Philosophers would make excellent software engineering team managers due to their unique ability to analyze complex concepts and develop coherent frameworks for understanding them. By applying philosophical methodologies to software engineering, they could bring clarity and insight into the intricate nature of software design and development, allowing them to effectively manage teams and projects.

For instance, the concept of simplicity in software design aligns closely with the philosophical principle of Occam's Razor, which states that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. By incorporating this idea into their management style, philosophers could encourage their team to strive for clean, minimalistic code structures that are easy to understand and maintain.