12 Famous Philosophers and Their Guiding Principles Moreover, during his life, he wrote voluminously but published only a single manuscript. He was the founder of the Platonist school of thought, and the Academy, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. While it is sometimes noted in his defense that Machiavelli himself did not live according to these principles, this Machiavellian philosophy is often seen as a template for tyranny and dictatorship, even in the present day. What perhaps most distinguishes Kant is his innate desire to find a synthesis between rationalists like Descartes and empiricists like Hume, to decipher a middle ground that defers to human experience without descending into skepticism. In addition to being a philosopher, Aristotle was also a scientist, which led him to consider an enormous array of topics, and largely through the view that all concepts and knowledge are ultimately based on perception. One of the most notable intellectual figures of the Dutch Golden Age, Descartes is also widely regarded as one of the founders of modern philosophy. Plato (left) and Aristotle (right) in Raphaels 1509 fresco,The School of Athens. The Top Ten Greatest Philosophers in History | TheRichest All from your browser. Pascal wanted to show that Christianity is true in the framework of 17th-century philosophy. Discover schools with the programs and courses youre interested in, and start learning today. 2. As a consequence of these ideas, Hume would be among the first major thinkers to refute dogmatic religious and moral ideals in favor of a more sentimentalist approach to human nature. His influence was felt in his lifetime through his dialogues with prominent pupils. 12 Most Famous Philosophers: East and West - EnkiVillage One of his most popular phrases is cogito ergo sum (I think, therefore I am), with which he argues that the world is composed of two separate substances: the mind and the body. Heidegger believes that Dasein already has a pre-ontological and non-abstract understanding that shapes how it lives. He was against literary critics who defined idealist intellectuals and philosophers of his time, and thought that Swedenborg, Hegel, Fichte, Schelling, Schlegel and Hans Christian Andersen were all understood far too quickly by scholars. Take a look at our greatest philosophers webstory here! A survey published in American Psychologist in 1991 ranked Jamess reputation in second place, after Wilhelm Wundt, who is widely regarded as the founder of experimental psychology. James also developed the philosophical perspective known as radical empiricism. She met an American explorer in Paris in 1792 while celebrating the French Revolution, and their liberal and unmarried escapades together resulted in her first daughter. . Before we get to some of the most famous philosophers, lets look at what philosophy entails. Thus, the body of his thoughts and ideas is left to be deciphered through the works of his two most prominent students, Plato and Xenophon, as well as to the legions of historians and critics who have written on him since. Niccolo di Bernardo dei Machiavelli is at once among the most influential and widely debated of historys thinkers. Ren Descartes is credited with establishing the foundations of modern philosophy. Think you cant afford higher education in the 13 Types of Students You See in Every Classroom. Feb 9, 2022 By Moses May-Hobbs, BA Art History w/ Philosophy Concentration. Karl Marx (Germany/UK, 1818-1883) Known for: Marxism. 1. Also limited in appearance are the brilliant thinkers from Arabic or African antiquity, from Eastern traditions of thought, or from more recent centuries where the greatest minds were set to work on advancing civil rights. His ideas might be summarized as a comprehensive investigation of transgression beyond societal boundaries, which is inextricably linked to knowledge and power. Defined the Categorical imperative, the idea that there are intrinsically good and moral ideas to which we all have a duty, and that rational individuals will inherently find reason in adhering to moral obligation; Argued that humanity can achieve a perpetual peace through universal democracy and international cooperation; Asserted that the concepts of time and space, as well as cause and effect, are essential to the human experience, and that our understanding of the world is conveyed only by our senses and not necessarily by the underlying (and likely unseen) causes of the phenomena we observe. He was the foremost classical proponent of natural theology and the father of Thomism; of which he argued that reason is found in God. His mathematical accomplishments include developing calculus concurrently with, but independently of, Isaac Newton. First described the concept of angst, defining it as a dread the comes from anxieties over choice, freedom, and ambiguous feelings. As a member of the Dutch States Army, then as the Prince of Orange and subsequently as Stadtholder (a position of national leadership in the Dutch Republic), Descartes wielded considerable intellectual influence over the period known as the Dutch Golden Age. