Famous Philosophers
Karl Marx (1818-1883)
Famous For: The Communist Manifesto, co-founder and father of Socialism & Communism
Karl Marx is better known as the “father of socialism and communism,” one follows the other. Marx has been labeled as a “revolutionary socialist” for his belief in what has been called dictatorship of the proletariat. In addition to espousing his own philosophies, he was also a sociologist, economist, journalist, and historian.
Voltaire (1694-1778)
Famous For: his philosophical wit
French philosopher François-Marie Arouet was a well known during the 18th century. He is better known under his pseudonym, Voltaire. Voltaire was an advocate of some of the most basic freedoms, he believed in the freedom of expression, religion and voiced this through his witty writing.
Socrates (c. 469-399 BC)
Famous For: the Socratic Method of logic and a founder of Western philosophy
His story began in his hometown of Athens, Greece but unfolded through the writings of his students and fellow philosophers. The field of ethics was the specialty of Socrates and introduced a concept that has been dubbed as elenchus, or the Socratic method. He contributed much to the field of logic and epistimology.
Plato (c. 428-348 BC)
Famous For: Platonic idealism & the theory of forms
Athenian native Plato, and his role in western philosophy can be traced back to when he was student of Socrates. He also excelled in mathematics, logic, ethics, rhetoric, and religion. He founded the Academy in Athens.
Aristotle (384–322 BC)
Famous For: Aristotelian logic & theory of soul
The third member who has greatly influenced western philosophy, Aristotle provided ideas in the areas of aesthetics, ethics, logic, metaphysics, politics, and science. He was a student of Plato and teacher to Alexander the great. He believed that ethics should be applied practically, not merely theorizing it.
Adam Smith (1723-1790)
Famous For: father of modern economics
Best remembered for his writing of An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations and The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Scottish philosopher Adam Smith was a pioneer in the field of political economy. His ideas in the areas of moral philosophy and economics have been studied throughout the years, and still is.
Famous For: The Golden Rule andConfucianism
Born during the Spring & Autumn era in Chinese history, Confucius and his ideas on social and personal relationships became a school of thought that many Chinese embraced. He believed that proper moral behavior is best practiced, than morality being made a rule.
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)
Famous For: transcendental idealism & metaphysics
This 18th century German philosopher, Immanuel Kant, contends that “reason is the source of morality.” His ideas continue to resonate in the halls of academic philosophy. The influence of these ideas is evident in present day thinking on the subject of ethics, epistemology, aesthetics, politics, and metaphysics. In his publication of Critique of Pure Reason, this was his attempt to combine reason with experience to prove failures of “traditional philosophy.”
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)
Famous For: life-affirmation & statement “God is dead”
German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and his ideas covered a lot ground and as a result, people began to raise questions they normally would not. The main crux of Nietzsche’s work was the idea of life-affirmation, but he also presented ideas such as Will to power, perspectivism, master-slave morality.
Albert Camus (1913-1960)
Famous For: absurdism & 1957 Nobel Prize for literature
Albert Camus received a Nobel Prize for literature in 1957. The award was given in recognition for his attempt to create awareness of the plight of “the human conscience”. Camus is associated with the tenet known as “absurdism.” This French-Algeria born philosopher was also an author and journalist.
VOCABULARY
- wisdom - мудрость
- considered the field - считается областью
- contribution - вклад
- ponderings - размышление
- wit - остроумие
- Inquiry - запрос
- merely - просто
- embraced - охватывать
- evident- очевидный
- awareness - осведомленность