Famous Philosophers

The word is defined as the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality and existence. The word itself is derived from the Greek for “love of wisdom” however, neither its roots, nor its definition do justice to the study as it’s known today. Philosophy has meant many things to many people over the years, but a more modern take on its study is to say that it attempts to fit all of the things around us into one world view. This allows almost anything to be included in the study of philosophy from Physics and chemistry to beauty or nature. Philosophy takes each of these things and attempts to put it in its place and give it a reason for being. Philosophy goes even further by addressing the presence of God, the reason for our existence and even such esoteric tangents as Epistemology, which asks us if we can be justified in any of our beliefs. At its core, all of philosophy can be seen as the quest for truth. That truth being no specific truth that is only applicable based on ones point of view, but rather THE truth, the one all encompassing truth that applies to all. This may sound very much like religion; however, philosophers have made it clear that their study is in fact separate of religious study, even when the two follow very close to parallel in their explanations.

There are as many philosophers as there are schools of philosophy. We are all, in fact, philosophers to some degree. Anytime we question why something is the way it is, or how it relates to us, even how we relate to the world around us, are all valid philosophical questions. To take these ideas and debate their meanings and validity with others is the essence of philosophy. Throughout history, there have been many famous philosophers who have gained high praise by the questions they asked and the conclusions they drew pertaining to such topics. These people often are able to critically examine the reality they live in and draw conclusions based on wisdom, rather than opinions. There are five major branches of philosopher; those who study Metaphysics seek the meaning of reality and what it is. Epistemology is at its core the study of knowledge.  Ethics is the study of right and wrong, either in the objective or moral sense.  Aesthetics is known as the study of beauty. And finally is logic, which is defined as the study of what principles make right reasoning. There numerous additional areas of study that can be classified as philosophy, but the above mentioned are the areas that were studied by histories famous philosophers.

Confucius

Born in the Qufu region in 551 BC, Confucius is one of history’s most famous philosophers. He has achieved such fame that Confucianism has sprung up around him. While it is followed in a religious way by the Chinese, it remains in question as to whether or not it is truly a religion or simply the following of his moral teachings. He taught that people should think for themselves and study the world around them deeply.  To this end, Confucianism speaks of such things as the afterlife and heaven; it neglects things that are considered base to religious teaching. Perhaps the most famous of Confucius’ ideas is the lack of self importance and the importance of study. Confucius died in 479 BC it is believed. To learn more about this famous philosopher, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/confucius/ is a good place to start.

Socrates

While his name is synonymous with philosophy in ancient Greece, there is amazingly little actually known about Socrates. Born in 469 BC his is considered one of the fathers of Greek philosophy, mostly due to what we know of him from the later philosopher Plato. As a rule, Socrates never wrote anything down as he believed that knowledge was a dynamic and interactive presence. He is perhaps best known for his ability to question people on their stated position until he was able to work them into a contradiction of the original position, thus proving it to be false. He never takes a position himself, claiming that he nothing at all, except for the fact that he knows nothing. Before his death in 399 BC, he developed what we now call dialectic. This is the idea that the truth can be found by taking the original idea and questioning it with conflicting ideas until the real truth presents itself. More information on the works of Socrates can be found at http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/GREECE/SOCRATES.HTM.

Plato

One of the most influential and famous philosophers in history is Plato. Born in 429 BC in Athens, he was the antithesis of Socrates in some ways, such as his penchant for extensive writing. He is also responsible for almost everything we know about Socrates, having written down the conversations he recalled Socrates having. He believed strongly about the way government should work, as he wrote in the Republic. Basically, he believed that the average person is too not equipped mentally to understand what is best for all and that they should not be allowed to vote, but rather a group of the intellectual elite, should govern the rest of the people. Whether this particular idea came from study or simply the fact that Plato was descended from aristocracy is in question to this day. Plato died in 347 BC and you can find more information on this work at http://www.philosophypages.com/ph/plat.htm.