philosophers
- Immanuel Kant
- Gottfried Leibniz
- Friedrich Nietzsche
- Karl Popper
- Arthur Schopenhauer
- Ludwig Wittgenstein
- 1724–1804
- 1646–1716
- 1844–1900
- 1902–1994
- 1788–1860
- 1889–1951
chronological list of ideas that resonated
best of all possible worlds
It would have the most good and the least evil. Courage is better than no courage. Without evil to challenge us, there can be no courage. Since evil brings out the best aspects of humanity, evil is regarded as necessary — grasping at straws..
1710 — Gottfried Liebniz
categorical imperative
“Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law” is a purely formal statement and expresses the condition of the rationality of conduct rather than that of its morality. Thus; “So act as to treat humanity, whether in your own person or in another, always as an end, and never as only a means.”
1785 — Immanuel Kant
hedgehog’s dilemma
It describes a situation in which a group of hedgehogs seek to move close to one another to share heat during cold weather. They must remain apart, however, as they cannot avoid hurting one another with their sharp spines. Though they all share the intention of a close reciprocal relationship, this may not occur, for reasons they cannot avoid. Despite goodwill, human intimacy can’t occur without substantial mutual harm, and what results is cautious behavior and weak relationships.
1851 — Arthur Schopenhauer
amor fati — love of one’s fate
1882 — Friedrich Nietzsche
It is used to describe an attitude in which one sees everything that happens in one’s life, including suffering and loss, as good or, at the very least, necessary.
“the limits of my language means the limits of my world”
There’s an unbridgeable gap between what can be expressed in language and what can be expressed in non-verbal ways.
1922 — Ludwig Wittgenstein, who later became his own best critic
black swan
The observation of these black swans contradicts the law
1934 — Karl Popper
“All swans are white”, but even if there were no black swans, the law would still be falsifiable, because identifying a swan and observing the color black would remain possible.