Q: What do the colors mean?

Blue means Abstract Thinker (NT).

NTs are 12 % of the general population, 18 % of males, 7 % of females.

Green means Abstract Feeler (NF).

NFs are 16 % of the general population, 11 % of males, 17.5 % of females.

Yellow means Concrete and Judging (SJ).

SJs are 39 % of the general population, 37 % of males, 43.5 % of females.

Red means Concrete and Exploring (SP).

SPs are 33 % of the general population, 34 % of males, 32 % of females.

Q: So-and-so is not a philosopher!

A: Before 1900, any person who contributed significantly to humanity's shared pool of knowledge was referred to as a philosopher. Only later on did the term acquire its modern meaning of a 'professional philosopher' in the narrow, academic sense. So even though some of the people listed here may not qualify as philosophers in the latter sense, this page looks at these people as philosophers in the former sense - going by their contribution to humanity's shared pool of knowledge.

Q: How can someone who is not a Thinker be a philosopher?

A: We are all thinkers to some degree. This system of typing does not say that someone is exclusively Thinking; rather it says that someone has a preference for Thinking rather than Feeling. For example, a person who needs to decide whether to give $100 to charity will have to use both Feeling ("do I want to support this cause?") and Thinking ("can I spare the $100?").

According to Jung, someone who was 100 % Thinking and 0 % Feeling (or vice versa) could not function in society and would have to be admitted to an asylum!

In the case of philosophy, the domain of aesthetics requires a good deal of Feeling, as does that of onthology and even some strands of ethics.

Q: Okay, I get the Thinking part. But what about S = Concrete, N = Abstract?

A: In Jung's original system he said that S = Senses and N = iNtuition. This particular piece of terminology may not have been particularly well-chosen. Many newcomers to the system find it confusing that abstract-minded, often geeky and intellectually inclined people are characterized as "intuitive". Furthermore, many modern philosophers have come to regard intuition as a sort of lightning-quick sensory summary. In other words, it is not clear that intuition is the opposite of sensation. Hence, we call them Abstract and Concrete, as detailed below:

Q: I disagree with your typing of [insert name] as [insert type]!

A: We are always interested in a well-reasoned critique.

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