12 Ancient Greek Philosophers

who changed the world

February 16, 2022by RealGreekExperiences
The most well known Ancient Greek philosophers like
Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, helped shape life in Ancient
Greece and influenced western philosophy. Here’s our guide
to the 12 most influential philosophers from Greece.

Ancient Greek philosophy

People who travel to Greece are often overwhelmed by our
ancient monuments. Sites like the Acropolis of Athens, Ancient
Epidaurus or Ancient Olympia are tied to Greece’s long and rich
history.

Another element of Ancient Greece that attracts thousands of

visitors is the Ancient Greek philosophy. Everyone has heard of
Greek philosophers like Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.

The Greek word philosophia literally means the love for

knowledge and wisdom. A philosopher  is someone who reflects
and forms theories related to fields like logic, ethics, ideologies
and human nature.

Here are 12 Ancient Greek philosophers who helped shape the

main virtues and ethics in Ancient Greece. Many of their
philosophical ideas have remained popular over the centuries and
inspired modern day philosophers.
1. Thales of Miletus (624/3 –
548/5 BC)
Thales of Miletus came from Ionia, in Asia Minor. He is generally
recognized as the first ancient Greek philosopher.

Thales was a mathematician, physician, engineer and astronomer,

and is known as the Father of Science. He developed several
theories using observation, scientific knowledge and logic,
steering clear from mythology.

He aimed to find explanations for natural phenomena, which had

previously been attributed to the 12 Olympian gods. At the same
time, he did not reject gods, and believed they were present in
everything.

Thales was primarily interested in how the world had been

created. In his view, all of nature originated from one single
substance: water.

He was one of the most influential pre-Socratic philosophers, and

inspired most of the people who succeeded him.

2. Pythagoras of Samos (570-

495 BC)
Pythagoras came from Samos-island. He founded the movement
of Pythagoreanism, a school of thought which advocated a
communal, frugal lifestyle, in accordance with nature.

Pythagoras believed in metempsychosis. According to him, a soul

was immortal, and moved into another body after death.

Aside from his engagement in philosophy, Pythagoras is well

known for his contributions in mathematics and science. The
Pythagorean theorem is still one of the most widely used
theorems in geometry.

Pythagoras is often credited as the first scientist who suggested

that the Earth is round. His teachings influenced later Greek
philosophers and scientists of the 15th – 16th century AD, like
Johannes Kepler and Isaac Newton.

3. Parmenides of Elea (c. 520

BC – c. 440 BC)
The Greek philosopher Parmenides was born in Elea, south Italy.
He was the founder of the Eleatic School, and is thought as the
father of metaphysics.

Parmenides was one of the first Greek philosophers to use logic in

his approach. He believed that real existence could be perceived
only through logic and not through the senses. His main principle
was that “everything is one”.
Many of his ideas were abstract and theoretical. Later
philosophers often tried to simplify his philosophical propositions.

4. Anaxagoras of Clazomenae
(500 – 428 BC)
Anaxagoras was born in Clazomenae, Asia Minor, and moved to
Athens when he was 20 years old. He was an astronomer and
philosopher.

Among others, Anaxagoras aimed to discover the natural causes

of eclipses, and described the sun as a huge rock of fire, bigger in
size than the Peloponnese.

He argued that nothing can perish, but the material world is

shaped of ingredients that are constantly evolving and changing
form. Therefore, everything has a portion of everything.

Because of his novel ideas and his rejection of Greek mythology,

Anaxagoras was sentenced to death by the court of Athens. He
subsequently left the city, and spent his last years in exile.

. Empedocles of Akragas (495 –

435 BC)
Empedocles was born in Akragas, a Greek city in Sicily, to a noble
family. During his tours around Sicily and the Peloponnese, he was
regarded as an almost supernatural teacher and healer.
Contrary to Anaxagoras, Empedocles believed that matter is
composed by the four classical elements: air, earth, water and fire.

Every change among those elements was connected with a force

moving towards Love or Strife, two opposite virtues that need to
be in balance for the world to thrive.

