Pangan, Jason Carlo T.

April 17, 2023

BSCpE – 4th Year (4:00 PM - 5:30 PM) Sir Arvin G. Derecho

Classical vs Modern Philosophers

List at least 5 Classical and Modern Philosophers and their well-known philosophy.
Answer:
➢ Before we discover the list of Classical and Modern Philosophers and their well-known
philosophy, let us define the term “Philosophy”. This word derives from the Greek word philosophia
which translates to a “Love of Wisdom,” coined by pre-Socratic thinkers such as Pythagoras in the
6th century B.C. These ancient Greek philosophers were influential in laying the foundations for the
modern world; searching for meaning in everyday life and shaping their musings into a system of
thoughts documented in books and manuscripts, letters, plays, and other media. Philosophy can be
described as the rational, abstract, and methodical consideration of reality. Philosophy has been a
central fixture in the history of civilization, from ancient Greece to modern day. In the centuries that
have passed, notable philosophers both young and old have produced original thoughts and made
contributions to all industries and disciplines including politics, mathematics, literature, art, and
science.

➢ These are the philosophers who stand out from the rest in ‘Classical’ and ‘Modern’ period in
philosophy. Their thoughts define the mainstream of philosophy, largely responsible for shaping
philosophy as we now know it.

❖ Confucius (551–479 B.C.)

Confucius, also referred to as Kong Qui or K’ung Fu-tzu, was a Chinese philosopher,
teacher, and political figure largely considered the father of the Eastern style of thought. His
teachings focused on creating ethical social relationships, setting educational standards,
and promoting justice and honesty.

✓ Guiding Philosophy Principle - His social philosophy was based on the principle
of ren—loving others—and he believed this could be achieved using the Golden
Rule: “What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others.”

❖ Socrates (c. 469–399 B.C.)

Socrates was a Greek philosopher and is considered the primary source of Western
thought. Because he could neither read nor write, much of what we know of his life was
recorded by his students Plato and Xenophon. His “Socratic method” laid the groundwork
for Western systems of logic and philosophy, delivering a belief that through the act of
questioning, the mind can manage to find truth.
Pangan, Jason Carlo T. April 17, 2023
BSCpE – 4th Year (4:00 PM - 5:30 PM) Sir Arvin G. Derecho

✓ Guiding Philosophy Principle - Socrates believed that philosophy should achieve

practical results for the greater well-being of society. He emphasized the idea that
the more a person knows, the greater his or her ability to reason and make choices
that will bring true happiness.

❖ Plato (c. 428–348 B.C.)

Greek philosopher Plato was a student of Socrates and later became a teacher of
Aristotle. He was a priori, a rational philosopher who sought knowledge logically rather than
from the senses. He went on to establish the Academy in Athens, one of the first institutions
of higher learning in the Western world.

✓ Guiding Philosophy Principle - Plato’s logic explored justice, beauty, and equality,
and contained discussions in aesthetics, politics, language, and cosmology—the
science of the origin and development of the universe.

❖ Aristotle (384–322 B.C.)

Considered one of the greatest thinkers in politics, psychology, and ethics, Aristotle
learned from Plato after enrolling in his Academy at age seventeen. Later, he went on to
tutor Alexander the Great. Aristotle focused on a posteriori routes of knowledge, a term
popularized by Immanuel Kant where conclusions are formed based on actual observation
and data.

✓ Guiding Philosophy Principle - Aristotle’s intellectual knowledge spanned every

known field of science and arts, prompting him to idealize the Aristotelian syllogistic,
a belief that logical argument applies deductive reasoning to arrive at a conclusion
based on two or more propositions assumed to be true.

❖ Dante (1265–1321)

Dante was a Medieval Italian poet and moral philosopher regarded as the father of the
modern Italian language. He is best remembered for his poetic trilogy, The Divine Comedy,
which comprised of sections that represented three tiers of the Christian afterlife: purgatory,
heaven, and hell. The poem features an array of learning, an analysis of contemporary
problems, and creativity in language and imagery.
Pangan, Jason Carlo T. April 17, 2023
BSCpE – 4th Year (4:00 PM - 5:30 PM) Sir Arvin G. Derecho

✓ Guiding Philosophy Principle - Dante’s important theoretical works included

discussions of rhetoric surrounding moral philosophy and political thought.

❖ Pascal (1623–1662)

Blaise Pascal was a French mathematician, physicist, and religious philosopher who laid
the fountain for the modern theory of probabilities, a branch of mathematics concerned with
the analysis of random phenomena.

