25 Best famous philosophers in 2023 and their impacts
Without a doubt, some of the best famous philosophers have had a major impact on how the world has developed.
Philosophers from all around the world have questioned practically everything we observe in our environment, whether it be science or politics.
Although the famous philosophers who have studied a variety of topics are recognized for their talent and the philosophy that guided their work.
You’ve probably heard or read dozens of wise and poetic sayings that were truly the creations of the greatest philosophers.
Yes, there are many great and famous philosophers whose words are still used today to help people understand a wide range of concepts.
In this article, we will discuss the 25 famous philosophers of all time. Without any further delay, let’s dive in.
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Table of Contents
What is Philosophy?
Derived from the Greek words “philo” and “sophia” meaning “love of wisdom”.
Philosophy is the intellectual, abstract, and methodical study of reality.
From ancient Greece to the present, famous philosophers have played a significant role in the development of civilization.
They have also generated innovative ideas and made contributions to all fields and industries over the centuries, including politics, mathematics, literature, art, and science.
Furthermore, the most famous philosophers, their schools of thought, and what we can take away from their futuristic outlook are listed in this article.
How did philosophers shape modern society?
All knowledge in human history has its roots in philosophical inquiry.
These famous Philosophers have advanced and fueled human progress for more than two millennia through creating new ideas, revising accepted facts, and rethinking fundamental issues.
Furthermore, we reside in a world that philosophy has created. The modern world—including its science, technology, and politics—simply would not be possible without the achievements of philosophy, according to Scott Soames’ succinct chronicle of philosophy’s global influence.
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25 famous philosophers in 2023
Here are some of the famous philosophers of all time, along with some of their most famous quotes and biographical details.
1. Aristotle
2. Immanuel Kant
3. John Locke
4. Epicurus
5. Zeno of Citium
6. Plato
7. Confucius
8. David Hume
9. Rene Descartes
10. Socrates
11. Niccolo Machiavelli
12. Diogenes of Sinope
13. Thomas Aquinas
14. Laozi
15. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
16. Baruch Spinoza
17. Voltaire
18. Thomas Hobbes
19. Augustine of Hippo
20. Al-Ghazali
21. Siddhartha Gautama Buddha
22. Baron de Montesquieu
23. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
24. George Berkeley
25. Ayn Rand
1. Aristotle
He wrote on practically every field, including physics, biology, zoology, metaphysics, logic, ethics, aesthetics, poetry, drama, music, rhetoric, psychology, linguistics, economics, politics, and government.
This Greek philosopher was multi-talented.
Aristotle is credited with dispelling a number of pre-existing ideas.
Due to his great philosophy, he has had a particularly significant impact on virtually every branch of Western knowledge, and it is still a topic of current philosophical debate.
2. Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant believed that the intellect shapes and structures experience, and that all human experience has a similar structural makeup.
Kant would contend that aesthetics derive from a faculty of disinterested judgment and that reason is the basis of morality.
His ideas continue to have a significant impact on current philosophy, particularly in the areas of post-modern aesthetics, politics, ethics, and epistemology.
3. John Locke
The growth of political philosophy and epistemology had a significant impact on his works.
Several Enlightenment thinkers, including Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, were affected by John Locke’s writing.
Did you know that when the US gained its independence, his contributions to liberal thought and classical republicanism were reflected.
4. Epicurus
A vast range of topics were covered in-depth by Epicurus and his followers.
He welcomed female students to his institution and never discriminated against them.
Over 300 works on a variety of topics are said to have been written by him, but the bulk have been lost.
He persuaded the teacher to forbid faith in anything that is immaterial, such as god.
He saw anything that a person cannot touch as predetermined ideas that can be controlled.
5. Zeno of Citium
He established the Stoic philosophical school. Stoicism, which was based on the Cynics’ moral theories, placed a strong focus on the goodness and peace of mind attained from leading a life of virtue in harmony with nature.
According to legend, Zeno separated philosophy into three categories: logic, physics, and ethics, following the ideas of the Old Academy.
It can be challenging to pinpoint exactly what Zeno believed because Chrysippus and other Stoics later developed his beliefs.
6. Plato
Aristotle’s teacher Plato is well known, as is Socrates, one of the greatest philosophers.
He is regarded as one of the founders of Western spirituality and religion.
The written dialogue and dialectic formats in philosophy were created by Plato.
The idea of Forms understood by pure reason, his most well-known contribution, provides Plato with a solution to the issue of universals and is also known as Platonism.
7. Confucius
One of the most well-known Chinese philosophers and politicians is Confucius.
He placed a strong emphasis on morality, both personal and governmental, the appropriateness of social interactions, justice, and sincerity.
Confucius’ ideas were given official approval after Han defeated Chu after Qin’s fall, and they were later developed into a philosophy known in the West as Neo-Confucianism and then New Confucianism.
8. David Hume
David Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist of the Enlightenment.
He was renowned for developing an influential school of naturalism, skepticism, and empiricism in philosophy.
Hume belongs to the British Empiricist school of philosophy together with John Locke, George Berkeley, Francis Bacon, and Thomas Hobbes.
According to Hume, our beliefs are not based on reason but rather on our feelings and idealized views of the world.
In actuality, Kant, whom we have already acknowledged, borrowed much from Hume.
9. Rene Descartes
Rene Descartes was a French philosopher, mathematician, and physicist.
He is well-known for being one of the fathers of contemporary philosophy.
Descartes established the continental rationalism of the 17th century, which was later promoted by Spinoza and Leibniz.
Notably, the empiricist school of thinking, which included Hobbes, Locke, Berkeley, and Hume, subsequently condemned it.
Descartes made significant contributions to science and mathematics in addition to physics.