Following the Pythagoreans, Empedocles spoke against meat

eating and animal sacrifices. He also believed that soul and
perception are related more with the heart, rather than with the
brain.

6. Zeno of Elea (c. 495 BC – c.

430 BC)
Zeno was born in Elea, South Italy, and was a follower of
Parmenides.

He expanded on his teacher’s philosophical ideas, and researched

space, time and the concept of infinity. Among others, he
advocated that motion was nothing but an illusion.

Zeno became known for the way he pushed people to perceive

reality. He is famous for his paradoxes, which challenge common
perception and common sense. An example of a popular paradox
is the race between Achilles and the turtle.
7. Socrates of Athens (469 –
399 BC)
Socrates of Athens is the best-known Greek philosopher, and one
of the founders of western philosophy. He was so influential, that
all philosophers who lived before him are known as “pre-Socratic
philosophers”.

Originally the son of a wealthy stonemason, Socrates was first

interested in philosophy during his teenage years. Unlike his
predecessors, he was more interested in examining man and
society, rather than the material world and the cosmos.

The great Greek philosopher of the 5th century BCE developed his
own methods and way of thinking. His established the Socratic
method (maieutiki,  from the Greek word for midwifery) which was
based on the following principle:

A dialogue between two or more people is meant to stimulate

critical thinking and help each person discover their own beliefs
and find their own solutions to several issues.

Despite his contribution to philosophy (or because of that),

Socrates was eventually accused of atheism and corrupting the
youth and sentenced to death. He refused to escape the city, and
famously drank a cup of hemlock poison (conium) in 399 BCE.

Socrates famously wrote no texts. He is known through the

accounts of his students, most notably Plato’s Dialogues.
8. Democritus of Abdera (460 –
370 BC)
Democritus was born in Abdera to a wealthy family. Even though
he was contemporary to Socrates, he is classified among the pre-
Socratic ancient Greek philosophers.

He was interested in every single field of human knowledge of the

time, apart from religion and politics. Among others, he studied
mathematics, meteorology, music, cosmology, linguistics and
history. Sadly, much of his written work has been lost.

His main life goal is happiness, which includes peace of mind and
stability. He advocates that material goods or money are not
conducive to happiness.

What makes a man happy is rational thinking and education? At

the same time, a man needs to find happiness in what he has.

9. Plato of Athens (427 – 347

BC)
Plato is another famous Greek philosopher born in Athens. He is
the best-known student of Socrates, and was in turn a teacher of
Aristotle.

Plato founded a school of thought called Platonist, and the first

institution for higher education, called the Academy. He is one of
the very few ancient Greek philosophers whose written work has
survived almost in its entirety.

One of Plato’s best-known works, “the Republic”, discusses justice,

aiming to answer the question of what constitutes a just man and
a just city-state. It considers the concepts of good and evil, in
relation to the body and the soul.

The Republic also compares four regimes, timocracy, oligarchy,

democracy and tyranny, and describes an ideal / Utopian society.

Plato has also contributed to philosophy through the theory of

Forms, where he proclaims that absolute, non-physical ideas are
more real than the natural world.

10. Aristotle of Stagira (384 –

322 BC)
Born in Stagira, Northern Greece, Aristotle moved to Athens in his
late teens, and became a student in Plato’s Academy. He was a
tutor of Alexander the Great, the king of Macedon.

Aristotle founded his own school, the Lyceum, which we can still

visit today, with the combined ticket for all the sites in Ancient
Athens. He also launched the Peripatetic School of Philosophy.

Like Democritus, Aristotle was a polymath. He was interested in

numerous seemingly unrelated topics, from physics and biology
to theatre, music and politics.
Aristotle researched and studied the numerous philosophies that
had been established before his time, and synthesized them into
more complex ideas.

He further differentiated the four elements into hot and cold / wet
and dry, and suggested that they are inseparable from those
qualities.

Aristotle wrote several works on these subjects. His work inspired

later philosophers, and has had a profound influence on western
philosophy.

