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399 BCE
Socrates
Socrates is considered the father of Western philosophy. He is known for his Socratic method of questioning, which involves asking a series of questions to clarify and explore a topic. He believed that the pursuit of wisdom and self-improvement was the key to living a good life. -
347 BCE
Plato
Plato was a student of Socrates and is known for his dialogues, which often feature Socrates as the main character. Plato's philosophy is characterized by his belief in the existence of eternal, objective forms or ideals, which he called the "Forms." -
322 BCE
Aristotle
Aristotle was a student of Plato and is known for his contributions to a wide range of fields, including ethics, politics, and biology. In ethics, he is known for his idea of the "golden mean," which suggests that the best course of action is one that falls between two extremes of excess and deficiency. -
Immanuel Kant
Kant is known for his work in moral philosophy, in which he argued that the moral worth of an action should be judged based on the motive behind it, rather than the consequences that follow. He is also known for his idea of the "categorical imperative," which states that one should act only in accordance with principles that could be made into universal laws. -
John Stuart Mill
Mill was a utilitarian philosopher, who believed that the right action is the one that maximizes overall happiness or well-being for the greatest number of people. He is known for his work on the concept of "individual liberty," which he believed was important for the pursuit of happiness. -
Jean-Paul Sartre
Sartre was a French philosopher and writer, who is known for his contributions to the philosophy of existentialism. Existentialism is a philosophical movement that emphasizes individual freedom and choice, and the inherent meaninglessness of life. Sartre believed that individuals are responsible for giving their own lives meaning, and that this responsibility should be embraced rather than denied. -
John Rawls
Rawls is known for his work on social justice and political philosophy. He is best known for his theory of "justice as fairness," which argues that the principles of justice should be chosen by rational actors who are in an "original position" of equality, behind a "veil of ignorance" that prevents them from knowing their own place in society.
