"Philosopher Kings"
Printed From: History Community ~ All Empires
Category: General History
Forum Name: General World History
Forum Discription: All aspects of world history, especially topics that span across many regions or periods
URL: http://www.allempires.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=15443
Printed Date: 23-Apr-2024 at 05:01
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Topic: "Philosopher Kings"
Posted By: Decebal
Subject: "Philosopher Kings"
Date Posted: 12-Oct-2006 at 13:44
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- Nabonidus, the last king Of Babylon who was so concerned with ancient history and archeological excavations, that he paid little attention to the impending doom of his empire and its subsequent conquest by Cyrus of the Achemenids - Marcus Aurelius, the only Roman Emperor who also established a reputation for his philosophy, and whoi wrote "Meditations" - Constantine Porphyrogenitus - a Byzantine Emperor and noted author. We could probably also add Anna Comnena, a noted historian and a Byzantine princess - Babur "the Tiger", the first Great Moghul- not only an able general but also a noted author I'd like to hear of more... ------------- What is history but a fable agreed upon? Napoleon Bonaparte Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth.- Mohandas Gandhi 
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Replies:
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 12-Oct-2006 at 13:56
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Take notice of the following:
Nezahualcoyotl, king of Texcoco, pre-columbian Mexico.
Alphose X the Wise, Christian king of Spain at the Middle Ages
Ptolmey I, the King of Alexandria.
Pinguin
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Posted By: Komnenos
Date Posted: 12-Oct-2006 at 14:00
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Julian the Apostate, who had immense philosophical pretensions, but was more of a caricature of a Hellenic thinker. ------------- [IMG]http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/komnenos/crosses1.jpg"> |
Posted By: rider
Date Posted: 12-Oct-2006 at 14:20
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I wouldn't say that Ptolemaios Soter was much of a philosopher, pinguin.
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Posted By: vulkan02
Date Posted: 12-Oct-2006 at 14:25
King Solomon was regarded as the acme of wisdom in ancient Hebrew scriptures. He's also my current avatar ... ------------- The beginning of a revolution is in reality the end of a belief - Le Bon Destroy first and construction will look after itself - Mao |
Posted By: Maharbbal
Date Posted: 12-Oct-2006 at 14:41
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Trotsky. His "My Life" is regarded as one of the best piece of Russian litterature in the 20th century. Churchill, De Gaule, and the Prince of Ligne are also highly praized for the quality of their memoir. Marguerite de Navarre. First (and best?) French femal poet. Frederick II. His philosophical work is said to be of good quality. God (King of the Kings) is said to have written a few books. Lorenzo De Medici was a very skilled poet. I guess Ludwig of Bavaria must have written something. Louis XIV left two books to his sons. Must be others. ------------- I am a free donkey! |
Posted By: Kids
Date Posted: 12-Oct-2006 at 14:53
| Alexander the Great |
Posted By: Komnenos
Date Posted: 12-Oct-2006 at 15:22
I though we are restricted to monarchs.
Anyway, if you mention Trotsky, how about Lenin who thrilled the Russian workers and peasants with works like " http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1908/mec/index.htm - Materialism and Empirio-Criticism " , a seminal piece of Marxist philosophy.
------------- [IMG]http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/komnenos/crosses1.jpg"> |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 12-Oct-2006 at 15:36
Yes, you are right. He was more like a "manager" of events
 Yep, I change him by King Solomon, then. I mantain, though, Nezahualcoyotl and King Alphonse the Wise. And, of course, Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor.
Pinguin
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Posted By: Maharbbal
Date Posted: 12-Oct-2006 at 15:37
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True and we could also mention Stalin's "on Yougoslavia" maybe the only piece of litterature able to make Main Kampf look like a seminal essay on human condition.
------------- I am a free donkey! |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 12-Oct-2006 at 15:40
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I would not call Stalin, Hitler or Mao Tse Tung "phylosophers" because they wrote the Main Kampf or the Red Book.
Pinguin
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Posted By: Bulldog
Date Posted: 12-Oct-2006 at 15:46
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What did Alexander the Great write?
More additions-
- Suleyman the Magnificent, master poet, patron of the arts and architecture, creater of of one of the greatest justice system combinating a balance between Turkic Yasa and Ture and Islamic Shariah Law.
- Ulugh Bey/Beg/Bek, great scientist, ruler of the timurids, builder of the famous Samarkent observatory, calculated the length of a year, achieved mathmatical advancments and catelogued a thousand stars and the motions of the planets.
------------- “What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.” Albert Pine |
Posted By: Paul
Date Posted: 12-Oct-2006 at 16:05
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Richard III, who assemble the largest collection of books in England and seems to have read them all. ------------- Light blue touch paper and stand well back http://www.maquahuitl.co.uk - http://www.maquahuitl.co.uk http://www.toltecitztli.co.uk - http://www.toltecitztli.co.uk |
Posted By: Chilbudios
Date Posted: 12-Oct-2006 at 17:05
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Some surprising testimonies of intellectual achievements come from the early Barbaric kingdoms:
In Italy, maybe Theodoric the Great not so, but Amalasuntha knew not only Latin, but also Greek (which was a mark of exquisite literacy in the Latin West of those times) and as Cassiodorus says, she was quite knowledgeable in the Classical Culture. Theodat was also named the "philosopher king" and Procopius said about him he was more skillful in Plato than in miltary.
In Spain, Sisebut, the Visigothic king was also erudite both in theology but also in laic literature. He knew not only the Christian Holy Books, but also theology, classical philosophy as his letters and poems prove. In fact several of the later Visigothic kings enjoyed the royal library which contained both religious and laic literature.
