If each of the Mane 6 had their own philosophy

[MMFAN 198]

I thought this would be a fun idea, and an enlightening one, 

as we all might find philosophical schools we hadn't heard of before. Just list

which Philosophy and philosopher you think each pony reads or is drawn to. Let
me say this, each philosophy has many differing philosophers who had different slant on a certain philosophy and even though it's core principles and ideals remain the same, each philosopher has their own take

on the school. That's all. If I offend anyone I apologize in advance, I'm not a
philosophy major I'm just a thinker.

 

Rainbow Dash-Dan Millman, Taoism

Rarity-???

Pinkie Pie- Roberto Unger, The Passions

Applejack-???

Twilight Sparkle-Plato, Ontology

Fluttershy- Socrates, Hedonism

Rainbow Dash I compared to Dan Millman, they both had to destroy their

egos in a sense to learn that doing your best is all you can do, and that
winning doesn't really matter. The episode "The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well"

 played with this theme extensively and as such is one of my

top ten favorite episodes.

Fluttershy just seems to enjoy life and roll with whatever
comes her way; this is how she's able to be calm and collected in most
everything she does.

 

Pinkie Pie is just fun-loving, and while I'd also count her
as a extreme hedonist with reckless abandon, I settled for her being a student
of The Passions because of Unger's take on the school that paraphrases as such:
"The non-sequiter of The Passions is not contradictory to reason, but is
simply another less ridgid side to reason."

Twilight's fascination with knowledge and learning brings
her close with Ontology, in the way that she deconstructs everything to it's
"spare parts" why not deconstruct the scientific theory itself, or
even the nature of mind? Though I always found her use of magic and her skeptic
take on most things (most notably in the episode "Pinky Keen") to be
hypocritical.

As you may have noticed, Rarity and Applejack I left blank,
because I find that they are quite similar and I didn't want to cheat by
putting them both with a single philosophical school. Also the only
philosophies I could remember off the top of my head were Machiavellianism,
Humanism, Feminism, which is politically incorrect in my mind since you could
say that about any of the Mane 6 in terms of being strong and independent.
Humanism is sort of too ambivalent to be attributed to either pony. And Machiavellianism
doesn't work with any pony. Twilight started out with Machiavellianism, but because of her
unquestioning loyalty to her monarch this seemed unrealistic.

Edited February 22, 2013 by MMFAN

[Harmonic Revelations 8,835]

I find it odd that you used the word "If". The only way they couldn't have beliefs like philosophies is if they are a philosophical zombie.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophical_zombie

[Jammo 986]

Twilight Sparkle - Roberto Mossoulini

Rainbow Dash - Andrew Brevik

Fluttershy - Osama Bin Laden

Pinkie Pie - Richard Chase

Applejack - Charles Manson

Rarity - Zedong Mao

 

I confident with these comparisons.

[MMFAN 198]

I find it odd that you used the word "If". The only way they couldn't have beliefs like philosophies is if they are a philosophical zombie.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophical_zombie

Whoops... my mistake. Sad that I didn't catch that. ​  I had never heard of the term philosophical zombie before, it's a brilliant concept. 

 

Twilight Sparkle - Roberto Mossoulini

Rainbow Dash - Andrew Brevik

Fluttershy - Osama Bin Laden

Pinkie Pie - Richard Chase

Applejack - Charles Manson

Rarity - Zedong Mao

 

I confident with these comparisons.

 

I almost fell of my chair laughing comparing AppleJack to Manson, since Manson also ran his crazy little murder parade in a tiny farm as well... i'm going from memory as I don't feel like having Charles Manson in my google search history to see if that's in fact true.

[An Old Head 4,816]

I was thinking Pinkie Pie to be a sort of Von Leibniz. That guy pretty much pushed up and amplified positive thinking.

 

Rainbow Dash is definitely Altruism.

 

I'm not sure about the others... this is a great thread idea though. n.n I'll definitely get back to this.

[Scootalove 10,689]

Twilight Sparkle- Rene Descartes

 

Rainbow Dash- Jeremy Bentham

 

Fluttershy- Thomas Hobbes

 

Pinkie Pie- Benito Mussolini

 

Applejack- Fidel Castro

 

Rarity- Karl Marx

[MMFAN 198]

I was thinking Pinkie Pie to be a sort of Von Leibniz. That guy pretty much pushed up and amplified positive thinking.

 

Rainbow Dash is definitely Altruism.

 

I'm not sure about the others... this is a great thread idea though. n.n I'll definitely get back to this.

 

Maybe I just don't know any better, but Rainbow doesn't seem to be altruistic at all. Could you elaborate a bit, it seems you understand the parallel better than I do.

[An Old Head 4,816]

Maybe I just don't know any better, but Rainbow doesn't seem to be altruistic at all. Could you elaborate a bit, it seems you understand the parallel better than I do.

 

Altruism is when you ensure the satisfaction of those around you through selflessness, and it's also belief in long-term benefit. Rainbow Dash does this a healthy lot - she's loyal (it's her Element) and will stick by her friends to make sure that they're happy, all the time. Given, a lot of characters in the show do that (Pinkie especially, although she's much much more a Leibniz), but Dash embodies it more.

[MMFAN 198]

Altruism is when you ensure the satisfaction of those around you through selflessness, and it's also belief in long-term benefit. Rainbow Dash does this a healthy lot - she's loyal (it's her Element) and will stick by her friends to make sure that they're happy, all the time. Given, a lot of characters in the show do that (Pinkie especially, although she's much much more a Leibniz), but Dash embodies it more.

