It’s probably just that the fact the mentioned philosophers were indeed male makes it possible to use the diminutive/familiar term “guys”. “Philosophers” or “thinkers” would have looked too respectful. But “old dead guys” expresses the opinion that these were, you know, just these guys who didn’t know much at all by today’s standards.
It’s probably just that the fact the mentioned philosophers were indeed male makes it possible to use the diminutive/familiar term “guys”. “Philosophers” or “thinkers” would have looked too respectful. But “old dead guys” expresses the opinion that these were, you know, just these guys who didn’t know much at all by today’s standards.