Since you're referring to the Dichter & Denker trope: that was originally about Germany having no copyright in the 18th century, so access to the works of the poets and philosophs was affordable and widespread.
So it doesn't refer to lots of poets and philosophs (Germany was probably below average) but to the wide distribution of their writing.
(my favorite anecdote from that time: Goethe, at some point, cited his own works. Since he didn't lug all that stuff around he worked from a copy he bought. Unfortunately it was an unauthorized copy containing modifications, which he didn't notice - and copied into his citation)
So it doesn't refer to lots of poets and philosophs (Germany was probably below average) but to the wide distribution of their writing.
(my favorite anecdote from that time: Goethe, at some point, cited his own works. Since he didn't lug all that stuff around he worked from a copy he bought. Unfortunately it was an unauthorized copy containing modifications, which he didn't notice - and copied into his citation)