11. Epicurus of Samos (341 –

270 BCE)
Epicurus is one of the best known ancient Greek philosophers,
owing partly to the fact that his ideas have often been
misinterpreted.

Epicureanism advocates for a pleasant and tranquil life. His most

important virtues are peace of mind (ataraxia), freedom and the
absence of pain and fear. Self-sufficiency and friends are
important for life to be pleasant.

Epicurus believes that pleasure is morally legitimate and we must

pursue it, to ultimately achieve ataraxia. In this light, even pain
can be a positive thing, if it leads to peace of mind.

Some of his best-known principles are the following:

  Man should not fear God
 Death is not a cause for concern
 It is easy to obtain what we really need
 It is easy to endure whatever makes us suffer

12. Diogenes of Sinope (c. 412

– 323 BCE)
Diogenes, best known as Diogenes the Cynic, was born in Sinope,
on the Black Sea. In the mid-4th century BC, he was exiled from
his hometown and moved to Athens.

He followed a very simple lifestyle, wearing rugs and begging

often. His house was a big ceramic jar, but he allegedly dined and
spent the night wherever he happened to be. In modern terms, he
would be called a vagabond, a citizen of the world.

Diogenes criticized the city’s social and cultural conventions,

which he thought were corrupt. He believed that human
corruption could disappear if man returned to natural life and
self-sufficiency. 

Alexander the Great met Diogenes in Corinth, in 336 BCE, and

asked the philosopher if he could do something for him.
Allegedly, Diogenes replied that he would like Alexander to stand
out of his sun.

According to another story, the king of Macedon said that “if I

were not Alexander, I would have liked to be Diogenes”.
The Ancient Greek
philosophers in the modern
world
The philosophers mentioned above, along with many others, set
the foundations for critical thought and analyzed complex topics.
It is no exaggeration to say that they helped shape the modern
world.

Today, you will see streets and squares named after them,
everywhere you go in Greece. Statues of Socrates and Plato have
been placed in front of the Academy building in central Athens.

Frequently asked questions about

ancient Greek philosophers:
Here are a few more questions that people ask about Greek
philosophers:

What did philosophers do in ancient

Greece?
The word philosopher comes from the Greek words for love and
wisdom. Most of the Greek philosophers were scientists, and were
typically interested in several topics. They attempted to explain
the world around them using reason and logic.
Who are the 3 most important Greek
philosophers?
The most famous philosophers of Ancient Greece are Socrates,
Plato, and Aristotle.

Who was the oldest Greek philosopher?

Thales of Miletus, who was born in 624/623 BCE, is generally
recognized as the earliest Greek philosopher. He is also known as
the father of science.

Who is the father of philosophy?

Socrates of Athens is considered to be the Father of Western
Philosophy.

How did Greek philosophy influence

the world?
Greek philosophy helped shape a number of topics. Some
examples are metaphysics, ontology, logic, reason, politics, ethics,
biology, rhetoric and epistemology.

The ancient philosophers started a specific way of thinking, which

evolved over the centuries and influenced western civilization.
 Famous Chinese Philosophers

1 
Confucius
(Chinese Philosopher and Political Theorist)

Birthdate: 0551 AD
Birthplace: Lu, Shandong, China
Died: April 11, 0479
Confucius was a Chinese philosopher whose philosophy came to be known
as Confucianism. Confucianism is often credited with shaping Chinese
communities and East Asian societies. Confucius is considered one of the
most influential individuals in the history of mankind as his teachings have had
a great impact on people around the world. His philosophy continues to
remain influential.
 2
Sun Tzu
(Chinese Military Strategist, Writer and Philosopher)

44
8
Birthdate: 0544 AD
Birthplace: Qi, China
Died: 0496 AD
Sun Tzu was a Chinese general from the Eastern Zhou period. He is known
to have written The Art of War, which propagated various alternatives to
battles, such as alliances and use of spies, to win wars. He is said to be the
same as Sun Wu and Sun Bin.