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Posted By: malizai_
Date Posted: 12-Oct-2006 at 17:10
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Ulugh Beg, how can we forget. ------------- |
Posted By: gcle2003
Date Posted: 13-Oct-2006 at 03:05
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In England, Alfred the Great.
And James I of England VI of Scotland was known as the 'wisest fool in Christendom'.
Philosophers can be idiots too.
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Posted By: Leonardo
Date Posted: 13-Oct-2006 at 08:38
I disagree totally with you
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Posted By: Hellios
Date Posted: 13-Oct-2006 at 10:04
Alexander didn't live long enough to produce many philosophical written works, but philosophy isn't only about writing. He grabbed any opportunity he could (during his hectic military campaigns) to philosophize with the local philosophers of the various kingdoms he conquered. This probably had something to do with his background & education; he was personally educated by Aristotle, follower/student of Plato, follower/student of Socrates. Alexander’s philosophical background/education and sense of philosophy were probably as good as any other King mention in this thread. He also contributed greatly to philosophy by creating many foundations for its development, such as some of the great cities/schools he founded, which became famous for the development of philosophy. People who try to distance Alexander from philosophy are probably from the "I think Alexander was overrated..." gang. He was greatly philosophical in both his upbringing and his actions (during his short life). Those "written works" historians love to see, would've come later. It shouldn't be doubted that somebody with his philosophical background/experience and philosophical sense, would've also produced some fine philosophical "written" work if he has reached an older age. There are so many greatly philosophical monarchs.
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Posted By: Bulldog
Date Posted: 13-Oct-2006 at 12:20
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The same can be said about any Conqueror, Monarch, Leader though. Most recieve the top education and have quite a privallaged background. There are ofcourse exceptions, one that springs to mind is Timurlenk and Nadir Shah, they had to be doubly as intellegent as getting to become a leader when your a shephard would be tough today let along in back in the middle-ages.
You comment on some of the great cities he founded, yet he also destroyed probobly the greatest and most advanced city of the era "Persepolis" and countless other cities. Alexander the Great is among the warrior kings, for more focused with millitaristic actions rather than philosophies and culture. He belongs in a group with, Atilla the Hun and Genghiz Khan. ------------- “What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.” Albert Pine |
Posted By: Hellios
Date Posted: 13-Oct-2006 at 13:02
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Hey BD,
Yes, most monarchs had a good education & privileged background, but (in terms of philosophy) that's not the
Most conquerors destroyed cities, but not all of them built as many as he did. Try to look at the big picture.
You must have some political or favoritistic issues to be saying that his interest in cultures & sense of philosophy were the Remember, I didn't jump in this thread to propose Alexander as a 'Philosophical King', I jumped in because another member mentioned him and you replied "What did Alexander write?", so I said philosophy isn't only about writing & tried to explain why I thought so...
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Posted By: Bulldog
Date Posted: 13-Oct-2006 at 13:31
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Hellios
Yes, most monarchs had a good education & privileged background, but (in terms of philosophy) that's not the same thing as personal tutoring by the Aristotle-Plato-Socrates lineage. In terms of philosophy, that's something quite extraordinary. True but the teachers of a later age were knowledgable of the famous Greek philosophers aswell as other world philosophers. However, their education must have had some impact on him somewhere along the line. Hellios Most conquerors destroyed cities, but not all of them built as many as he did. Try to look at the big picture. I think its safe to say he destroyed more or at least as many cities as he built
Hellios You must have some political or favoritistic issues to be saying that his interest in cultures & sense of philosophy were the same as Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan. All I’ve been trying to say is that he wasn’t as un-philosophical as you portrayed him in your earlier post. Genghiz Khan had the secret history of the Mogols written, was an expert in millitary philosophies being bought up in a millitaristic environment. However, ultimately they were "Warrior Kings". Not all philosopher kings are great rulers and not all warrior kings are great leaders. Each category has its greats, I wasn't trying to be derrogative about "Alexander the Great", he's one of the greatest "warrior kings". ------------- “What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.” Albert Pine |
Posted By: Hellios
Date Posted: 13-Oct-2006 at 13:32
Agreed.
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Posted By: Hellios
Date Posted: 13-Oct-2006 at 14:18
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Thanks for agreeing. Yes, what philosopher wouldn't want to have been personally tutored by the Aristotle-Plato-Socrates lineage?
He's known for being a destroyer of cities just as much as he's known for being a builder of cities. This might be a case of how one looks at the cup that is 'half full' or 'half empty'.
If you prefer to call him a "warrior king", go ahead, but most people will think that you're under the impression that fighting is the only thing he was good at. I've accepted that he was a product of both; his father's military excellence, and his philosopher educators. The latter was surely going to be more evident today if he hadn't died so soon, because it's quite logical that in his old age he would've started to write more & fight less. The philosophical writings would surely have been something comparable to his philosopher educators', with the added elements of his experiences as a great conqueror. ------------- |
Posted By: Bulldog
Date Posted: 13-Oct-2006 at 15:30
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We could debate about what "might" and "might not have" happened but unfortunately can only go on what we have.
Which is that Alexander the Great is known for fighting and not philosophy. ------------- “What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.” Albert Pine |
Posted By: Hellios
Date Posted: 13-Oct-2006 at 15:41
It's not a 'might or might not'. It's going on what we have, which is that he wasn't known for fighting only. If you still feel like pursuing it, open another thread called "Is fighting the only thing Alexander is known for?" and you'll see the results, my friend.
Anyhow, sorry for jousting with you on somebody else's thread dude.
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Posted By: Komnenos
Date Posted: 15-Oct-2006 at 13:46
Yeah, I know, we have discussed that before. But as it is your birthday today, I'm not gonna argue with you!
Happy Birthday, you old heathen! ------------- [IMG]http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i137/komnenos/crosses1.jpg"> |