Top 10 Most Influential Philosophical Schools of Thought
Philosophical schools of thoughts that have been inspiring different kinds of philosophers.
Aristotelianism has been one of the most influential philosophical branches ever. Aristotle is known for his philosophical thought, which was a direct refutation of Plato's theory of forms. Aristotle paved the path for Western philosophical thought and Empiricism. According to Aristotle's epistemology, knowledge only comes from this physical world. Therefore, the ultimate truth doesn't emanate from the abstract world, as Plato and Socrates believed.
Aristotelian philosophy has inspired philosophers from Hellenistic philosophy to Arabic philosophy and then to Scholastic philosophy. Aristotle's ideas also deal with several topics such as metaphysics, ethics, biology, physics, politics, and even music. Aristotle is also known for proposing the idea of the first cause, also known as the unmoved mover, which has been a principal theory for medieval philosophers in proving the existence of God.
Neoplatonism is the philosophical doctrine of the great philosopher Plotinus. Plotinus was a Hellenistic philosopher known for bringing the theory of the divine intellect or the transcendent absolute One. Nobody is sure where exactly Plotinus got this idea. It could be his own interpretation of Platonic philosophy, which deals with the ultimate abstract world.
Neoplatonism is perhaps the most widely read philosophical school of thought after Aristotelian philosophy. It has been an integral part of Christian theology and also reached Scholastic philosophy through Islamic philosophy. Philosophers like Ibn Sina and Al Farabi used the idea of "the absolute, transcendent One and the emanation of different kinds of intellects" from Neoplatonic philosophy.
Although Neoplatonism was rejected during the time of Ibn Rushd and High Scholasticism, its best uses have been in mystical philosophy. Scholars like Ibn Arabi and Meister Eckhart's philosophies reflect some elements of Neoplatonism. It is still used by traditionalist philosophers such as Rene Guenon and Seyyed Hossein Nasr.
Personally, I believe it is a much more important philosophy for theistic philosophy than Aristotelian philosophy.
Pythagoreanism is perhaps one of the oldest philosophical schools of all time. Pythagoras, like Socrates, didn't write anything himself. However, Pythagoras is known for integrating mathematics and philosophy. He perhaps also traveled to places like Ancient Iraq/Iran, Egypt, or even India. He might have borrowed many philosophical ideas from the East, or it is possible that Pythagoras developed some philosophies on his own.
Pythagoras is known as one of the oldest philosophers to deal with Dualism. Dualism in philosophy means the separation of mind and body. Pythagoras also believed in "Transmigration of Souls," where souls enter into another creation after death.
Pythagorean philosophy is known for blending into Platonic philosophy, especially in terms of mathematics. One of the reasons I put it so high is because the later sub-branch of Pythagorean philosophy, the Neo-Pythagoreans, helped shape the idea of Christian philosophy. It's a bit controversial, but the idea of the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit is connected to Middle Platonism as well as Pythagorean philosophy.
It is more likely a movement. Anyway, whether you like it or not, Marxism has been influential in the philosophical world. Everybody knows it. It encompasses the ideas of Karl Marx, who grounded his political, materialistic, and atheistic beliefs on the principles of socialism.
Karl Marx was one of the greatest thinkers who ever lived. He discovered the laws of social development and described the mechanisms of the functioning of capitalism.
Scholasticism is the Christian philosophical school of thought in the West. It was based on Aristotelian philosophy to defend Christian theology. It has different sub-branches of its own. Although scholastic philosophy slowed down in the end, it was a very influential philosophical school of thought.
While most people admire Socrates, many do not know who created the idea of rhetorical thought. Rhetoric is the field of study involving the art of persuasion. Sophists used to take money and debate various topics among themselves.
Socrates was inspired by them for rhetorical argument and developed his idea of the "Socratic Method."
Avicennism is based on the philosophical school of thought of the Muslim philosopher Ibn Sina. "There are two kinds of Avicennism," says Seyyed Hossein Nasr, "the Latin Avicennism and the Islamic Avicennism." The Latin Avicennism involves works of Aristotelian philosophy, while the Islamic Avicennism involves the spiritual or mystical works of Ibn Sina.
Avicennism has been a very influential philosophical school of thought in the West. Ibn Sina is known for proposing the idea of "The Proof of the Truthful," a philosophical concept based on the Quranic essence of Allah/God to prove the existence of God. This argument was the most important argument in the West for proving the existence of God.
Even if not for his metaphysics, Ibn Sina is known for his contributions to natural philosophy.
Averroism is the philosophical school of thought named after Averroes, whose real name is Ibn Rushd. He was a Muslim jurist and philosopher known for defending the ideas of Aristotle and integrating them into Islamic theology. Although Averroism was denied in the Muslim world, it was very influential in Christian and Jewish philosophy.
The idea of Averroism is that reason and revelation cannot collide. Muslims in Persia deviated from the path of true Aristotelian philosophy, and Ibn Rushd tried to defend the best of Aristotle's teachings. Ibn Rushd rejected any kind of Neoplatonic philosophy.
While St. Thomas Aquinas was a critic of Ibn Rushd, he was also inspired by Ibn Rushd's ideas and similarly believed there could be no contradiction between "faith and reason."
Kantianism is the philosophy of Immanuel Kant. Immanuel Kant was known for triggering the idea of German Idealism, which later took a radical turn with the philosopher Hegel. Kant's prominent ideas include philosophies like the Categorical Imperative. He is also known for his Moral Absolutism.
Akbariyya is a school of thought named after the Muslim scholar "Shaykh Al Akbar," which means the great Shaykh, Ibn Arabi. It encompasses the philosophical doctrines of Ibn Arabi, who was known for his mystical philosophy. Akbariyya is still active and practiced by many Sufis.
The Akbariyya school of thought inspired many philosophers, such as Mulla Sadra, and his philosophical thought, "Transcendent Theosophy."
