"tamed"

possibly, depending.

denigrate
downgrade
degrade

less edgy

maybe; I think #2's approach is much too negative, though. denigrate = schlechtmachen

branded as lame
well if he is denigrated to some kind of glamorous iconic figure rather than a great philosopher...

noli, why would you put something so negative into what seems to be an attempt to sell a book? It's an invitation to rediscover this guy. Why would anyone be interested if he's "branded as lame"?

Edit: maybe you don't know the meaning of Dictionary: denigrate

you are right i missed the selling point... still he seems to have lost his philosophy credentials to some extent... the equivalent of a coffee-table-book edition of a philosopher... cant' help it but for me the original implies a sort of negative judgement

I think this is supposed to be some sort of "unbiased" critique, like maybe "sure, he's been accused of selling out by some, but ..."

I read it as a parenthetical remark qualifying the "famous ... philosopher"---so yes, a certain diminution, his teeth have been pulled.

But I find "denigrate" goes too far, and adds a new idea rather than conveying what's in the original.

Without more context it's not possible to make a final decision here, I would say.

Thanks for all the suggestions and comments. I'm mulling over 'tamed' and 'less sharp'. I'll have to sleep on it.

"tamed" halte ich für den falschen Ausdruck. Das würde ja implizieren, dass man ihn selbst oder seine Thesen verändert hat. Das passt auch nicht zur Bezeichnung "Ikone".

Der Verfasser des Satzes steht generell mit der deutschen Sprache auf Kriegsfuß. "Philosoph" ist in diesem Satz falsch. Es müsste "Philosophen" heißen, und die logische Verknüpfung "aber" stimmt auch nicht. Berühmtsein ist ja kein Gegensatz zum Nicht-Unumstritten-Sein. Er ist beides: berühmt UND nicht mehr unumstritten in seinen Thesen.

"tamed" halte ich für den falschen Ausdruck. Das würde ja implizieren, dass man ihn selbst oder seine Thesen verändert hat. (#10)

Das sehe ich anders. Es ginge hier um die Rezeption/Interpretation seiner Gedanken, wobei "tamed" passen könnte, muss aber nicht. Es kommt auf den restlichen Kontext an.

Um wen handelt es sich, portquin?

I don't see controversial anywhere, he might simply be less trenchent or so... #11 mentioned, context would clarify