Philosophy has shaped the world.

From science
to politics, the great philosophers challenged the
ways that we see things. And while you probably
know many famous Greek philosophers, the list
of philosophers is much longer than that. From
unknown to famous philosophers, get ready for a
trip through time because they are the 25
Greatest Philosophers Who Ever Lived!

ARISTOTLE

A student of Plato in Ancient Greece, Aristotle

contributed to numerous areas including
metaphysics, logic, poetry, linguistics, and
government. He is one of the most well known
philosophers in history.

Immanuel Kant

Born in Germany, Kant is well known for

his ideas about perception. He argued that
we cannot know what the world is really like
(noumenal world). We can only know what
we perceive the world to be like
(phenomenal world). Basically, we can’t
know whether or not everything is just one
big Matrix.
 Plato

As you have already seen, Plato was

Aristotle’s teacher, and he is famous for
starting the Academy in Athens. This was the
first institution of higher learning in the
Western world.

Confucius

A Chinese philosopher who lived about

500 BC, he focused on relationships and
how the family was important and necessary
to society. His views shaped later Chinese
thought and led to what is now called
Confucianism.
 David Hume

A Scottish philosopher, Hume was a strong

skeptic and empiricist. He claimed that our
beliefs don’t come from our reason but rather
from our feelings and ideas of how the world
should be. In fact, Kant (#24) got many of his
ideas from Hume.

Rene Descartes

Considered the “Father of Modern

Philosophy,” Descartes is famous for his
statement, “I think, therefore I am.”
 Socrates

You’ve already met Socrates’ most famous

student, Plato, but Socrates himself was a
very well known philosopher. He is famous
for the Socratic Method in which a series of
questions are asked in order to lead the
listener to a conclusion.

Niccolo Machiavelli

Living during the Italian Renaissance,

Machiavelli is famous for his contributions to
political philosophy. His book “The Prince”
explains to rulers how they can stay in power
at all costs. This book shocked people
because before that time, everyone thought
rulers were (or should be) virtuous. He
claimed that, “Might makes right,” and “It is
better to be feared than loved.”
 John Locke

An English physician, Locke is famous for

believing that all knowledge comes from our
senses. His ideas influenced later
philosophers like Hume and Kant. He is also
well known for using very simple words in his
writings. When asked how we can know that
external objects really exist at all, Locke said
to simply stick your hand in a fire.

Diogenes of Sinope

An Ancient Greek philosopher, Diogenes is

known for claiming that Aristotle had
perverted the teachings of Plato. Diogenes
believed that Athens had become corrupt
with vanity and wanted to bring back virtuous
living. He would even walk through the
streets of Athens while holding a lamp
and saying that he was “looking for an
honest man.”
 Thomas Aquinas

Having combined Greek thought with

Christian theology, the Italian philosopher
and theologian Aquinas is known as the
most famous philosopher of Europe’s Middle
Ages.

Laoz

A Chinese philosopher from the 6th

century BC, Laozi founded Daoism
(sometimes seen spelled Taoism). This
belief system focuses on the “Dao”
(sometimes, Tao, which means “the Way”).
Basically, it involves “action through
inaction.” In some ways, this was the
opposite of Confucius’s very active
philosophies. Laozi’s ideas, however, went
on to influence Confucianism, Buddhism,
and other areas of Chinese society.
 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz

Along with Descartes, Leibniz is a well

known Idealist thinker. His training as an
engineer led him to believe that the mind
could not be a machine (even a very
complicated one). Instead, he believed that
the entire world (including the mind) was
made of immaterial forces that he called,
Monads.

Baruch Spinoza

Spinoza was a Jewish philosopher born in

Amsterdam during the 1600’s. He is famous
for intellectualizing many parts of the Judeo-
Christian belief system. For example, he
argued that the miracles were not
supernatural. Many of these beliefs got him
in trouble with the authorities.
 Voltaire

A French philosopher of the Enlightenment

period, Voltaire drew attention to human
suffering, criticized organized religion, and
advocated for the use of reason.

Thomas Hobbes

An English philosopher, Hobbes lived

during a civil war. This caused him to argue
that people must obey authority at all costs
as long as it provides peace (because
nothing is worse than war).
 Augustine of Hippo

An African philosopher born in present day

Algeria, Saint Augustine is famous for his
work “Confessions” where he explains how
became a Christian. His most notable
positions include just war and bridging the
divide between free will and predestination.

Al-Ghazali

An Islamic philosopher born in Persia, Al-

Ghazali is famous for rejecting many of
Aristotle’s positions (like the world being
eternal instead of created). He is also known
for popularizing Sufism, or Islamic mysticism.
 Siddhartha Gautama Buddha

Possibly the most famous Indian

philosopher, Buddha concluded that all
human suffering is caused by the desire for
permanence in a world where nothing is
permanent.

Baron de Montesquieu

A French philosopher, Montesquieu’s

contributions to political philosophy greatly
influenced the constitutions of the United
States and many other nations.
 Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Born in Switzerland, Rousseau is famous

for his argument that people were more free
in their natural state (basically anarchy) than
within society. Rousseau actually became
well known by winning a competition in which
the question was, “Has science and art made
humans more or less moral?” His answer,
that it has made humans less moral,
surprised people. He argued that
advancements in science only created more
inequality and gave the government more
power.

George Berkeley

Berkeley was an Irish philosopher who is

well known for arguing that the material
world may not exist. He suggested that it
may just be a bunch of ideas in God’s mind.
 Ayn Rand

Born in Russia but having moved to the

US, Ayn Rand was a strong advocate of
reason and laissez-faire capitalism, or
capitalism in which the government doesn’t
interfere. Her ideas have strongly shaped
modern libertarianism and conservatism.

Simone de Beauvoir

Although she never considered herself a

philosopher, Beauvoir was a French author
who strongly influenced feminism and
existentialism.
 Sun Tzu

Born in China sometime around 500 BC,

Sun Tzu was a military general and
philosopher who is famous for writing “The
Art Of War.” His ideas continue to influence
modern business, politics, and warfare.