J. André Faust: Influential Philosophers by Era

Influential Philosophers

Ancient Philosophy (600 BCE - 300 CE)

Thales of Miletus (c. 624 – c. 546 BCE) - Pre-Socratic philosopher known for his belief that water is the fundamental substance of the universe.
Pythagoras (c. 570 – c. 495 BCE) - Best known for the Pythagorean theorem; believed in the significance of numbers in understanding the world.
Heraclitus (c. 535 – c. 475 BCE) - Known for his doctrine of change being central to the universe, summed up in the phrase "everything flows."
Parmenides (c. 515 – c. 450 BCE) - Introduced the idea that reality is unchanging and that change is an illusion.
Socrates (c. 470 – 399 BCE) - Famous for the Socratic method and his contributions to ethics and epistemology.
Plato (c. 427 – 347 BCE) - Student of Socrates and founder of the Academy; known for his works on political theory, epistemology, and metaphysics.
Aristotle (384 – 322 BCE) - Student of Plato and tutor to Alexander the Great; made foundational contributions to logic, metaphysics, ethics, and natural sciences.
Epicurus (341 – 270 BCE) - Founder of Epicureanism, which taught that pleasure is the highest good.
Zeno of Citium (c. 334 – c. 262 BCE) - Founder of Stoicism, emphasizing rationality and the natural order.
Plotinus (c. 204 – 270 CE) - Founder of Neoplatonism, which influenced early Christian thought.

Augustine of Hippo (354 – 430) - Christian theologian and philosopher whose works influenced Western Christianity and philosophy.
Boethius (c. 480 – 524) - Known for "The Consolation of Philosophy," which bridged classical philosophy and medieval thought.
Anselm of Canterbury (1033 – 1109) - Developed the ontological argument for the existence of God.
Avicenna (Ibn Sina) (980 – 1037) - Persian philosopher who integrated Islamic tradition with Aristotelian philosophy.
Averroes (Ibn Rushd) (1126 – 1198) - Islamic philosopher known for his commentaries on Aristotle.
Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 1274) - Catholic philosopher and theologian who synthesized Aristotelian philosophy with Christian theology.
Duns Scotus (c. 1266 – 1308) - Known for his complex arguments on the nature of existence and God.
William of Ockham (c. 1287 – 1347) - Advocated for nominalism and is known for Ockham's Razor, a principle of simplicity.

René Descartes (1596 – 1650) - Father of modern philosophy; known for "Cogito, ergo sum" and Cartesian dualism.
Thomas Hobbes (1588 – 1679) - Political philosopher known for his social contract theory in "Leviathan."
Baruch Spinoza (1632 – 1677) - Advocated for pantheism and rationalism in ethics.
John Locke (1632 – 1704) - Philosopher of empiricism and political theory, emphasizing natural rights.
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646 – 1716) - Co-developer of calculus and known for his philosophy of optimism.
George Berkeley (1685 – 1753) - Advocate of immaterialism, arguing that material objects exist only as perceptions.
David Hume (1711 – 1776) - Empiricist and skeptic who challenged notions of causality and religion.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 – 1778) - Philosopher of education and political theory, known for "The Social Contract."
Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804) - Developed the critical philosophy, emphasizing the limits of human understanding.

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770 – 1831) - Known for his dialectical method and philosophy of absolute idealism.
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788 – 1860) - Pessimistic philosopher known for his work on the will and aesthetics.
Auguste Comte (1798 – 1857) - Founder of positivism and sociology as a scientific discipline.
John Stuart Mill (1806 – 1873) - Utilitarian philosopher and advocate for individual liberty.
Karl Marx (1818 – 1883) - Developed Marxism, critiquing capitalism and advocating for socialism.
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 – 1900) - Critic of traditional morality and religion, known for the concept of the "Übermensch."
Émile Durkheim (1858 – 1917) - Founding sociologist known for his work on social integration and the nature of society.

Bertrand Russell (1872 – 1970) - Philosopher and logician known for his work in analytic philosophy.
Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889 – 1951) - Influential in the philosophy of language and mind.
Martin Heidegger (1889 – 1976) - Existentialist philosopher known for "Being and Time."
Jean-Paul Sartre (1905 – 1980) - Existentialist philosopher and playwright, known for works on freedom and responsibility.
Simone de Beauvoir (1908 – 1986) - Feminist philosopher known for "The Second Sex."
Michel Foucault (1926 – 1984) - Philosopher of power, knowledge, and discourse.
John Rawls (1921 – 2002) - Political philosopher known for "A Theory of Justice."
Jürgen Habermas (b. 1929) - Known for his theory on communicative action and the public sphere.
C. Wright Mills (1916 – 1962) - Sociologist known for his work on the structure of power and the "sociological imagination."
Noam Chomsky (b. 1928) - Linguist and philosopher known for his work on language, cognitive science, and political philosophy.