Top 10 Greatest Philosophers of All Time
Socrates, born in Athens around 469 B.C., is revered as one of the founders of Western philosophy. He was known for his Socratic method, a form of inquiry used to stimulate critical thinking and to expose the contradictions in someone's beliefs. Unfortunately, Socrates himself left no writings behind. Most of our understanding of him and his teachings come from the accounts of his students, notably Plato. Notably, he was tried and sentenced to death for corrupting the youth and for impiety against the Athenian gods in 399 B.C. Socrates, and NOT Plato, set up what philosophy as a whole became... the elenchus and the apoeria remain two philosophical tools a philosopher gets cleaned up in, still.
Socrates never wrote anything. All the Socratic theories are in fact the theories of his pupil Plato.
For someone who may not have even be real, be sure was influential
Friedrich Nietzsche, the German philosopher and cultural critic, was born in 1844 and was known for his bold and provocative ideas. His works, such as 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra' and 'Beyond Good and Evil', challenge traditional notions of morality and truth. Nietzsche introduced the concept of 'Ubermensch' or 'Overman' and proclaimed the 'death of God', emphasizing the individual's creative potential and undermining the traditional religious and moral values of his time. Nietzsche is the ultimate in deconstruction. As a historian, Nietzsche studied the flow and logic of history and analyzed it through philosophy. As such, he showed that no truths exist, all truths are situated in whatever historical context one lives in.
Amazing ideas, he deserves the number 1 spot more than anyone for the controversial things he said. (he was also the main inspiration for existentialism)
If you haven't read his work, it's like you haven't kissed a girl yet but once you do you inadvertently fall in love with her...
Niestzsche, father of our era's philosophy, everyone should (try at least to) read "thus spoke Zarathustra" philosophy and poetry by the hand of Nietzsche.. A point of no return.
Karl Marx, born in Trier, Germany, in 1818, was a philosopher, sociologist, economist, and revolutionary socialist. His collaboration with Friedrich Engels led to the publication of the 'Communist Manifesto' in 1848, a foundational text for the communist movement. His later work, 'Das Kapital', critiqued political economy and proposed his theories on capitalism, exploitation, and class struggle. Marx's ideas have had a monumental impact on various disciplines, inciting intense debate and leading to the establishment of Marxist political regimes. Marx fundamentally changes every century after him. Within a few decades of his death several countries had already officially subscribed to his philosophy. Even if you disagree heavily, on old teacher used to tell me "You can't deny his influence, he is a philosopher with an army behind him"
Karl Marx philosophy is based on dialectic materialism as opposed to Hegel's dialectic absolute idealism. According to dialectic materialism there are conflicts between economic classes. After feodalism we came in a new these. The Industrial employers of capitalism. The new these of capitalism will generate the antithese of the proletarian or working class. The synthese that will come out of this conflict is in Karl Marx's view socialism. To stop the conflicts that capitalism is generating it is necessary to maintain the productivity of economy trough socialism. Because capitalism will strive only to make benefits and therefore take advantage of the working class for producing more and more things that society really doesn't need. The unequality between the two classes will grow till there will be only rich and poor classes. Capitalism VS work. Only socialism who will maintain the equality can stop the unhuman conditions that will come if capitalism can do whatever it wants to do.
He showed the world the problems of modern ideology and the exploitation of the working class from the rich, he paved the way for famous revolutionary such as Vladimir lenin, Mao zedog, ho chi min, Kim il song, Fidel castro, and the most famous, che guevara, he changed the world.
I think he didn't fully understood the real nature of mankind. The good and the bad (a ethic question) in each one of us and our individuality that can make us sometimes egoistic.
His view of society is because of that utopic. In practic it would be without a doubt a totalirian society.
Aristotle, born in 384 B.C. in Stagira, Greece, is one of the most influential figures in Western philosophy and science. He studied under Plato at the Academy before becoming the tutor of Alexander the Great. His comprehensive system of philosophy, which encompassed morality, aesthetics, logic, science, politics, and metaphysics, has been the framework upon which many Western philosophers have based their own philosophies. Works like 'Nicomachean Ethics', 'Poetics', and 'Metaphysics' are still closely studied and widely taught. He puts a distinct idea into play that Philosophy could not purely be speculative. This idea would go on to influence rationalism, nihilism, atheism and so many more schools of thought.
