I think using bug to see what can be traded and who is planning war is kind of cheating.
I don't think philosophical is top tier. Second tier, sure. But half of its bonus (universities) blows, and the latter half requires a ridiculous amount of knowledge of the game. Completely ridiculous knowledge. And even then it seems to be only ok. It also requires many neighbours to trade with too (because bulbing without trading what you bulbed is not very strong), and ideally something that your civ can access only (which is at odds with trading, but still requires neighbours 90% of the time, to invade, like with cho-ko-nu or landsnechkt engineer plays). None of that sounds as good as the always useful financial, which works isolated, surrounded, newb or experienced, whatever. I think philosophical getsits love because a lot of people just play pangaea, so they always have their neighbours to trade with when they bulb or make a weird window.
Also, I think whipping courthouses is a good play much of the time. They are at full strength whether cities are large or small, and under the whip, they are small. I definitely think they are better than wealth. On this last one, I am open to a true analysis of hammers and gold saved/made, and giving a 1.5x value on gold made early (by wealth hammers).