Justin E. H. Smith sorted philosophers into six types. I added three of my own, the Elephant, the Architect and the Connector, and later recast his six as skills.
How the word moved
I first used his types in January 2024 in Apprehending our Age. By February 2026 I'd decided they work better as skills, since one person can be a gadfly and an ascetic at once.
In my words
"which I am reframing as skills, for it’s possible to be a gadfly and an ascetic or a sage and a mandarin"
from The Planetarity Syllabus. Governing the Planet, Part 3: The Planetary Steward, 26 Feb 2026
Related
- Related Elephant - one of the types I added.
- Related Architect-Designer - another type I added.
- Related Connector - the third type I added.