Not number 1 wow!
Born in Athens around 428/427 B.C., Plato was a student of Socrates and later, the teacher of Aristotle. He founded the Academy in Athens, widely considered the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. His dialogues, where he often used Socrates as a character, serve as some of the most enduring records of classical Greek philosophy. Notably, his allegory of the cave explores the difference between perceived reality and the true form of things. Although Plato is not my favorite philosopher (because his writings lack the qualities that a philosopher should pursue most of all: clarity and being concise) and hardly any of his ideas can be considered indisputable, in terms of influence on the whole subject of philosophy he has no match. The modern philosophical disciplines, such as ontology, epistemology, and ethics, can be traced back to his dialogues; and virtually any philosophical problem which philosophers have been trying to solve for the last two thousand years was initially formulated by Plato.
It's very difficult to explain Plato's philosophy because it treats about many things ( ethics, politics, love, justice... ) but a great part of Plato's philosophy is based on the ideas of ideal forms. The world that we're experience is an illusion because only what's unvariable and eternal can be reality ( a theory by Parmenides ). There must be something that has eternal and unvariable forms who are the " blueprints " for the factual things we see trough our senses and our experience. Plato says that there are different individual horses, dogs, cats etc.. but they all made of one universal idea or form of a horse, a dog, a cat and so on. To understand the concept of Plato's theory of ideas, we can explain it trough an example ( the idea of a car that didn't exist in Plato's time ). The blueprint of the " idea of a car " was there. After someone experienced the idea he made out of his experience of the idea of the form a car. Once this idea is put in practice in " this " material ...more
Plato had the right ideas, and it's a shame they weren't executed. According to him, philosophers should be kings, as they'd make the best rulers, to which I agree for the most part. He deserves to be 1st.
As whitehead said the entire western philosophical tradition is a series of footnotes to plato... It seems though that in this poll the footnotes take precedence over the main text
René Descartes, born in France in 1596, is often credited as the father of modern Western philosophy. His famous dictum, "Cogito, ergo sum" ("I think, therefore I am"), reflects his foundational position in epistemology. He sought to build a basis for scientific method grounded in reason and clear, distinct ideas. His work, 'Meditations on First Philosophy', continues to be a standard text in philosophy education. After analysed every radical doubt, he came to the conclusion that one thing is sure; that he exist.
His saying "I think, therefore I am" was true even if he was dreaming, even when his senses played tricks with his mind. It was even necessarily true because it's impossible to deny it without being in contradiction with yourself (if you're saying that you have doubts about your existence it proves in fact that you exist otherwise you wouldn't have a doubt to begin with). You also can't ignore the existence of your thoughts because it's with your thinking that you're able to get doubts. Therefore, thinking and I (my existence) are the same. A proven self-identity that has a body and mind.
I think, therefore I am.
Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, was born in 1875. Known as the founder of analytical psychology, he proposed and developed the concepts of the collective unconscious, archetypes, and introversion and extroversion. Jung's profound insights into the human psyche, elaborated in works like 'Psychological Types' and 'Man and His Symbols', have made him one of the most influential figures in the field of psychology.
Immanuel Kant was born in 1724 in Königsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia). His work in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and aesthetics has had a profound impact on virtually every philosophical movement that followed him. His most significant work, 'The Critique of Pure Reason', seeks to reconcile empiricism and rationalism, and it establishes the groundwork for much of his later philosophy. He introduced the concept of the 'categorical imperative', a principle that demands moral law be followed unconditionally. Single-handedly saved the philosophy of science and the scientific method.
One of the best
He is the best
David Hume, born in 1711 in Edinburgh, Scotland, was a prominent figure in the Scottish Enlightenment. Known for his empiricism, skepticism, and naturalism, Hume's major works like 'A Treatise of Human Nature' and 'An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding' explore the limits of human knowledge. His critique of causation and his exploration of morality based on sentiment rather than reason have been very influential. Hume is easily the most revolutionary philosopher of all time. He shook the foundations of what people knew to be true and philosophers will never stop struggling over his questions. He pointed out that inductive and probablistic reasoning are not based on logic because there is no logical reason to believe that nature is universal. He also pointed out that our belief that some things "cause" other things or that there is a necessary connection between them is flawed as well. Similarly, he rejected the idea that moral principles can be logically derived from facts about the world. Hume also discussed the contradictions in the ideas of God relating to the finite and infinite. Hume's skeptical questions cleared out millennia of BS to help us at get at the true reasons why we believe the things we do.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, born in Geneva in 1712, was a significant philosopher of the Enlightenment era. Known for his work on political philosophy and education, his writings, such as 'The Social Contract' and 'Emile', advocate for a society based on democratic consensus and the moral autonomy of individuals. His ideas had a profound influence on the French Revolution and continue to be central to modern political and educational thought.