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. These fields include politics, arithmetic, literature, arts, and science, over the years. He lived a life of eccentricity and professional nomadism, dabbling in academia, military service, education, and even as a hospital orderly. Portrait of John Locke(1697) by Godfrey Kneller, located in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia; Godfrey Kneller, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Philosophers ideas circulate around ethics, nature, aesthetics, metaphysics, being, logic, knowledge, and theory. Some, like Socrates, are just like wine: the older, the finer. From 1929 to 1947, Wittgenstein taught at the University of Cambridge. *Socrates and Plato are inseparable from one another in the history of thought and are therefore inseparable in our ranking. Usman dan Fodio ( 1754 - 1817) With an HPI of 57.72, Usman dan Fodio is the most famous Philosopher. 10 Contemporary Philosophers to Read Today - Culture Trip Since 2008, The-Philosophy.com acts for the diffusion of the philosophical thoughts. Confucianism established a doctrine recognized in the West as Neo-Confucianism. Articulated the problem of induction, suggesting we cannot rationally justify our belief in causality, that our perception only allows us to experience events that are typically conjoined, and that causality cannot be empirically asserted as the connecting force in that relationship; Assessed that human beings lack the capacity to achieve a true conception of the self, that our conception is merely a bundle of sensations that we connect to formulate the idea of the self; Hume argued against moral absolutes, instead positing that our ethical behavior and treatment of others is compelled by emotion, sentiment, and internal passions, that we are inclined to positive behaviors by their likely desirable outcomes. Posthumous Portrait of Dante (1495) by Sandro Botticelli;Sandro Botticelli, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. The overriding theme of Deweys works was his profound belief in democracy, be it in politics, education, or communication and journalism. During his lifetime, David Hume produced a number of significant and innovative treatises. She went to North America after finishing university in Russia in 1905. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. He is considered one of the fundamental figures of modern Western philosophy, with his influence extending to the entire range of contemporary philosophical issues, from aesthetics to ontology to politics, both in the analytic and continental tradition. His only other published works were an article, Some Remarks on Logical Form (1929), a book review, and a childrens dictionary. He was focused on creating a naturalistic science of man that delves into the psychological conditions defining human nature. Within this construct, he viewed personal choice and commitment as preeminent. He had an well built body. His writings cover many subjects including physics, biology, zoology, metaphysics, logic, ethics, aesthetics, poetry, theatre, music, rhetoric, psychology, linguistics, economics, politics, and government. Whether or not his thought led to the terrible Campaign of Terror that succeeded the French Revolution remains a question. Locke strongly believed in all persons rights to life, liberty, and property, and refuted the divine right of kings. Whats a philosopher and which are considered the most famous philosophers through the ages? This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. God of Abraham, not of the intellectuals and savants, he says in his conversion memorial. The endlessly little world was shown by the microscope, and the universes vastness was disclosed by the telescope. Photo portrait of Russian-American writerAyn Rand used for the first-edition back cover of her novel,The Fountainhead (1943);English: Photo portrait credited to Talbot (though not on original dust jacket). The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Nietzsche's philosophy is a latticework of recurring ideas and radical rejections. His philosophy is said to have figured prominently into the formulation of the Declaration of Independence that initiated Americas war for independence from the British. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. David Hume is regarded as one of historys most important philosophers. He was also a utilitarian philosopher and advocate of women's rights. Sajjad H. Rizvi has called Avicenna arguably the most influential philosopher of the pre-modern era. Their most notable profession was Philosopher. He proposed a notion of the self as a blank page, with understanding and character developing only from collected experience, in his works. His philosophy is often regarded as the most comprehensive materialist of the 17th century. In his early work, he elaborated critiques of historicism and of psychologism in logic based on analyses of intentionality. The greatest philosophers of all time have paved the way for our thinking and allowed us to ask ourselves questions in ways we may never have thought to. Kant drew a parallel to the Copernican revolution in his proposal that the objects of the senses must conform