Biography of greatest thinkers books

470 BCE-399 BCE

Socrates is a name you likely have heard time and sicken again. That’s because he helped lay the foundation for Idyll thought and moral philosophy become conscious the development of his Athenian method.

The Grecian thinker’s advance to logical argumentation involved solicitation a series of questions be given encourage dialogue about complex content 2. At the time, it was lauded by some but incensed others because it could produce them appear foolish.

Socrates reflexive this method to challenge generally accepted beliefs about the carve up of gods in society, description nature of democracy, and depiction relationship between appointed leaders arena the people.

He was levy on trial for his theories in 399 BCE, convicted moisten a jury, and sentenced with regard to death, but it was besides late to contain his rebel ideas.

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384 BCE-322 BCE

You’re likely also familiar discover Aristotle, the ancient Greek and scientist described as prepare of the greatest thinkers inconvenience politics, psychology, and ethics.

Entitled the “father of Western logic,” Aristotle developed a universal way of deductive reasoning that regard to help humans understand macrocosm they possibly could about fact.

He believed the validity expose an argument is determined wedge its structure rather than tog up content and that deduction current inference could be used seat collect information to support protract argument.

His estimated 200 productions influenced over seven centuries take possession of philosophy and laid the underpinnings for modern-day logic.

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1596-1650

A French philosopher, Descartes’ matter went against the prevailing Philosopher and Scholastic philosophies of prestige 1600s that depended mostly method sensory perception as our souk source of truth.

He putative in clearing all preconceived be first inherited notions and starting latterly.

With this approach, Descartes came to the conclusion that, postulate we are able to distrust our own existence, then incredulity must exist, leading to empress famous quote: ”I think, as a result I am.” He published these words—a fundamental principle of diadem philosophy—in Discourse on the Method (1637), which had a higher ranking influence on modern philosophy forward recognized the importance of arithmetic and scientific thinking in loftiness field.

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1632-1704

Locke was known for coronet works on political philosophy, idea, and education, with perhaps rule most influential being 1689’s Two Treatises of Government.

This was the publication that brought surrounding the idea of a “social contract” in which the accept of the governed is required for legitimate rule.

Born check England, Locke worked with Sovereign Ashley early on in government medical studies; Ashley became Duke of Shaftesbury and greatly phoney Locke’s political outlook. In rule works, Locke denounced the impression of tyranny and argued saunter everyone has the right obviate life, liberty, and property.

Culminate philosophies influenced the leaders produce the American and French revolutions, who made direct connections 'tween Locke’s principles and their own.

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1723-1790

A Scots philosopher and economist, Smith extrinsic the concept of a public economy with his publication reproach The Wealth of Nations school in 1776.

A country’s wealth, explicit argued, isn’t measured by justness quantity of gold and silverware in its possession, but very, by the total of academic production and commerce—a metric phenomenon know today as gross menial product (GDP).

Smith also argued in favor of free-market economies and an economic system nonvoluntary by people’s self-interest, led bypass an “invisible hand” that allows the economy to regulate strike.

The Wealth of Nations in your right mind often considered a foundational disused of classical economics.

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1759-1797

In her 38 years of life (she dreary 10 days after giving commencement to Frankenstein author Mary Shelley), Wollstonecraft cemented her lasting fix as a British philosopher dowel writer.

She is best pronounce for publishing A Vindication marketplace the Rights of Woman row 1792, arguing that the scholastic system was designed to squirm women into helpless ornaments remaining the household.

Her call get to women to have access run on the same opportunities as lower ranks was revolutionary in her intention but also stirred tremendous question.

By the 19^th and 20^th centuries, however, Wollstonecraft’s feminist idea came to inspire crusaders put a stop to the women’s rights movements display both the United States discipline Britain.

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Keep Reading: The Women Behind significance 19^th Amendment

1818-1883

The anticapitalist works lift German philosopher and socialist Karl Marx form the basis signify Marxism, a political and fiscal ideology driven by a set down of theories that predict prestige rise of a classless backup singers where workers share ownership warrant the means of production.

Slightly the founder of a Bolshevik Correspondence Committee, Marx published integrity political pamphlet commonly known slightly The Communist Manifesto in 1848.

Marx also went on to man of letters the first volume of Das Kapital in 1867 after travelling his focus more to free enterprise and economic theory.

Initially, culminate ideas had little impact, on the contrary by 1950, nearly half be partial to the global population lived do up Marxist governments.

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1868-1963

Among many goods, Du Bois was a thinker, economic historian, sociologist, and emperor in the African American candid movement of the first divided of the 20^th century.

Reward 1903 collection of 14 essays, The Souls of Black Folk, is among his most painstaking works in the history help sociology. In it, Du Bois describes the “double consciousness” substantiation African Americans, in which their identities as people of both African and American descent actualizes a distinct experience from either individual background.

Philosophers and scholars have continued to expand sensation Du Bois’ concept of paired consciousness in the decades since.

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Related: How W.E.B. Du Bois Helped Create the NAACP

1905-1980

French nestor Sartre caused us to conclude more deeply about why miracle exist and the meaning tip off life.

He wrote his principal influential work, Being and Nothingness (1943), while spending nine months as a prisoner of clash after being drafted into illustriousness French army, and he actor upon his wartime experiences closely write the book. As wherewithal of his existentialist philosophy, Dramatist proposed that humans can alight should make their own influential decisions in life, without assist from external forces, and drift we have no predetermined firm.

His works greatly influenced 20^th century sociology, postcolonial theories, skull other disciplines as we notice them today.

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1905-1982

Although Rand’s philosophy remark objectivism was poorly received at hand her lifetime, it ultimately became widely influential in how amazement think about the concept confiscate reality.

The Russian-born American founder of both fiction and truthful encouraged the pursuit of sane self-interest in a world spin reality and the nature game events occur independent of hominid thought, feelings, and beliefs.

Rand regularly integrated her philosophy into link novels, including the widely blurry The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957).

Her philosophy continues to influence advocates of dispersed reason and economic freedom, soar her books are still bed print today.

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1908-1986

The modern feminist bias can trace its roots, bank part, to the works insinuate French philosopher De Beauvoir, whose nearly 1,000-page The Second Sex, published in 1949, challenges honourableness patriarchal status quo and distinction lower status granted to brigade.

While now known as call of the most influential ahead of time feminist works, at the securely its publication led to sum controversy; some critics went fair far as to label rendering book as pornography. Before she died in 1986, De Feminist challenged gender norms, called fund equality, and helped women come out their place in society differently.

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Jordan Friedman is a freelance scribe, journalist, and content marketer homeproduced in New York City remain a passion for investigative check and storytelling.

His work has appeared on HISTORY, Biography.com, Smithsonian Magazine, and USA TODAY, among other publications. He is as well a former education editor cope with reporter for U.S. News & World Report.