10. Socrates
Socrates, a philosopher from ancient Greece (Athens), is regarded as one of the forefathers of Western philosophy.
Additionally, he is regarded as the founding figure of the Western ethical tradition of thought. He is credited with instructing Xenophon and Plato.
11. Niccolo Machiavelli
Machiavelli, who lived in the Italian Renaissance, is renowned for his contributions to political philosophy.
His book “The Prince” teaches tyrants how to maintain their position of authority at any costs.
People were surprised by this book since, before that time, everyone believed that rulers should be morally upright.
“Might makes right,” he argued, and “It is better to be feared than loved.”
12. Diogenes of Sinope
Diogenes, a philosopher from Ancient Greece, is renowned for asserting that Aristotle corrupted Plato’s ideas.
He sought to restore noble behavior because he thought that Athens had become corrupted by conceit.
Even then, he would stroll around Athens’ streets with a lamp announcing he was “looking for an honest man.”
13. Thomas Aquinas
The Italian philosopher and theologian Aquinas is regarded as the most illustrious philosopher of Europe’s Middle Ages because he integrated Greek intellect with Christian theology.
14. Laozi
Laozi, a Chinese philosopher who lived in the sixth century BC, is credited with founding Daoism (also known as Taoism).
This philosophy is centered on the “Dao” (or, occasionally, Tao, which means “the Way”). It essentially entails “action through inaction.”
This contrasted in some ways with the highly active philosophies of Confucius.
However, Laozi’s theories later had an impact on Buddhism, Confucianism, and other facets of Chinese culture.
15. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
Leibniz is a well-known Idealist theorist, along with Descartes.
Because of his engineering background, he was of the opinion that the human mind could not be a machine, even one that was extremely complex.
Instead, he thought that immaterial forces he termed “Monads” made up everything in the universe, including the mind.
16. Baruch Spinoza
Jewish philosopher Spinoza was born in Amsterdam in the 1600s.
He is renowned for intellectualizing significant elements of the Judeo-Christian worldview.
He claimed that the miracles, for instance, were not supernatural.
His many beliefs led him into trouble with the law.
17. Voltaire
French philosopher Voltaire, who lived during the Age of Enlightenment, championed the use of reason, called attention to human suffering, and decried institutionalized religion.
18. Thomas Hobbes
Hobbes, an English philosopher, was a civil war era resident.
This led him to assert that citizens must submit to power at any costs as long as it brings about peace (because war is the worst thing that can happen).
19. Augustine of Hippo
Saint Augustine was an African philosopher who was born in modern-day Algeria.
He is well-known for his book “Confessions,” in which he describes how he converted to Christianity.
His most notable views include bridging the gap between predestination and free will, as well as supporting righteous war.
20. Al-Ghazali
Al-Ghazali, a Persian-born Muslim philosopher, is well known for disagreeing with many of Aristotle’s ideas (such as the idea that the world exists eternally rather than having been created).
In addition, he is credited with popularizing Sufism, or Islamic mysticism.
21. Siddhartha Gautama Buddha
Buddha, arguably the most well-known philosopher from India, came to the conclusion that the yearning for permanence in a world where nothing is permanent is the root of all human misery.
22. Baron de Montesquieu
The constitutions of the United States and many other countries were significantly influenced by the political thought of French philosopher Montesquieu.
23. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Swiss-born Rousseau is renowned for his claim that anarchy, or the natural state of individuals, was more liberating than society.
Rousseau actually rose to fame as a result of winning a contest.
Has science and art increased or decreased human morality? he responded.
Although people were astonished by his response—that it had rendered people less moral.
He contended that scientific progress only increased inequality and increased the power of the state.
24. George Berkeley
Irish philosopher George Berkeley is well recognized for his claim that there may not be a physical world.
Furthermore, he suggested that it might simply be a collection of concepts in God’s mind.
25. Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand, who was born in Russia but later emigrated to the US, was a fervent supporter of reason and laissez-faire capitalism.
It indicated that he supported a version of capitalism in which the government plays no role.
Modern libertarianism and conservatism have been significantly influenced by her beliefs.
What makes philosophy relevant in modern society?
The goal of philosophy in the present era is still the same as it has always been: to provide answers to the essential problems underlying the human condition.
Philosophy is vital both for individual study and discovery and formally for academics and contemporary research efforts.
Furthermore, it appears that even as time relentlessly marches forward, historical figures whose writings have endured for millennia still have some of the most insightful things to say about the plight of humanity, making their knowledge worthwhile of being republished and studied generation after generation.
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FAQs
Who is the world’s most famous philosopher?
It would be nearly hard to pick just one philosopher as the most well-known in the entire globe, especially when historical philosophers are taken into consideration. The most famous philosophers in history are Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
What were the three most common philosophies of the 19th century?
Several philosophical schools were present at that time, and they were known to compete in a series of distinct and strong oppositions such as: pragmatism versus idealism, positivism versus irrationalism, and Marxism versus liberalism.
Who is the Father of Philosophy?
Socrates of Athens, who helped shape the ancient Greek philosophy that served as the cornerstone of all Western philosophy, is among the most well-known historical characters.
Conclusion
The influence of philosophy on society has been significant throughout human history.
Although these famous Philosophers have asked relevant and specific issues that have given rise to new schools of thought and ways of thinking.
Furthermore, they have done this through methods of inquiry, critical thinking, rational argument, and systematic exposition.
Additionally, from their earliest writings to the works of modern famous philosophers, the written records left behind offer practical applications of some of the greatest minds’ own speculations.
References
- Overtimephilosophy.com – Top 25 famous philosophers and their ideas – An introduction
- En.m.Wikipedia.org – Early Modern Philosophy
- iep.utm.edu – Socrates (469—399 B.C.E.)