 

Never thought it that way, it's unfortunate but whenever I think of Rainbow Dash I think of her as being self-centered and cocky.

Twilight Sparkle- Rene Descartes

 

Rainbow Dash- Jeremy Bentham

 

Fluttershy- Thomas Hobbes

 

Pinkie Pie- Benito Mussolini

 

Applejack- Fidel Castro

 

Rarity- Karl Marx

 

Ha! Descartes was the man! A wonderful colleague for Twilight for sure. It's sad that in every portrait of him he looks like a stereotypical stuck-up frenchman.

 

Anyone else thinking that Trashumanism might fit with Rarity? From a purely fashion point of view at least? Also just read up a bit on Richard Chase, talk about scary right?

[Yellow Diamond 7,569]

Twilight Sparkle - Friedrich Nietzsche ("By becoming an Alicorn, I have surpassed the limitations which hold back lesser ponies!")

 

Rainbow Dash - Aynd Rand ("'Daring Do laughed. She stood naked at the edge of a cliff. The lake lay far below her. A frozen explosion of granite burst in flight to the sky over motionless water...'")

 

Fluttershy - Friedrich Schleiermacher ("Angel Bunny, your exclusive reliance on reason has left you to neglect the personal experience of the divinity...")

 

Pinkie Pie - Thomas Hobbes ("Surrender your autonomy to the Leviathan, Dashie!")

 

Applejack - Joseph Stalin ("Collective farmin' and the purgin' of the bourgeoisie? Sure, I guess...")

 

Rarity - Thomas Carlyle ("Great ponies shape history, Sweetie Belle.")

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

Pinkie Pie - Thomas Hobbes ("Surrender your autonomy to the Leviathan, Dashie!)

Oh my gosh, all of these were great but when I read that in Pinkie's voice... I got some weird glances from how hard I was laughing XD. She needs to say that in an episode.

[MMFAN 198]

Twilight Sparkle - Friedrich Nietzsche ("By becoming an Alicorn, I have surpassed the limitations which hold back lesser ponies!")

 

Rainbow Dash - Aynd Rand ("'Daring Do laughed. She stood naked at the edge of a cliff. The lake lay far below her. A frozen explosion of granite burst in flight to the sky over motionless water...'")

 

Fluttershy - Friedrich Schleiermacher ("Angel Bunny, your exclusive reliance on reason has left you to neglect the personal experience of the divinity...")

 

Pinkie Pie - Thomas Hobbes ("Surrender your autonomy to the Leviathan, Dashie!")

 

Applejack - Joseph Stalin ("Collective farmin' and the purgin' of the bourgeoisie? Sure, I guess...")

 

Rarity - Thomas Carlyle ("Great ponies shape history, Sweetie Belle.")

 

I was wondering when some pony was going to refer to Nietzsche. Fluttershy quoting Schleiermacher was too funny. Bravo Sir.

[Redthir 42]

Rarity I could see enjoying Ayn Rand.

Pinkie Pie is a definite hedonist.

Fluttershy's all about "make love, not war!"

Rainbow Dash I can see as a mild Social Darwinist.

Not sure about Applejack or Twilight - though I could see Twilight being fond of Ayn Rand also.

[Fluttermena 1,223]

 

Rarity I could see enjoying Ayn Rand.

>Element of generosity

>Enjoying Ayn Rand

 

What is this, I don't even... 

No, seriously, I can't wrap my mind around it.

 

Although most of the comparisons in this thread don't make much sense to me.

[Redthir 42]

>Element of generosity

>Enjoying Ayn Rand

 

What is this, I don't even... 

No, seriously, I can't wrap my mind around it.

 

Although most of the comparisons in this thread don't make much sense to me.

Rarity may be the element of generosity, but she's not averse to greed. She's often a little selfish when trying to get her way.

 

More importantly, Ayn Rand values individualism. Rarity is an individual to the extreme.

[Yellow Diamond 7,569]

Rarity may be the element of generosity, but she's not averse to greed. She's often a little selfish when trying to get her way.

 

More importantly, Ayn Rand values individualism. Rarity is an individual to the extreme.

 

Seriously speaking, Rarity enjoys glamor and fashion, neither of which inherently speak of greed. She can be self-centered at times, but she also seeks validation from other ponies. Likewise, Rarity's generosity would not mend well with Ayn Rand's emphasis on extreme individualism and personal autonomy (even at the detriment of others).

 

Rarity being a follower of Objectivism is about as loony as Twilight Sparkle admiring Nietzsche.

[MMFAN 198]

Seriously speaking, Rarity enjoys glamor and fashion, neither of which inherently speak of greed. She can be self-centered at times, but she also seeks validation from other ponies. Likewise, Rarity's generosity would not mend well with Ayn Rand's emphasis on extreme individualism and personal autonomy (even at the detriment of others).

 

Rarity being a follower of Objectivism is about as loony as Twilight Sparkle admiring Nietzsche.

 

Well from the point of view of Beyond Good and Evil I think is where everyone is drawing the connection between Nietzsche and Twilight, which was mostly about the idea of the "super man" and how at some point we'll evolve beyond our suffering and thereby the black and white ideas of good and evil, kind of transhumanist in a way actually. When Twilight turned into an alicorn I felt she sort of proved Nietzsche to be correct on that point. So while she may not agree with his views and ideals, in this way at least she still embodies them in a metaphorical sense. 

Edited March 5, 2013 by MMFAN