to our spatial and temporal forms of intuition, and that we can consequently have a priori cognition of the objects of the senses. Imaginary portrait byWu Daozi (685 758) of Confucius, made in the 8th century during the Tang dynasty; Bust of Socrates carved by Victor Wager from a model by Paul Montford, located at the University of Western Australia in Crawley, Western Australia; Plato (left) and Aristotle (right) in Raphaels 1509 fresco. Mary died of septicemia just 10 days after giving birth to her daughter. Honestly, the only real way you can fully comprehend the theories, epistemologies, and frameworks described here is to read the writing created by and critique dedicated to each of these thinkers. Etymologically, philosophy means love of wisdom. He authored the main book on Taoism around 500 BCE in Ancient China. John Locke, an English philosopher, and social critic, established much of the foundation for the Enlightenment and was a key figure in the development of liberalism. Its the search for meaning, for greater understanding, for answers to the questions surrounding our existence, our purpose, and the universe itself. After a visit to Florence in 1636, he became a regular debater in Marin Mersenne Frances philosophic clubs. In many ways, Karl Marx presided over a philosophical revolution that continues in the present day in myriad forms of communism, socialism, socialized democracy, and grassroots political organization. It is a milestone in Italian writing and among the finest achievements of all medieval European literature. Surplus value. The Top 10 ancient Greek philosophers - Athens Insiders However, his performance using our Ranking Analytics made this inclusion unavoidable. The existentialist and surrealist movements that followed his time were also built on the aforementioned idea. The intellect, body, and Gods kingdom would all be included inside these three realms. G.W. Heraclitus (563-470 BC) 3. The Il Principe, a contentious political treatise regarded as one of the oldest notable works of contemporary political theory, is most usually linked with Machiavellis name. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Foucault saw his work as an analytical history of the social interactions linked with capitalism, and he preferred to study capitalism in its historical context. Pantheon 1.0, a manually verified dataset of globally famous biographies. A Scottish-born historian, economist, and philosopher, Hume is often grouped with thinkers such as John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, and Sir Francis Bacon as part of a movement called British Empiricism. Aristotle, one of the most famous Greek philosophers, was also a polymath who lived in Ancient Greece in 384-322 BC. While he is widely regarded as a skeptic, bordering on cynicism, his works demonstrate that he had some understanding of human behavior and the essence of values. In 1889, at age 44, he suffered a collapse and afterward a complete loss of his mental faculties. James is considered to be a leading thinker of the late nineteenth century, one of the most influential philosophers of the United States, and the Father of American psychology. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages. Photograph of Simone de Beauvoir in 1967; Photograph by Greg OBeirne. Beginning with A Treatise of Human Nature, Hume strove to create a naturalistic science of man that examined the psychological basis of human nature. West was the first African-American to receive a Ph.D. in philosophy from Princeton University in 1980. Michels primary philosophical writings are concerned with the complicated relationships that exist between two distinct elements, namely power and knowledge, and their function in the formation of social discourse. As a result, his philosophy has exerted a unique influence on almost every form of knowledge in the West and it continues to be a subject of contemporary philosophical discussion. Active in movements against racism, human rights abuses, prisoner abuses, and marginalization of the mentally ill, he is often cited as a major influence in movements for social justice, human rights, and feminism. Philosophy is complicated stuff. Famously asserted that while it would be best to be both loved and feared, the two rarely coincide, and thus, greater security is found in the latter; Identified as a humanist, and believed it necessary to establish a new kind of state in defiance of law, tradition and particularly, the political preeminence of the Church; Viewed ambition, competition and war as inevitable parts of human nature, even seeming to embrace all of these tendencies. Famous Philosophers - List of World Famous Philosophers & Their Biographies This is why he is regarded as one of the best Scottish Enlightenment thinkers. After joining Platos Academy at the age of 17, Aristotle learned from him. The classical Greek thinker is best known through Platos dialogues, which reveal a key contributor to the fields of ethics and education. In the opening section of the Passions of the Soul, an early modern treatise on emotions, Descartes goes so far as to assert that he will write on this topic as if no one had