once present with enormous power on earth. (quotes taken from Beyond Good and Evil). (The good news is that God exists; the bad news is that YOU donttheres no self). Nietzsche also pretty thoroughly demolished Descartes. Nietzsche read Indian philosophy. The correct inferrence is thinking is going on, therefor, thinking is going on, and you can stop right there. As Nietzsche and others have pointed out, the I just pops into existence according to the rules of grammer! 54. Says: February 7th, 2007 at 2:27 am to Ignat (and L. Wittgenstein) and anyone else asking that question: Love, liberty, and the pursuit of God. 55. Unimpressed Says: February 7th, 2007 at 2:31 am Youve got Nietzsche but nothing from Aquinas, I gotta say its a pretty pathetic list. It might be better titled 11 philosophical quotes which I fancy. 56. Michael Says: February 7th, 2007 at 3:07 am I only agree with the quotes of Socrates, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche. Bull that we live in the best possible world or that to be is to be perceived. 57. Passenger Says: February 7th, 2007 at 3:26 am God is dead but his corpse is stinking Michel Onfray, french philosopher in trait dathologie 58. Trey Philips Says: February 7th, 2007 at 3:30 am Yeah, this is a mediocre list, and certainly out of order. There are much better ways to put these in context, but Im glad you at least thought of making such a list. Also, Im amazed you didnt put the most commonly mispronounced name in there - Descartes. 59. Passenger Says: February 7th, 2007 at 3:41 am Ren Descartes, pronounced :day-cart. Im french. Nothing is more fairly distributed than common sense: no one thinks he needs more of it than he already has the more used quote. In french : le bon sens est la chose du monde la mieux partage 60. Robert Nozick Says: February 7th, 2007 at 4:21 am

[[[ FOR TEH WIN! ]]] Treating us with respect by respecting our rights, it [the minimal state] allows us, individually or with whom we choose, to choose our life and to realize our ends and our conception of ourselves, insofar as we can, aided by the voluntary cooperation of other individuals possessing the same dignity. How dare any state or group of individuals do more. 61. Robert Nozick Says: February 7th, 2007 at 4:21 am OR LESS. 62. MisterTrilby Says: February 7th, 2007 at 6:02 am Re: Ockhams razor. God is *not* a simpler explanation for the origin of life and the universe than the big bang. The big bang was a simple event, perhaps caused by the random quantum leap of a single particle. The precise cause is unknown, of course, but that doesnt automatically mean that the god hypothesis is correct simply because its an alternative theory! What followed the big bang is a *series* of events - expansion, gravitational accretion, evolution, etc, which are all incremental, simple events, dictated by the blind actions of extremely small particles behaving in simple ways that have a larger, more profound effect. To say that Ockhams razor proves God is a ridiculous misreading: because a God would require a more complex explanation for its origins than the universe itself. 63. Email a Psychic Says: February 7th, 2007 at 6:04 am cooooooool 64. Peter Says: February 7th, 2007 at 8:53 am Spinoza. God did not create the universe - God *is* the universe. 65. NeverMind Says: February 7th, 2007 at 9:05 am Better a foolish wit than a witty fool. Will Shakespeare 66. Crazydiamond Says: February 7th, 2007 at 9:31 am my time has not come, some men are born posthumously Nietzsche. 67. gosh Says: February 7th, 2007 at 10:42 am I want to echo those who mentioned that this list is limited to dead white men of European descent. As such, they represent a sort of inbred intellectualism that scarely rises to the level of most important. If it wasnt for the so called Arabic numbers being brought to Europe from theisticIndia, along with the concept of Zero, modern science wouldnt even have entered into European life. Suppose you want to have another list, try multiplying XI by II. Of course, it was nice to see that, inevitably. some Eastern philosophy creep in. How about: 12.Om - Krishna