John Locke, born in 1632 in England, is often referred to as the 'Father of Liberalism.' His work greatly influenced modern empirical philosophy. In his 'Two Treatises of Government', he defended the claim that men are by nature free and equal, arguing for a governmental system that would protect life, liberty, and property. His theory of mind, presented in 'An Essay Concerning Human Understanding', emphasizes the importance of experience and the senses in knowledge acquisition.
Baruch Spinoza, born in 1632 in Amsterdam, was a key figure in the Dutch Enlightenment. Known for his systematic views and rationalist philosophy, his work 'Ethics' is a seminal text in Western philosophy. Spinoza put forth controversial ideas, like the unity of God and the universe, earning him the label of a radical. His thought has deeply influenced numerous areas of philosophy, including metaphysics, epistemology, political philosophy, ethics, and philosophy of mind. This man should be number one. He has a unique way of explained the universe don't mind he grew up Jewish and have always explained things as clean as possible.
He was a great influence for Marx, and yet Proudhon's ideas were even better.
Confucius, born in 551 B.C., was a Chinese philosopher whose teachings, known as Confucianism, have deeply influenced East Asian life and thought. His philosophy emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice, and sincerity. The Analects, a collection of sayings and ideas attributed to Confucius and his contemporaries, is considered one of the central texts of Confucianism. Inventor of the golden rule and promoter of respect...
To live a full life you must respect each other and treat them the way you want to be treated. Most philosophers think of knowledge and of god and the way the world works, but Confucius thinks of human morals and respect. Greatest philosopher to have ever lived.
Thomas Hobbes, born in 1588 in England, is best known for his work in political philosophy. Hobbes's 'Leviathan' explores the social contract and proposes that a strong central authority is the answer to preventing the fear and brutishness of a state of war. His conception of human nature as self-interested cooperation has proved foundational for modern Western political philosophy, especially the branches of liberalism, realism, and constitutionalism.I think his book "The unique and his property" is one of the best books about individualism. Very extreme in his approach but there's certainly a truth in what he is thinking and writing. Many people think that is approach is close to egoism but if you read it closely he makes the difference between that thin line.
One of the few thinkers who understood the real nature of mankind and therefor one who rejected many ethic-theories. His writing and thinking was of a great influence for anarchists like Proudhon, Bakoenin, Malatesta and many others.
He taught me to value myself.
Niccolò Machiavelli, born in 1469 in Florence, Italy, was a political philosopher and diplomat. He is best known for 'The Prince', a pragmatic and often controversial guide to political leadership. Machiavelli's realistic approach to power—famously encapsulated in the phrase "the end justifies the means"—marked a significant departure from the prevailing moral philosophy of his time.
Søren Kierkegaard, born in 1813 in Copenhagen, Denmark, is widely considered the father of existentialism. His writings cover a vast range of topics, including theology, ethics, and the nature of the self. He proposed the idea of subjective truth, arguing that individual existence is of paramount importance, and that it is up to each person to give meaning to life. His works such as 'Fear and Trembling' and 'Either/Or' are still extensively studied and discussed today. Is considered as the "father of existentialism" even if Soren Kierkegaard would not accepted that notion. Existentialism would be nothing more than a label in his point of view. But the "label" of being an existentialist has its origin because he said that many philosophies before him never said anything about fundamental human conditions like for instance choice. He said: "What I'm really missing is a clear image in my mind about what I have to do, not of what I have to known... It's all about finding a truth that's true for me, the idea for a purpose with my life and what to do with it..." His answer to finding his own truth is passion because the conclusions of passions are the only ones you can trust in his point of view. What the present time (according to him) is missing, is not reflection but passion. We are in a non-stop confrontation of taking decisions. Choice is therefore always with us and that is a companion and a burden at the same time. Hence his search for "what's ...more
Existentialism is becoming more relevant in our times, and perhaps more than it has been ever. Kierkegaard provides interesting and unique views.
