2 Answers

  1. Is it in the sense of 1 year A.D. and beyond or in the sense of modernity?

    If the former, then Descartes, Kant, Hegel (with all the dislike), perhaps Marx.

    If there is no one in the second one, then no one is allowed. Even the most influential philosophers of the 20th century fall short of these three in terms of scope and pervasiveness.

    Foucault can influence all the humanities as much as he likes, but he remains too complex for ordinary people. But Plato or Aristotle, any layman will begin to quote practically if you ask him the right questions – even without knowing that someone is quoting, just intuitively reasoning.

  2. (inspired by Nikita Kotov's answer)

    and what Western inventors can be put on a par with the inventor of the wheel and the creator of fire? (if only, by some miracle, we knew one of the names of those who invented the wheel)

    the bottom line is that when someone declares the obvious things, that these berries are edible, and these are delicious, and these are poisonous .. can any subsequent culinary specialist or chef surpass these first discoveries in terms of significance??

    in addition, much of the subsequent philosophy was based on a variety of judgments .. and it just so happens that after some selection and competition, the philosophy that was based on ancient (and precisely these) philosophers remained .. this “selection” was strongly determined by the processes taking place in Europe, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

    would humanism flourish in Europe if there were no plague epidemics? .. would you have gone back to the ancient thinkers? .. and then all contemporaries would talk about Aristotle, forgetting other thinkers (cynics, for example).. why would people be interested in the legacy of “wrong” philosophers?

    so it turns out that all modern and earlier philosophers of the West exaggerate the ideas of recognized ancient authorities .. due to the fact that this is exactly how the circumstances of the development of the same Europe have developed .. and outside of this exaggeration, there are Arabs, Hindus, and Chinese .. and more importantly, other contemporaries of Aristotle and Socrates ..

    does this mean that other trends and thinkers were worse? no, it does not mean that for Europe, due to circumstances, the ideas of humanism were much more profitable in the “plague” circumstances .. and some would use propaganda to quote Aristotle, while others would nod in agreement … this is how authorities are established.

    how can anyone be called one of those who exaggerate JUSTIFIED knowledge and trends EQUAL to the authors of these teachings???? .. the teachings of humanists (not even the philosophers themselves) saved Europe from destruction .. are there any people today who can boast that in 2000 years his words will save civilization? …. ….. ….. how do we know?

    …

    well, or back to the berries …. so who is more important? the one who tasted the berries (ensured the survival of the human race in the broadest sense), or the one who invented the wheel (in the broadest sense laid the foundation for technological development)?? how to judge?

    …

    and let's think about it this way … let's call the name of Seraphim of Sarov, or Nikolai Fedorov .. didn't they determine the development of not only Russia, but also the whole of humanity ?? .. or maybe we can remember Lenin? can someone say that his “philosophy” is not significant for humanity as a whole?

    In 30 years ' time, when China finally takes over the world, Mao's red quote book will be direct proof that he is a much better philosopher than Aristotle.

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