68. Andrew Says: February 7th, 2007 at 10:49 am What no Bill Hicks, the greatest philoshoper of all time 69. nullifidian Says: February 7th, 2007 at 11:00 am I was suprised not to see sapere aude in there. 70. Kristin Says: February 7th, 2007 at 11:34 am Im surprised that Bertrand Russell, one of the greatest mathematicians and philosophers of modern time was not mentioned at all. For shame! If one has studied philosophy at all, they should be aware of his existence and theories. 71. Brian Says: February 7th, 2007 at 11:42 am Missing Sartre: Man is condemned to be free. 72. Wang Tan Says: February 7th, 2007 at 11:45 am I think therefore I am If Im pink am I spam ? No Matter where I go There I am Was there realy the Big Bang? Hard to tell truth from slang. Got to go the phone just rang. 73. Bithead Says: February 7th, 2007 at 11:45 am The list will be different for every one. As for the unexamined life is not worth living, well, logically, for all people to live together in peace, all life must have equal value. Otherwise, all harm against humanity is justifiable. If people learn to think logically, the need for philosophers to help them determine what to do in any given situation fades considerably. They learn to think logically for them selves. 74. LA Says: February 7th, 2007 at 1:58 pm Bertrand Russell? While a talented mathematician, his philosophical work is pointless. More importatnt would be Martin Heidegger who has had a tremendous impact on how we view the world in which we live. (And I say this as a PhD philosophy student.) 75. Harbinger Says: February 7th, 2007 at 2:08 pm # Peter Says: February 6th, 2007 at 10:43 am Hmmm. All white males. What a suprise. Does this criticism make their ideas any less valid? Lets censure the white philosophers? Ill take Surak of Vulcan over your *Nagarjuna* any day. 76. Samuel Says:

February 7th, 2007 at 2:24 pm Im afraid its hard to imagine any list of important philosophical quotes from our current perspective without, Existence precedes essence. - Jean Paul Sartre 77. Dale Says: February 7th, 2007 at 3:20 pm Correction: The heart has its reasons, which reason does not know. 78. Raristotle Says: February 7th, 2007 at 3:32 pm My favorite philosophers quote (from the very quotable) Aristotle, All men, by nature, desire to know. Its the first line his Metaphysics. Also, from the Nicomachean Ethics, We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. 79. Michiel Says: February 7th, 2007 at 3:48 pm Hey webmasters, wheres David Hume?! Generally speaking, the errors in religion are dangerous; those in philosophy only ridiculous ================================================= Seamus said: (comment #11) Nietsche is not pronounced Nee-ch-ya but rather NeeTchUh Seamus is right. And Rene Descartes was a drunken **** I drink therefore I am 80. Nasorenga Says: February 7th, 2007 at 4:00 pm You got the pronunciation of Ludwig (Wittgenstein) wrong. The final g is pronounced as a voiceless palatal fricative, represented as [] in IPA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Phonetic_Alphabet). Its the same final sound as in the German word ich, similar to initial sound in the way some speakers pronounce the English word huge 81. S.A.H. Says: February 7th, 2007 at 4:05 pm FYI: You spelled Peirce incorrectly. Its PEIRCE, not Pierce, which is ironic, given you try to correct peoples pronunciation of his name. 82. Alex Says: February 7th, 2007 at 4:28 pm Thanks S.A.H.! Thats my typo, it was spelled correctly in the original mental_floss article. I had fun reading everyones take on this. There are plenty of great quotations from the digg , reddit and fark link to this article. 83. KT Says: February 7th, 2007 at 5:35 pm A slow sort of country! said the Queen. Now, HERE, you see, it takes all the running YOU can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that! Lewis Carroll.

84. ChrisMMM Says: February 7th, 2007 at 6:54 pm No Twain!!! No Ambrose Bierce?!!! May God overlook you - AB 85. Golfer Says: February 7th, 2007 at 7:23 pm The Pronounciation of Nietzsche is wrong. A german sche is NOT (and never!) pronounced like ch-ya. Its pronounce like shed without the d.

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