PhilosophyDB
120 philosophers and the ideas that shaped civilization.
PhilosophyDB profiles 120 thinkers from ancient Greece, India and China through the Islamic golden age, the Enlightenment and the twentieth century. Each profile gives where and when the philosopher lived, the school of thought they belong to, and a short summary of their central ideas and influence. Start with the key thinkers below, or browse by school, era or region.
Key Thinkers
Socrates
The father of Western philosophy. Never wrote anything down, all we know comes from Plato....
Plato
Founded the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning. The Theory of For...
Aristotle
Tutored Alexander the Great. Founded the Lyceum and the Peripatetic school. Invented forma...
Confucius
His teachings became the state ideology of China for 2,000 years. The Analects are a colle...
Kant
The Critique of Pure Reason is considered the most important work in modern philosophy. Ne...
Nietzsche
God is dead announced the death of traditional values in modern society. The Ubermensch or...