written on these matters before. His best known philosophical statement is cogito, ergo sum (I think, therefore I am; French: Je pense, donc je suis), found in Discourse on the Method (1637; in French and Latin) and Principles of Philosophy (1644, in Latin). He is widely considered as one of the most important and influential individuals in human history, and the pivotal figure in the history of Ancient Greek and Western philosophy, along with his teacher, Socrates, and his most famous student, Aristotle. Of note, one of his activist collaborators was both a romantic partner and a fellow major cohort of existentialism, Simone de Beauvoir. He has no texts and is remembered mostly for his posthumous accounts of Xenophon and Plato, his students. Top 10 Western Philosophers - TheTopTens Major Philosophers Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Descartes, Spinoza, Rousseau, Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, Marx, Sartre, Heidegger, Tocqueville Mission The-Philosophy helps high-school & university students but also curious people on human sciences to quench their thirst for knowledge. He also believed that anxiety was derived from irrational desires, and by eliminating the fear of punishment and death, you could relieve yourself of anxiety and find happiness. He was also a well-known philologist, literary critic, social theorist, and historian of ideas. However, Kant argues that the complete natural world is subjected to a rigorous Newtonian causation principle, suggesting that all of our physical activities are produced by antecedent events rather than by our free will. Below are some of the most influential philosophers, their schools of thought, and what we can learn from their forward-thinking approach. Answer (1 of 5): Counting only philosophers of science, rather than philosophers of the special sciences, and in rough order of fame: 1. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy. Ren Descartes was a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist. Happily, when one distills a more current period of history in the philosophy discipline, one can see just how much the field of thought has evolved today, such that a meaningful number of women, people of color, and people of non-European origin are represented. Taoism focuses on the balance of animals and humans and how they should coexist in the universe. William James was an American philosopher and psychologist, and the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States. Though not explicitly a naturalist himself, Emersons ideals were taken up by this 20th century movement. Commentators have noted that Dasein and being-in-the-world are unitary concepts in contrast with the subject/object view of rationalist philosophy since at least Ren Descartes. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Famous Philosophers - Explore the Most Important Philosophers in History Considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Sir Francis Bacon, Locke is equally important to social contract theory. Socrates (469-399 BC) 7. Niccolo Machiavelli was a trailblazer in political morality and a notable character in Italian Renaissance philosophy. Who is the most famous philosopher? Explained by FAQ Blog 7 Most Popular Philosophers of All Times - Your Article Library A French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist, Descartes was born in France but spent 20 years of his life in the Dutch Republic. He began to think of himself as a philosopher and scholar around 1637. Whether youre majoring in philosophy, beginning your personal journey to better understand the universe, or you just have some humanities credits to fulfill, this is a great place to start. Beauvoir had previously denied being a feminist, but once the powerful Second Sex became pivotal in the field of feminism, she finally accepted it. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Though often cited as a structuralist and postmodernist, Foucault rejected these labels. He was a sage and Greek philosopher who was highly influential. The-Philosophy helps high-school & university students but also curious people on human sciencesto quench their thirst for knowledge. Thats why we call this a Study Starter. 1. Mathematical works have consistently favored Leibnizs notation as the conventional expression of calculus. Plato was one of the most important Ancient Greek philosophers, who contributed greatly to the fields of mathematics, metaphysics, politics, art, and poetry. He also believed that if a ruler does not adhere to individuals rights, the people had the right to remove the king by force. Jacques Derrida was an Algerian-born French philosopher best known for developing a form of semiotic analysis known as deconstruction, which he discussed in numerous texts, and developed in the context of phenomenology. Learn to Master the Impasto Technique, Pattern in Art Looking at the Different Types of Pattern in Art. Ren Descartes (1596 - 1650) 2. The most well-known ancient Greek Philosopher of all time, Socrates, was a master stonemason and social critic. In Heideggers fundamental text Being and Time (1927), Dasein is introduced as a term for the