Timeline of Philosophers

Confucius

551 BCE

Confucius (551 – 479 BCE)was a Chinese philosopher who emphasized moral values, social relationships, and the importance of education in developing virtuous individuals. Famous quote: "It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop."

Socrates

469 BCE

Socrates (469 – 399 BCE) was an Ancient Greek philosopher who believed that the pursuit of wisdom and knowledge was the key to living a good life. Famous quote: "The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing."

Plato

428 BCE

Plato (428– 347 BCE) was a Greek philosopher who emphasized the importance of reason and the pursuit of knowledge. Famous quote: "We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light."

Aristotle

384 BCE

Aristotle (384 – 322 BCE)was a Greek philosopher who emphasized the pursuit of virtue and the concept of the golden mean. Famous quote: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."

Thomas Aquinas

1225

Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 1274) was an Italian theologian and philosopher who developed a system of natural law and emphasized the importance of reason and divine revelation in ethics. Famous quote: "To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible."

Immanuel Kant

1724

Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804) was a German philosopher whose ethical philosophy emphasized the importance of reason and the concept of the categorical imperative. Famous quote: "Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law."

Jeremy Bentham

1748

Jeremy Bentham (1748 – 1832)was a British philosopher who advocated for utilitarianism, the idea that the greatest happiness of the greatest number is the measure of right and wrong. Famous quote: "It is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong."

John Stuart Mill

1806

John Stuart Mill (1806 – 1873) was a British philosopher and political economist who further developed the concept of utilitarianism and emphasized individual liberty. Famous quote: "The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others."

Friedrich Nietzsche

1844

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 – 1900) was a German philosopher and cultural critic who challenged traditional morality and emphasized individualism. Famous quote: "God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him."

Jean-Paul Sartre

1905

Jean-Paul Sartre (1905 – 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, and novelist who was a leading figure in the existentialist movement and emphasized the importance of freedom and individual choice. Famous quote: "Man is condemned to be free."