As A Classics Major I Need To Beat People Over The Head With Philosophy References - Tumblr Posts

I wanna hear your top 5 bullshit philosophers! (Dropped out of my german philosophy graduate degree a few years back myself. Minima Moralia even was in the toilet book pile in my previous flat)

oh, with certain pleasure. please keep in mind that i don't think that these philosophers are bullshitting, neither am i making any judgement on their merit as philosophers - these are simply my most quoted philosophers, and when i invoke their name in casual conversation to deal psychic damage to my friends, i certainly am bullshitting. now you can also do the same to your friends and hit them with austrian philosopher ludwig wittgenstein because they burned the pizza! so here are, in no particular order:

5 quotable philoposphy texts to invoke in casual conversation

On Certainty, by Ludwig Wittgenstein (1984) - link to text

to be able to say "my god, Wittgenstein was right. there are no certainties" every time something new and excitingly terrifying happens on the news or when the bus doesn't come

Theodicy by Freiherr von Gottfried Leibniz (1710) - link to pdf

to be able to say "no Leibniz was right, this is the best of all possible worlds" to absolutely derail any conversation about god being real or when you are eating a really good cookie

Economy and Society, by Max Weber (1921) - link to pdf

to be able to say "weber was right, bureaucracy only serves itself" as a poignant critique about how institutions can prevent progress and also when complaining about the long line at the DMV

Technology of the Self, by Michel Foucault (1982) - link to text

to be able to say "fuck, focault was right, self-optimization is a disease" to discuss the ruse of modern "self-care" in the oppressive context of capitalism and to throw at that one friend who is a bit too much on that grind

The Logic of Scientific Discovery, by Karl Popper (1959), link to pdf

to be able to say "karl popper was right, proven wrong once again!" whenever new exiting science gets published, you admit defeat in a stupid argument that went on too long, or when you see a black swan (let me know!).

and last but not least, honourable mention:

On Jazz, by Theodor W Adorno (1980) - link to pdf

to be able to say "adorno was so wrong, this music goes hard" whenever jazz comes on to remind all your friends that adorno had some truly unhinged takes about jazz of all things. seriously why did he say all that

that's all. don't forget to have fun and be yourself and cite your sources!