academic

THOMAS JEFFERSON

In June, 1776, the CONTINENTAL CONGRESS of the rebellious 13 American colonies needed to ARTICULATE their grievances with the BRITISH CROWN and the man drafted to DRAFT this DECLARATION was the QUIETEST delegate in Congress – a red-haired, 33 year-old farmer from VIRGINIA.

European

Oh No, ROUSSEAU!

"I propose to show my fellows a man as NATURE made him… and this man is MYSELF!"

author

NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI: Undercover Boss!

"In taking a state a conqueror must arrange to commit ALL his cruelties at ONCE, so as not to have to recur to them every day."

academic

THOMAS HOBBES: Navigating The Leviathan!

Without civil society…humanity would fall into "War of All AGAINST All."

European

AUGUSTE COMTE: High Priest of Science!

Comte believed that the wave of instability and violence sweeping through Europe in the early 19th century was a direct result of religion's recent ASS-WHOOPING by science!

academic

HEGEL & SCHOPENHAUER: Toxic Fanboys!

Once upon a time there lived two professors and they both though IMMANUEL KANT was the greatest philosopher EVER!

religion

IMMANUEL KANT Touch This!

"…Reason is NOT the end-all and be-all of life!"

academic

DAVID HUME: The Empirical Strikes Back!

Even when we THINK we observe cause-and-effect in ACTION…DO we, really?

academic

Six Degrees of FRANCIS BACON!

"Knowledge is power!"

European

ST THOMAS AQUINAS: Apetite For Doctrine!

Like a LOT of parents, the Count of Aquino was less than THRILLED when he learned that his son had switches MAJORS midway through COLLEGE.

academic

HYPATIA: The Last? Or The First?

SCIENCE isn't a MODERN invention. Our hunger to understand the WORLD… has been a part of each one of US from our earliest days.

European

The (Mostly) Saintly ST AUGUSTINE!

Aurelius Augustine was raised a CHRISTIAN by his devout mother, MONICA, but her faith didn't stick - at FIRST!

asian

CONFUCIUS On A Rampage!

Though known in the west as Confucius this legendary Chinese thinker is better known in his native land as MASTER KONG!

religion

ISAAC LURIA: Rabbi Of The Mystic Arts!

Our plane of existence is both the PROCESS and the OUTCOME of a process that hasn't stopped since God said "let there be light!"

ancient

RUMI: The Philosopher Of Love!

“What I once thought of as God I met today as a human being!”

asian

LAO TZU: The Sage Of Tao!

"The universe is SACRED. If you try to change it, you will RUIN it. If you try to HOLD it, you will LOSE it."

ancient

EPICTETUS THE STOIC: The Unknown Philosopher!

This philosopher's real name remains unknown - "Epictetus" simply means "slave".

omnipotence for dummies

KIERKEGAARD: Enemy Of The Church!

After repeated, vehement attacks on Denmark's state religion the most popular guy in Copenhagen was most definitely NOT Soren Kierkegaard… but he was having the time of his life!

greek

EPICURUS: Principal Of Doctrines!

"A happy and eternal being has no trouble himself and brings no trouble upon any other being; hence he is EXEMPT from movements of anger and partiality, for every such movement implies WEAKNESS!"

omnipotence for dummies

GOTTFRIED LEIBNIZ: Living His Best Life!

Gottfried Leibniz (co-inventor of Calculus) believed he had proven the existence of God through a rather complicated cosmology…

ancient

DIOGENES THE CYNIC: Philosophy Goes To The Dogs!

Diogenes believed that NATURE, not social convention, showed the way to a virtuous life.

omnipotence for dummies

BARUCH SPINOZA: Clarity Is King!

…had a poetically appropriate day job for a philosopher - he crafted glass lenses for telescopes so the heavens might be better viewed.

academic

ARISTOTLE: Keeper Of The Philosophical Flame!

Plato died…and many feared that his tradition of thinking and learning might die with him. No one yet realized that someone waited in the wings to pick up the torch…

religion

GEORGE BERKELEY: If He Sees It, It Must Be Real!

…was an Irish Anglican bishop who didn't believe in the existence of matter. Instead, he said: "To be is to be perceived."

ancient

THE PRE-SOCRATICS: Pioneers Of Fancy Thinkin'!

"…the FIRST Philosophers thought the nature of matter were the ONLY principles of ALL things."