Some philosophers use a lot of words. The most word-shy means of expression is the haiku, a poem in which the number of syllables is severely restricted. (Opinions vary, about exactly what the restriction should be, to model the Japanese originals.) Here are some haiku, taking the form very broadly, capturing the thoughts of the least haiku-like philosophers. I don’t claim much for them as poetry. But any contributions for philosophers I haven’t covered? Brandom? Habermas?

 

Plato
flames leap
shadows dance.
stillness lies behind.

 

Aristotle

rabbits mate

stars circle

everything knows its target

 

Wittgenstein

wings beat at

invisible walls.

learn to love the bottle

Peacocke

to see is soon to think

but thinking this not that

is sometimes hard to say

McDowell

the world is full

of lovely things

only when you find them.

 

Hegel

the stream bends back

often, but always

goes where it is going

 

Putnam

round pegs are there

and really don’t go into

square holes

 

Dummett

warm dinosaurs or cold?

hard to tell but

perhaps neither

 

Heidegger

stone

axe, no longer

rock, chipped by

nothing

 

Finally here are two that are not about particular philosophers. The first is inspired by the debate about the extensionality of belief, from Frege to Salmon and more recently Jennie Saul. The second is a kind of riddle: why does it fit its title?

Superman

one man does what

the same man cannot.

Lois flies tonight

 

Syllogism

human bones

Xantippe knew:

eventually the hemlock