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620 BCE
Thales of Miletus (620 BC-546 BC)
"The past is certain, the future is obscure." The vast majority of information, including philosophy, history, science, geography, and politics, piqued Thales' curiosity. He put out hypotheses to explain various natural occurrences, the fundamental constituent, the basis of the world, and the origin of change. -
469 BCE
Socrates (469 BC- 399 BC)
“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” The philosophy of Socrates looks at how we ought to live. This prompted him to have conversations about numerous virtues, like prudence, justice, bravery, piety, and so forth. According to Socrates, no one intentionally commits sin. Ignorance is the cause of evil. People would act morally if they knew what was correct to do. We constantly make decisions based on what we believe to be best for us. -
428 BCE
Plato (428 BC- 348 BC)
“If a man neglects education, he walks lame to the end of his life.” Ancient Greek philosopher Plato, a disciple of Socrates, a mentor to Aristotle, and the founder of the Academy, is best remembered as the creator of philosophical writings that have had an unequaled impact. Plato introduced the idea that their errors resulted from their improper interaction with a group of things he called forms, with Justice, Beauty, and Equality serving as three prominent examples. -
384 BCE
Aristotle (384 BC- 322 BC)
One of the most influential thinkers in Western history was the Greek philosopher and scientist Aristotle. He created a philosophical and scientific system that served as the foundation and vehicle for both medieval Islamic philosophy and Christian Scholasticism. Aristotelian ideas persisted in Western thought even after the intellectual revolutions of the Renaissance, Reformation, and Enlightenment. -
341 BCE
Epicurus (341 BC- 270 BC)
"Death does not concern us, because as long as we exist, death is not here." A sort of egoistic hedonism, Epicurus' ethics holds that the only thing that has inherent value is one's own pleasure and that everything else is only worthwhile as a way of obtaining one's own pleasure. To secure pleasure, Epicurus advises leading a moral, somewhat austere life. This is because he has a deep and unique understanding of the nature of pleasure. -
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)
"It is not wisdom but authority that makes the law." Thomas Hobbes contends that until there are established norms that specify what behaviors are good and evil, people lack a moral compass. The natural world is devoid of morality. Without the total right to enforce it, there can be no contract. Justice therefore only exists until the sovereign is formed. -
Rene Descartes (1596-1650)
“I think; therefore I am.” Descartes' defining belief is the duality of the mind and body. His view of the distinction between the mind and the body, known as Cartesian dualism, later influenced other Western philosophies. Descartes made an effort to illustrate how the human spirit and human body are distinct from one another. -
John Locke (1632-1704)
"The discipline of desire is the background of character." According to Locke, we have the capacity to observe or feel our minds at work, and when we do, we are given thoughts for reflection. These concepts include memories, imagination, desires, uncertainty, judgment, and decision-making. According to Locke, experience (both sense and reflection) provides us with clear concepts. -
David Hume (1711-1776)
"There is no such thing as freedom of choice unless there is freedom to refuse." His emphasis is on altruism: the moral sentiments that he claims to find in human beings, he traces, for the most part, to a sentiment for and a sympathy with one's fellows. It is human nature, he holds, to laugh with the laughing and to grieve with the grieved and to seek the good of others as well as one's own. -
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)
“The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless.” A radical thinker of the Swiss Enlightenment, Jean-Jacques Rousseau was. He fiercely argued in favor of democracy, equality, liberty, and advancing the common good using all means required. Even if his theories are utopian (or dystopian), they are thought-provoking and have the potential to influence contemporary dialogue. -
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)
“Thoughts without contents are empty; intuitions without concepts are blind.” German philosopher, particularly the numerous Kantianism and idealism schools, was strongly affected by his thorough and systematic work in epistemology, ethics, and aesthetics. -
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831)
"Too fair to worship, too divine to love." Within a larger philosophical system, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770–1831) constructed a philosophy based on freedom that offered unique perspectives on everything from property and punishment to morality and the state. Elements of the Philosophy of Right ("PR"), Hegel's most important work, was originally released in 1821. -
Jean-Francois Lyotard (1924-1998)
“Simplifying to the extreme, I define postmodern as incredulity toward metanarratives.” French philosopher Jean-François Lyotard (1924–1998) is most known for his 1979 book The Postmodern Condition, much to his displeasure. The term "postmodernism," already in use in other fields like the arts and literature, was brought to the forefront of discussions in Western philosophy.