This guy´s just downright brilliant. While philosophers before him were all about giving answers, he recognized the importance of doubt and humanity´s limitations of understanding. Flipped everything on it´s head. One of the most influential philosophers to modern thought of all time. As Einstein is to Newton, this guy is to his predecessors.
Thomas Jefferson, born in 1743 in Virginia, was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. Although more known for his political career, Jefferson was also an influential thinker of his time, contributing to natural and political philosophy. His commitment to the ideals of liberty and human rights, his belief in the separation of church and state, and his advocacy for public education have left a lasting impact on American society.
Ayn Rand, born in 1905 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, was a philosopher and novelist known for her philosophy of Objectivism. Her best-selling novels, 'Atlas Shrugged' and 'The Fountainhead', express her unique philosophy advocating for rational and ethical egoism, and for laissez-faire capitalism unfettered by government intervention. Despite considerable academic neglect, her works remain popular and continue to inspire a widespread following. God no. Objectivism is awful.
Epicurus, born in 341 B.C. on the Greek island of Samos, was an ancient Greek philosopher who founded Epicureanism, one of the major philosophies of Hellenistic Greece. Epicurus taught that the goal of life was to seek pleasure and avoid pain. However, he defined pleasure in terms of mental tranquility and freedom from fear, rather than mere physical indulgence. His philosophies on atomic theory, free will, and the nature of good and evil have influenced a range of thinkers from the Roman poet Lucretius to the utilitarian philosopher John Stuart Mill. One of the most practical and relevant philosophers to a person's life. He teaches us to appreciate and not overlook the mundane aspects of life. Instead of relying on some grandiose ambition, relationship, indulgence, or meaning to make you live a good life, we ought strive to achieve ataraxia and aponia. From the absence of suffering we allow enjoyment to creep into our life
The Epicurean Paradox shows how a god can't be benevolent and omnipotent, but still allow evil in the world.
Read the Principal Doctrines. Live by them and live a happy life. The rest is just over-analysis.
Thomas Aquinas, born in 1225 in Italy, is a towering figure in scholastic philosophy and theology. Known for his synthesis of Aristotelian philosophy with Christian doctrine, his magnum opus, 'Summa Theologica', remains a fundamental text in Catholic education. His rational approach towards theology, his philosophies on natural law, and his belief in the compatibility of faith and reason continue to influence both religious and secular thought. Most underrated but the best. The 5 ways are greatly misunderstood and always disregarded with strawmen. Aquinas was eons beyond the majority of philosophers. The more you study the Thomist and Aristotelian traditions the more it'll reveal its self, it takes time to fully grasp them.
Arthur Schopenhauer, born in 1788 in Danzig (Gdańsk, modern-day Poland), was a German philosopher known for his pessimistic philosophy and for seeing the will as the driving force of reality. His central work, 'The World as Will and Representation', posits that desire is the root cause of suffering. Though overlooked in his early career, Schopenhauer's philosophy later had a significant influence on a variety of fields, including literature, psychology, and metaphysics. This dude is way too underrated, need more recognition for his spectacular works!
François-Marie Arouet, better known by his pen name Voltaire, was born in 1694 in Paris, France. He was a prolific writer, philosopher, and historian, known for his wit, advocacy of freedom of speech, and criticism of the Catholic Church. His works, including 'Candide' and 'Letters on the English', highlight his radical views on politics and religion, making him a significant figure in the French Enlightenment. Advocate of religious freedom and made us question religion more.
Diogenes of Sinope, born around 412 B.C., was a significant figure in ancient Greek philosophy. As one of the founders of Cynicism, he is known for his ascetic lifestyle and his provocative behavior that defied social norms. His philosophy advocated for living in accordance with nature and rejected conventional desires for wealth, power, and fame. Although none of his writings have survived, his life and teachings, often preserved in anecdotes, have remained influential in philosophical discourse. He passed away in 323 B.C. The man should be above Plato obviously. Diogenes is quite possibly the greatest philosopher of all, if not the wisest. I'd simply say that when it came to being wise, Diogenes had it. Something Plato didn't have at times.