3 
Lao Tzu (Laozi)
(Ancient Chinese Philosopher and Writer)
Birthdate: 0571 AD
Birthplace: Chu, China
Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, or Laozi, who is said to have lived in 6th-
century BC by some and in the 4th-century BC by others, wrote the Tao Te
Ching. He founded Taoism and is a legendary figure or deity. The Tang
Dynasty emperors claimed he had founded their lineage.

 4
Liu Xiaobo
(Chinese Human Rights Activist and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate)

Birthdate: December 28, 1955

Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Changchun, China
Died: July 13, 2017
Liu Xiaobo was a Chinese activist, literary critic, and philosopher. He is best
remembered for organizing campaigns that aimed at ending the one-party rule
in China. He was honored with the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize for his struggle for
human rights in China. Liu is the first Chinese citizen to be honored with
a Nobel Prize while residing in China.

 5
Deng Xiaoping
(Politician)

Birthdate: August 22, 1904

Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Guang'an, China
Died: February 19, 1997
Deng Xiaoping led the People's Republic of China from 1978 to 1989. He
ordered a crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protestors in 1989, leading
to the June Fourth Massacre. However, he also earned the tag of the
"Architect of Modern China" for ushering in a market economy in the country.

 6
Budai
(Buddhist monk)
Birthplace: China
Legendary 10th-century Chinese monk Budai, is better known as The
Laughing Buddha and The Fat Buddha. Named after the “budai” or cloth sack
that he carried with him, he was considered an avatar of Maitreya, or the
future Buddha. His figures adorn many homes, as a symbol of prosperity and
contentment.

 7 
Mencius
(Chinese Confucian Philosopher)

Birthdate: 0372 AD
Birthplace: Zoucheng, China
Died: 0289 AD
Mencius was a Chinese philosopher who idolized Confucius’ philosophy.
Often referred to as the second Sage, after Confucius himself, Mencius is
credited with further developing Confucius' ideology. Mencius is also credited
with teaching many students, some of whom went on to become influential
philosophers in their own right. Mencius is regarded as one of the most
influential persons in history.

8 
Zhuang Zhou
(Chinese Philosopher)

Birthdate: 0369 AD
Birthplace: Shangqiu, Henan province, China
Died: 0286 AD
Known as the author of the Zhuangzi, one of the seminal texts of Daoism, or
Taoism, Zhuang Zhou, or Master Zhuang, was a 4th-century BC Chinese
philosopher. He was said to be eccentric and unkempt, though his works
inspired Chinese Buddhism and Chinese art to a great extent.

9 
Mozi
(Was a Chinese Philosopher)
 16
3
Birthdate: 0470 BC
Birthplace: Tengzhou, Shandong Province
Died: 0391 BC
Fifth-century BC Chinese philosopher Mozi was the founder of the Mohism
school of philosophy. He propagated universal and undifferentiated love,
or jianai. Though originally a believer of Confucianism, he later drifted away
from it owing to its ritualistic and elitist nature, and formed his own movement,
which was more people-oriented.

10 
Run Run Shaw
(Former Philanthropist, Entrepreneur, Filmmaker who founded the Shaw Brothers Studio)

Birthdate: November 23, 1907

Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Ningbo, China
Died: January 7, 2014

11 
Su Shi
(Poet, Writer, Painter)

Birthdate: January 8, 1037
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Meishan
Died: August 24, 1101
Su Shi was a Chinese writer, calligrapher, poet, painter, gastronome,
pharmacologist, and politician who lived during the Song dynasty. He played a
major role in the political affairs of the Song dynasty. He is credited with
producing some of the best-known poems, prose, and essays and is
considered one of the most decorated personalities in classical Chinese
literature.

12 
Wang Mang
(Emperor)
Birthdate: 0045 BC
Birthplace: Wei Commandery
Died: October 6, 0023
Known as Shehuangdi, or The Usurper Emperor, 1st-century Chinese
monarch Wang Mang was initially a Han dynasty official. He seized the
Chinese throne from the Liu family of the Han dynasty, to form his own short-
lived reign, also known as the Xin dynasty. He was later overthrown.