specific type of being that humans possess. This compensation does not influence our school rankings, resource guides, or other editorially-independent information published on this site. Famous philosophers, both ancient and modern, have developed innovative ideas and produced advances in a wide range of businesses and fields. For Beuchot the equivocality is the difference between the application and the meaning of things. Immanuel Kant (1724 1804) (1768) by Johann Gottlieb Becker;Johann Gottlieb Becker (1720-1782), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. He is best known for contributions to phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism. Part of the movement of British Empiricism alongside fellow countrymen David Hume, Thomas Hobbes, and Sir Francis Bacon, Locke is regarded as an important contributor to the development of the social contract theory and is sometimes identified as the father of liberalism. Anaximenes (588-524 BC) 4. Confucius (551-479 BCE) . Cropped by User:Tomisti, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Dates below should be seen as approximations. Rousseau was a writer, philosopher, and unique among entrants on this list a composer of operas and classical compositions. The notion of Cartesianism holds that the universe is divided into three domains of existence. Famously Aristotle worked out that an . Featured or trusted partner programs and all school search, finder, or match results are for schools that compensate us. His views on physical science shaped medieval scholarship. Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist and socialist revolutionary. **Though Socrates is widely considered the father of the Western philosophical tradition, he authored no texts during his lifetime. Top 10 Greatest Philosophers of All Time - TheTopTens Born in Geneva, then a city-state in the Swiss Confederacy, Rousseau would be one of the most consequential thinkers of the Enlightenment era. This list of famous Philosophers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Because Kierkegaards work was at first only available in Danish, it was only after his work was translated that his ideas proliferated widely throughout Western Europe. As such, Mill himself advocated strongly for the preserving of individual rights and called for limitations to the power and authority of the state over the individual. They include: justice, beneficence, non-maleficence, and respect for autonomy. thebestschools.org is an advertising-supported site. Of the 450 works he is believed to have written, around 240 have survived, including 150 on philosophy and 40 on medicine. Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell was a British polymath. Karl Marx (1818 - 1883) German Marxist philosopher. The number of individuals who have impacted the course of human history through their insight, intuition, and intellect is far too great to quantify. Nietzsche: A Guide to His Most Famous Works and Ideas. On 15 lists. As an academic, he worked in philosophy, mathematics, and logic. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Meditations on First Philosophy - Ren Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy is made up of six meditations. By all means, go ponder the universe, yourself, and that frail, fickle thing we call the human condition. Most of the names below will be familiar, though you might find a few surprises. We may be grateful that his values have been utilized to shape our current democratic society. Well, consider us your fool, because thats exactly what weve set out to do. A Boston-born writer, philosopher, and poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson is the father of the transcendentalist movement. What makes this earth a pit of pain, and will always make it a valley of misery, Voltaire said, are mens ravenous greediness and invincible pride.. The result was an enormous sphere of influence for Aristotles ideas, one that only began to be challenged by Renaissance thinkers nearly 2,000 years later. The Most Influential Philosophers of All Time, Your online recording studio The easiest way to record podcasts and videos in studio quality from anywhere. His thought has influenced academics, especially those working in communication studies, anthropology, psychology, sociology, criminology, cultural studies, literary theory, feminism, Marxism and critical theory. A man that gained prominence during the Enlightenment period, Locke influenced the idea of natural rights and the social contract theory. Though occasionally serving to raise issues regarding human rights abuses as an outside observer, he praised the Soviet Unions attempt at manifesting Marxism. Hobbes, Montesquieu, Spinoza, Hume, Locke, Rousseau, and Francis Bacon were among the great thinkers who were influenced by his works. Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) 1806 - 1873. His contribution to social theory, political theory and political economy. Mainly, he was a defender of political philosophy and he comes from the school of utilitarianism. This is not because we have overlooked these thinkers, nor because their contributions dont warrant inclusion in such a list.