thephilosophers | meaning of life

Join us on a journey through the realm of philosophy. Explore life's big questions and discover the wisdom of great philosophers through our interactive timeline.

SOCRATES

470–399 BC

Socrates was a Greek philosopher from Athens, considered one of the most important thinkers of the West. He never wrote anything himself – everything we know about him comes from his students, especially Plato and Xenophon.

ARISTOTELES

(384–322 BC)

Aristotle (384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and scientist, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. He is considered one of the most influential thinkers in Western philosophy.

PLATON

(427–347 BC)

Plato (c. 427–347 BC) was a Greek philosopher, a student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle. He founded the Academy in Athens, the first known university in Western history.

Epicurus

(c. 341–270 BC)

Epicurus (c. 341–270 BC) was a Greek philosopher who founded Epicureanism, a philosophical movement that placed pleasure (hedoné) and the absence of pain as the highest good in life. But this was not an empty or superficial desire for pleasure – on the contrary, he emphasized inner peace (ataraxia) and physical well-being (aponia) as the most important.

Seneca

(4 BC – 65 AD)

The Stoic in Politics

Seneca was a Roman statesman, writer and philosopher who lived a life at the center of power – as an advisor to Emperor Nero. His stoicism is characterized by practical advice and reflections on how to live morally in a corrupt world.

Marcus Aurelius

(121–180 AD)

The Emperor and the Diarist

Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor and author of To Myself (Meditations), a collection of personal notes that express a profound and practical Stoic attitude to life.

Epictetus

(ca. 50–135 AD)

Epictetus (c. 50–135 AD) – The Freed Slave

Epictetus was born a slave, but later became a free man and one of the most influential Stoic teachers. He did not write himself, but his student Arrian recorded his teachings in the Handbook (Enchiridion) and Speeches.

Sextus Empiricus

(160–210 AD)

Sextus Empiricus was a Greek philosopher and physician, known as a central figure in ancient skepticism. He represented the Pyrrhonian school of thought, which argued that certain knowledge is impossible to achieve, and that the path to peace of mind (ataraxia) lay in refraining from judging things about which one cannot have certain insight.

Augustine

(354–430 AD),

Augustine, also known as Augustine of Hippo, was one of the most influential thinkers in Christian philosophy and theology. He lived in North Africa and was bishop of the city of Hippo. In his works, he combined Christian faith with classical philosophy, particularly influenced by Plato and Neoplatonism.

Thomas Aquinas

(1225–1274 AD)

Thomas Aquinas was a Dominican friar, theologian, and philosopher from Italy, widely regarded as one of the most influential thinkers in the Western tradition.

His most famous work, Summa Theologica, addresses questions of God, ethics, law, and the nature of human beings.

Boethius

(c. 480–524 AD)

Boethius was a Roman philosopher, statesman, and writer who lived at the transition between antiquity and the Middle Ages. He is best known for his work “De Consolatione Philosophiae” (The Consolation of Philosophy), written while imprisoned and awaiting execution.

Avicenna

(Ibn Sina)

(980–1037 AD)

Who Was Avicenna?

Avicenna (980–1037), known in the Islamic world as Ibn Sina, was a Persian polymath, philosopher, and physician whose works profoundly influenced both the Islamic Golden Age and Western medieval thought.

Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527 AD)

Italian diplomat, philosopher, and writer from Florence.

Lived during the Renaissance, a time of political turmoil in Italy.

Best known for his political treatises and sharp insights into power and leadership.

René Descartes

(1596-1650 AD)

Descartes is best known for the phrase “Cogito, ergo sum” – “I think, therefore I am.”

He emphasized doubt and reason as the foundation for knowledge, helping to establish modern rationalism.

Francis Bacon

(1561–1626 AD)

His most influential work, Novum Organum (1620), proposed a new system of logic aimed at discovering truth through systematic investigation of nature.