✓ Guiding Philosophy Principle - In 1657, Pascal published Les Provinciales under

the pseudonym Louis de Montalte, a series of eighteen letters that defended
Jansenist over Jesuit theologies. He also propagated a religious doctrine that taught
the experience of God through the heart rather than through reason, contrary to the
beliefs of French philosopher René Descartes.

❖ John Locke (1632–1704)

John Locke was an English philosopher and Enlightenment thinker who came to be
known as the Father of Classical Liberalism. Throughout his studies, he made valuable
contributions to modern theories of a limited, liberal government. His most notable work,
Essay Concerning a Human Understanding, offers an analysis of the human mind and its
acquisition of knowledge.

✓ Guiding Philosophy Principle - Locke’s thinking emphasized the notion that we

should acquire ideas through our experience of the world. His logic later influenced
philosophers like Voltaire and Rousseau.

❖ Voltaire (1694–1778)

Francois Arouet, better known for his pen name “Voltaire,” is largely considered one of
the greatest French Enlightenment writers. He produced thousands of letters, books,
pamphlets, essays, plays, among other forms of writing, most of which were centered on
religion and politics. One of his most famous works was Candide, a satirical novella that
pokes fun at the philosophical optimism proclaiming that all disaster and human suffering is
part of a benevolent cosmic plan.

✓ Guiding Philosophy Principle - Though Voltaire’s outright skepticism of the

government and church caused great controversy during his time, he remained a
Pangan, Jason Carlo T. April 17, 2023
BSCpE – 4th Year (4:00 PM - 5:30 PM) Sir Arvin G. Derecho

progressive thinker regarding issues of civil rights and advocated for the importance
of freedom of religion, speech, and the right to a fair trial.

❖ Immanuel Kant (1724–1804)

Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher whose thinking revolved around metaphysics,
a philosophical study that examines the fundamental nature of reality. His best-known work,
Critique of Pure Reason, determines the limits and scope of metaphysics, combining reason
with experience that moves beyond that of traditional philosophy.

✓ Guiding Philosophy Principle - Kant was one of the foremost thinkers of the
Enlightenment, and a large part of his work addresses the question, “What can we
know?” Kant argued that we can only have knowledge of things that are possible to
experience. Further, he believes that we can know the natural, observable world,
but we cannot have answers to many of the deepest questions of metaphysics.

❖ Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797)

Mary Wollstonecraft was an English writer and intellect who advocated for women’s
equality within society. As an ardent feminist, she believed both men and women should be
treated as equal beings with a social mandate. Her best-known publication, A Vindication of
the Rights of Woman, is considered the first great feminist treatise. In it, she argued that
women deserve the same fundamental rights as men and should have an education
commensurate with their position in society.

✓ Guiding Philosophy Principle - Wollstonecraft was an fierce advocate for

women’s rights, arguing that women deserve the same fundamental rights as men
and should have an education commensurate with their position in society.

❖ Ayn Rand (1905–1982)

Russian-American author and philosopher Ayn Rand rejected collectivist values in favor
of individual self-interest, an ideal evident in her first novel We the Living. She promoted the
philosophy of Objectivism, which she describes as “the concept of man as a heroic being,
with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his
noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.” This belief was realized in her successful
novel Atlas Shrugged, as well as in courses, lectures, and other literary works.
Pangan, Jason Carlo T. April 17, 2023
BSCpE – 4th Year (4:00 PM - 5:30 PM) Sir Arvin G. Derecho

✓ Guiding Philosophy Principle - While Rand was a passionate advocate of the

philosophy of objectivism, her political philosophy placed emphasis on
individualism, the constitutional protection of individual rights to life, liberty, and
property, and limited government.

❖ Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986)

Simone de Beauvoir is a French writer, existentialist philosopher, and social theorist who
paved the way for the modern feminist movement. She published countless works, both
fiction and nonfiction, often having existentialist themes. Her most notable book, The Second
Sex, discusses the treatment of women throughout history and the oppression they endured.

✓ Guiding Philosophy Principle - While her novels focused on existential themes,

de Beauvoir’s philosophies were heavily influenced by the historical materialism of
Karl Marx and the idealism of Immanuel Kant.

➢ As a fixture of the history of civilization, philosophy has made a profound impact on society.
Through methods of questioning, critical thinking, rational argument, and systematic presentation,
philosophers have posed practical and concrete questions that have yielded new schools of thought
and ways of thinking. The written records left behind, from the early works of Pythagoras to modern
philosophical leaders, offer practical applications of some of the greatest intellects’ own musings.