Russell Brand has been voted as the world 's fourth greatest thinker by readers of intellectual magazine Prospect . The comedian-turned-anarchist has beaten the likes of Nobel peace prize winner Henry Kissinger and Booker prize recipient Hilary Mantel to make it into the top ten list of influential minds . Unveiling its list of world thinkers in its latest edition , Prospect described Brand as 'the spiritual leader of Britain 's disaffected anti-capitalist youth ' . Russell Brand has been voted as the world 's fourth greatest thinker by readers of an intellectual magazine . But the magazine is facing ridicule for including the self-style revolutionary on the list of eminent philosophers , economists and writers . Drayton Bird ‏wrote on Twitter : 'Beyond parody : if this wag is a great thinker , my vote goes to Peppa Pig . ' Tim Walker added : ' A generation or so ago , Bertrand Russell was considered to be a great thinker . Now , comically , it 's Russell Brand . ' Marlowe ‏tweeted : 'Russell Brand great thinker ? ? ? They misheard someone say 'little tinker ' . ' While writer David Oldroyd-Bolt added : 'It 's utterly perverse . Russell Brand ? Nothing more than a Dickensian demagogue . ' Television and radio presenter Brand , who lost his Radio 2 slot over prank calls to actor Andrew Sachs , made his name in stand-up . Brand joined the likes of Hilary Mantel and Henry Kissinger on the 50-strong list of great minds . But the millionaire 's attempts to re-brand himself as an anti-capitalist revolutionary have seen him accused of hypocrisy . Last December Simon Cowell branded him a 'hypocrite ' after he accused the comedian of accepting large Hollywood film salaries whilst campaigning against the UK political system . According to the Mirror , the music mogul told Russell to give up his multi-million pound salary if he is planning to continue his campaigning streak . Brand faced further backlash that month when he joined a protest about rising rents in London even though he lives in a £2million bachelor pad owned by a firm based in a tax haven . The star , believed to be worth £9million , was helping deliver a petition on affordable housing to 10 Downing Street but flew into a rage when TV reporter Paraic O'Brien asked him whether the super-rich buying up property in London was driving up prices for everyone else . Prospect described Brand as 'the spiritual leader of Britain 's disaffected anti-capitalist youth ' Prospect admitted that Brand 's inclusion on the list had caused 'intense ' discussions among staff . But the magazine said that while he was often 'dismissed by his opponents as a clownish opportunist and even a hypocrite due to his own wealth , he is nevertheless the most charismatic figure on Britain 's populist left . ' 1 . Thomas Piketty , French economist . 2 . Yanis Varoufakis , Greek finance minister . 3 . Naomi Klein , US author . 4 . Russell Brand , UK comedian and campaigner . 5 . Paul Krugman , US economist . 6 . Arundhati Roy , Indian writer and activist . 7 . Jurgen Habermas , German philosopher . 8 . Daniel Kahneman , US-Israeli psychologist . 9 . John Gray , UK philosopher . 10 . Atul Gawande , US surgeon and writer . This year 's winner was French economist Thomas Piketty , whose Capital in the Twenty-First Century book explored the thesis is that capitalist economies have a natural tendency to incubate highly unequal distributions of income and wealth . The surprise best-seller , was described as having an 'extraordinary ' impact outside the world of professional economists . Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis was rated second greatest thinker and US author Naomi Klein came third . Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman and German philosopher Jurgen Habermas were also in the top ten . Rated as ninth was British philosopher John Gray , the former Professor of European Thought at the London School of Economics , who was described as 'the West 's pre-eminent oracle of catastrophe ' . Prospect said it was 'striking ' that several of its top 10 thinkers - including Piketty , Brand , Krugman and Varoufakis , a member of the radical Syriza government , as well as US author Naomi Klein - were 'broadly speaking on the political left ' .
Comedian Russell Brand is rated the ninth greatest thinker in the world . Intellectual magazine Prospect asked readers to vote for the best minds . Others in the top ten are economists , philosophers and a US surgeon . But Brand 's ranking among 'great thinkers ' has been mocked online .