Famous Quote:

“Knowledge is power

Baruch Spinoza (1632–1677)

Spinoza lived a modest life, earning a living as a lens grinder. His ideas were controversial and led to his excommunication from the Jewish community in Amsterdam, but his work has had a lasting influence on philosophy, science, and political thought.

John Locke

(1632-1704 AD)

All mankind… being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

(1712–1778 AD)

Rousseau influenced democratic thought, Romanticism, and even modern psychology. His idea that the “will of the people” is sacred lives on in democracies today.

“Man’s greatest enemy is man himself.” – Rousseau

David Hume

(1711-1776 AD)

Doubts the certainty of causation, self, and God
Famously questioned whether we can ever truly know cause and effect

Voltaire

(1694–1778 AD)

Voltaire was one of the most influential Enlightenment thinkers. He was a brilliant satirist, advocate of civil liberties, and fierce critic of tyranny, organized religion, and dogma

Immanuel Kant

(1724–1804)

His ideas laid the groundwork for much of modern philosophy and influenced areas from political theory to aesthetics.

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

(1770–1831)

Hegel’s ideas laid the foundation for Marxism, existentialism, critical theory, and modern political philosophy. Thinkers such as Karl Marx, Kierkegaard, and Adorno were deeply shaped by his thought—either by building on it or reacting against it.

Mary Wollstonecraft

(1759–1797)

Mary Wollstonecraft was an English writer, philosopher, and advocate of women’s rights. She lived during the Enlightenment and is considered one of the founding figures of modern feminism.

Arthur Schopenhauer

(1788–1860)

German Philosopher of Pessimism and the Will

Born in Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland), raised in a wealthy merchant family.

Influenced by Plato, Kant, Eastern philosophy (especially Buddhism and Hinduism).

Karl Marx

(1818-1883)

Born: May 5, 1818 in Trier, Prussia (now Germany)

Died: March 14, 1883 in London, England

Profession: Philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, and journalist

JOHN STUART MILL

(1806-1873)

John Stuart Mill was one of the most influential British philosophers and political thinkers of the 19th century. He is best known for his work on liberty, utilitarianism, and individual rights.

Friedrich Nietzsche

(1844–1900)

Nietzsche challenged traditional religious and philosophical systems, famously declaring that “God is dead” to critique the decline of faith in the modern world.

Ludwig Wittgenstein

(1889–1951)

Ludwig Wittgenstein was an Austrian-British philosopher, widely regarded as one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century. He fundamentally shaped the philosophy of language, logic, and mind.

Martin Heidegger

(1889–1976)

Martin Heidegger was one of the most influential and controversial philosophers of the 20th century. His work reshaped how we think about being, time, and human existence.

Simone de Beauvoir

(1908-1986)

Author of the groundbreaking book “The Second Sex” (1949), which laid the foundation for modern feminism.

A leading figure in existentialism, alongside Jean-Paul Sartre.

Advocated for women’s freedom, independence, and equality.

Hannah Arendt

(1906-1975)

Hannah Arendt was a German-born political thinker known for her profound analysis of the nature of power, evil, and the human condition. Escaping Nazi Germany, she settled in the U.S., where she became a leading intellectual voice in the 20th century.

Jean-Paul Sartre

(1905–1980)

Existence precedes essence: Humans are not born with a predetermined purpose; we create our own meaning through our choices.

Michel Foucault (1926–1984)

Michel Foucault was a French philosopher, historian, and social theorist, known for his profound analyses of power, knowledge, and the relationship between them.

Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980)

Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980) was a Canadian philosopher, media theorist, and educator. He is best known for his groundbreaking theories about the impact of media on society and human thought.

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Italian diplomat, philosopher, and writer from Florence.

Martin Heidegger was one of the most influential and controversial philosophers of the 20th century. His work reshaped how we think about being, time, and human existence.

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​Italian diplomat, philosopher, and writer from Florence.

Martin Heidegger was one of the most influential and controversial philosophers of the 20th century. His work reshaped how we think about being, time, and human existence.

Get in touch

Italian diplomat, philosopher, and writer from Florence.