The article Zehn Denker kompakt (Maus, 2008) provides an overview of key philosophers from Plato to Wittgenstein. Here are the key points for each philosopher:
Plato (427-347 BC):
- Biography: Disciple of Socrates, founded the Academy in Athens.
- Core Thesis: Allegory of the Cave – Search for unshakable principles and Ideas.
- Relevance Today: Call to seek truth beyond media, trust in the soul.
Aristotle (384-322 BC):
- Biography: Student of Plato, tutor to Alexander the Great.
- Core Thesis: Realism, emphasis on facts, systematization of science.
- Relevance Today: Emphasis on knowledge for gaining understanding and maximal happiness.
René Descartes (1596-1650):
- Biography: Mathematician, founder of analytical geometry.
- Core Thesis: Mathematical method, systematic doubt, „Cogito, ergo sum“ („I think, therefore I am“).
- Relevance Today: Emphasis on analytical thinking, courage for radical doubt.
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804):
- Biography: Königsberg professor, intensive thinker.
- Core Thesis: Critique of Pure Reason, emphasis on reason and ethical foundation.
- Relevance Today: Ethical basis for a decent life, importance of reason.
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831):
- Biography: Berlin professor, state philosopher.
- Core Thesis: Dialectic – Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis, search for the law of the world spirit.
- Relevance Today: Belief in the power of the spirit, possibility of uniting opposites.
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860):
- Biography: Loner, misanthropic.
- Core Thesis: Everything is suffering, redemption through detachment from the will.
- Relevance Today: Pessimism but also a source of freedom through detachment from the will.
Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855):
- Biography: Nervous thinker, existential philosopher.
- Core Thesis: Radical subjectivity, freedom through decisions.
- Relevance Today: Emphasis on individual freedom and the necessity to make decisions.
Karl Marx (1818-1883):
- Biography: Critic of capitalism, author of the „Communist Manifesto.“
- Core Thesis: Economic relations determine history, class struggle, communism.
- Relevance Today: Analysis of economic structures, relevance for understanding society.
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900):
- Biography: Sensitive character, creator of the Übermensch.
- Core Thesis: Revaluation of all values, „God is dead,“ Übermensch.
- Relevance Today: Critique of traditional values, challenge to create new values.
Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951):
- Biography: Constructivist, lived simply, intense thinking phases.
- Core Thesis: Language analysis, focus on clear core statements about facts.
- Relevance Today: Philosophy decluttering, emphasis on clear language, avoidance of metaphysical questions.
Source:
Maus, Stephan (26.11.2008, 17:16). Zehn Denker kompakt. Stern. https://www.stern.de/panorama/wissen/mensch/philosophie-zehn-denker-kompakt-3749076.html
