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551 BCE
Confucius
Chinese teacher, writer, and philosopher Confucius viewed himself as a channel for the theological ideas and values of the imperial dynasties that came before him. He developed a belief system focused on both personal and governmental morality through qualities such as justice, sincerity, and positive relationships with others. "If you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room." -
470 BCE
Socrates
Born in Greece, Socrates plays a huge role in modern philosophy. He was seen as a controversial man and studied langage and nature. It was also rumored that he may have been athiest (Kraut). "Falling down is not a failure. Failure comes when you stay where you have fallen." -
428 BCE
Plato
He gained his influence from another philosopher, his mentor, Socrates. He streseed mostly on the idea that mistakes were made within the forms of Justice, Equality, and Beauty (Meinwald). "Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others." -
384 BCE
Aristotle
He is one of the most popular philosophers due to his contributions in many fields including arts, sciences, rhetoric, as well as philosophy (Amadio). "Be a free thinker and don't accept everything you hear as truth. Be critical and evaluate what you believe in." -
354 BCE
Augustine
Saint Augustine of Hippo was a Roman African, early Christian theologian and philosopher from Numidia whose writings influenced the development of Western Christianity and Western philosophy. "The good man, though a slave, is free; the wicked, though he reigns, is a slave." -
341 BCE
Epicurus
Epicurus created the atomistic theory with influence from a naturalistic philosopher Democritus (Diano). "Not what we have, but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance." -
1274
Saint Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas was a 13th century Dominican friar, theologian and Doctor of the Church, born in what is known today as the Lazio region of Italy. His most important contribution to Western thought is the concept of natural theology (sometimes referred to as Thomism in tribute to his influence). “To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.” -
1561
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban, PC QC was an English philosopher and statesman, who served as Attorney General, and as Lord Chancellor of England. His works are credited with developing the scientific method, and remained influential through the scientific revolution. "If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubt; but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties." -
Rene Descartes
Father of analytical geometry, a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist, Descartes was born in France but spent 20 years of his life in the Dutch Republic. He discards belief in all things that are not absolutely certain, emphasizing the understanding of that which can be known for sure. "Conquer yourself rather than the world." -
John Locke
John Locke FRS was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "Father of Liberalism". “Nobody can give more power than he has himself; and he that cannot take away his own life, cannot give another power over it.” -
David Hume
A Scottish-born historian, economist, and philosopher. He articulated the "problem of induction," suggesting we cannot rationally justify our belief in causality, that our perception only allows us to experience events that are typically conjoined, and that causality cannot be empirically asserted as the connecting force in that relationship. "A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence." -
Immanuel Kant
He is considered among the most essential figures in modern philosophy, an advocate of reason as the source for morality, and a thinker whose ideas continue to permeate ethical, epistemological, and political debate. He defined the "Categorical imperative," the idea that there are intrinsically good and moral ideas to which we all have a duty, and that rational individuals will inherently find reason in adhering to moral obligation. "Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life." -
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was a German philosopher and an important figure of German idealism. He achieved wide recognition in his day and while primarily influential within the continental tradition of philosophy-has become increasingly influential in the analytic tradition as well. “Nothing great in the world was accomplished without passion.” -
Ralph Waldo Emerson
A Boston-born writer, philosopher, and poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson is the father of the transcendentalist movement. He wrote on the importance of subjects such as self- reliance, experiential living, and the preeminence of the soul. “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” -
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin, FRS FRGS FLS FZS was an English naturalist, geologist and biologist, best known for his contributions to the science of evolution. His proposition that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestors is now widely accepted, and considered a foundational concept in science. "Great is the power of steady misrepresentation; but the history of science shows that fortunately, this power does not long endure." -
Karl Marx
A German-born economist, political theorist, and philosopher, Karl Marx wrote some of the most revolutionary philosophical content ever produced. He advocated a view called historical materialism, arguing for the demystification of thought and idealism in favor of closer acknowledgement of the physical and material actions shaping the world. "The production of too many useful things results in too many useless people." -
John Dewey
John Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. Dewey is one of the primary figures associated with the philosophy of pragmatism and is considered one of the fathers of functional psychology. "Failure is instructive. The person who really thinks learns quite as much from his failures as from his successes." -
Michel Foucault
Historian, social theorist, born in France, dedicated much of his teaching and writing to the examination of power and knowledge and their connection to social control. Believed oppressed humans are entitled to rights and they have a duty to rise up against the abuse of power to and hold the conviction that the study of philosophy must begin. "Schools serve the same social functions as prisons and mental institutions- to define, classify, control, and regulate people."