Who are the philosophers you would no doubt read if only you had the time? How about the philosophers you suspect that everyone has pretended to read, but whom very few have? If you’ve ever thought there’s just too much reading in philosophy, you’ll be pleased to know there’s only one essential philosopher to read.

Take a gander at this amusing article by Steven Sanders and find out. If only you have the time.

“Philosophy used to be taught at colleges and universities to acquaint students with the rich heritage of the Western intellectual tradition, to present texts against which one might define, develop, challenge, and re-evaluate one’s own ideas, and to encourage logical thinking. But now, in an age where celebrity gossip dominates all of life, the student is less likely to learn about the intellectual achievements of the past and to encounter models of reasoned discourse than to be told, for example, that Kant is “a disaster” (Bertrand Russell), that John Dewey “replaces structure with fog” (Arthur C. Danto), that “Wittgenstein wants to make a bonfire of our philosophical vanities” (Hilary Putnam), that Jean-Paul Sartre is “an appalling language-user” (Mary Warnock), that A.J. Ayer “might have been a great philosopher–ruined by sex” (Gilbert Ryle), and even that awarding an honorary degree to Jacques Derrida showed “it had been a bad year for bullshit in Cambridge” (Hugh Mellor).”

Read the rest of the article here: Dare to be deep – Steven Sanders. A great site about the feuds and colourful relationships of philosophers through the ages proving, no matter how long their beard is or large their head, they are only human too.