The 15 most important and famous Greek philosophers

Who were the most prominent thinkers of Ancient Greece? Pay attention to this ranking.

Ancient Greece was a particularly prolific period for culture and philosophy.. In fact, it is no wonder that the history of Western thought cannot be explained without taking into account the great Greek thinkers.

In this ranking of the 15 most important Greek philosophers we will try to synthesize the work of each of the most influential thinkers who left the most outstanding legacy.

Greatest philosophers of Ancient Greece

When we talk about Ancient Greece we refer to the historical period from 1200 BC to 146 BC.at the time of the Dorian invasion of the Hellenic region.

Greek culture was so influential that even the Roman Empire adopted much of the thought left by Plato, Socrates, Heraclitus, and many others.

These thinkers managed to make the thirst for knowledge their way of life. Let's get to know which were the 15 most important Greek philosophers.. We leave out thinkers who would also deserve an honorable mention, such as Gorgias of Leontinos, Diogenes Laertius, Plutarch, Hippocrates, and many others.

15. Heraclitus of Ephesus (540 - 480 B.C.)

Known by his nickname "The Dark One of Ephesus", Heraclitus was born in a small village in the south of the country.Heraclitus was born in a region of present-day Turkey. His work was aphoristic in the form of endless poems, so the knowledge he developed required detailed study.

He contributed valuable knowledge to the world of physics, theorizing about a 'natural principle' and the incessant change of matter. His scientific postulates were the subject of analysis in later times.

• Learn more: "The 35 best famous quotes of Heraclitus".

14. Epicurus of Samos (341 - 270 B.C.)

Epicurus was one of the most famous philosophers of Ancient Greece. He developed atomism and his philosophy of life was rational hedonism.. In search of hedonic pleasure, he tried to abandon any form of Pain on the basis of a frugal and detached life.

Unfortunately, few of Epicurus' writings were preserved after his death, so we owe his legacy to the poems of Lucretius and the correspondence he had with another philosopher: Diogenes Laertius.

• Learn more: "The 40 best phrases of Epicurus of Samos".

13. Sophocles (496 - 406 B.C.)

Born in the city of Colonus, Sophocles was a tragic poet and a very prominent thinker.. Although his field of thought was more literature and drama than philosophy, his works were steeped in reflections and insights that other philosophers would later develop. He was the author of the famous Antigone y Oedipus Rexconsidered authentic masterpieces of Greek tragic theater.

Although he was a prolix writer, only seven of his Greek tragedies have been preserved, which became the benchmark of the genre for centuries.

• Learn more: "The 25 best famous phrases of Sophocles".

12. Anaxagoras of Clazomenes (500 - 428 B.C.)

Anaxagoras was a pre-Socratic philosopher who was the pioneer in introducing the notion of nous (νοῦς, mind or thought). Born in Clazomenes, in a region of present-day Turkey, he lived in Athens from his adolescence onwards.

For this Greek thinker, the philosophical ideas he worked on always revolved around nature itself. He left us an enormous legacy with his descriptions of nature and the universe. In his texts, he argued that every element consisted of or came from another element, and in turn belonged to a whole.

• Learn more: "The 13 best famous quotes of Anaxagoras".

11. Diogenes of Sinope (404 - 323 B.C.)

Born in Sinope, by the Black Sea, Diogenes the Cynic was one of the most ironic and humorous philosophers of Ancient Greece.. Although few manuscripts of Diogenes have come down to us, we know many of his ideas thanks to his faithful disciples and students.

He was prodigal in the art of discussion and oratory, and rejected any conventionalism of his time, taking refuge in a frugal and austere life, although he made no attempt to reform or change what he contested. His disciple Diogenes of Laertius was the one who left a record of the master's knowledge and theories.

10. Empedocles of Agrigento (495 - 444 B.C.)

A politician and philosopher, Empedocles devised the theory of the four roots: four basic elements (water, earth, fire and air) which are the essential components of all that exists. (water, earth, fire and air) which are the essential components of all that exists. He is also the author of the two "conditions" or "forces" of the world, from which he explained the problems of his time, such as corruption, hatred and love. The first force united the existing, while the second separated it.

His legacy gave rise to a wave of poets and thinkers who, motivated by Empedocles' theories and his four elements, initiated the field of atomic physics.

• Learn more: "The 12 best phrases of Empedocles".

9. Parmenides of Elea (530 - 470 B.C.)

Parmenides was born in a southern region of Magna Graecia, a poet and thinker who questioned the very existence of mankind.. "Is it or is it not?", a question that tried to answer and that was the object of analysis by philosophy for centuries, being one of the paradoxes that has made more rivers of ink flow.

In the words of Parmenides, the signs of the way of truth were the concreteness of what is and what is not. From this reasoning he argued that a thing that is can never cease to be other than by itself. As we can see, this is a somewhat abstract and strange argument, but it gave rise to hundreds of theories and lucubrations in later times.

• Learn more: "The 16 best phrases of Parmenides of Elea".

8. Pythagoras of Samos (569 - 475 B.C.)

Recognized as the first pure mathematician in history, Pythagoras' contributions have been fundamental in the fields of philosophy, geometry and arithmetic.. The well-known "Pythagoras theorem" is still studied in elementary schools, and explains that "in every right triangle the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the legs".

This thinker not only contributed to abstract and logical thinking, but also reflected on the moral laws of life, since his school focused many efforts on promoting a just and balanced life.

• Learn more: "The 35 best famous quotes of Pythagoras".

7. Zeno of Elea (490 - 430 B.C.)

Zeno of Elea was especially renowned for his theory of infinityZeno of Elea, a series of reasonings with which he tried to solve the paradoxes and dilemmas about plurality and movement, concepts that, from a metaphysical point of view, he questioned on the basis of sound logical arguments that were recorded in different manuscripts.

This pre-Socratic Greek philosopher initiated a path of thought that many of his disciples (among whom were prominent names such as Melysius, Democritus and Anaxagoras) continued and expanded after his death.

6. Thales of Miletus (624 - 546 B.C.)

Master of other great Greek thinkers, such as Anaximenes, and father of ancient Greek philosophy, Thales of Miletus theorized about natural philosophy, the origin of matter and the origin of matter.He also contributed great knowledge in science, geography and mathematics, where he left as a legacy what is known as the 'theory of change'.

For this important Greek philosopher, water is the main and original element in the world, the beginning of all other things. This idea spread throughout Ancient Greece and dozens of later philosophers developed these notions.

• Learn more: "The 32 best phrases of Thales of Miletus".

5. Democritus (460 - 370 B.C.)

A unique scientist and mathematician, Democritus was known as "the laughing philosopher".He contributed great theories and knowledge to the world of mathematics, geometry and astronomy.

Through different experiments and reasoning he was able to draw his atomic theory of the universe, he argued that atoms are indivisible particles, whole, homogeneous and not visible to the naked eye. A consideration that science later proved.

• Learn more: "The 24 best quotes of Democritus, the Greek philosopher".

4. Anaximenes of Miletus (590 - 525 B.C.)

Anaximenes of Miletus was one of the most important and famous philosophers of Ancient Greece, although he was not only one of the most important and famous philosophers of the Ancient Greeks.He was not only one of the first authors in philosophy but also contributed his wisdom to fields such as biology and geography. He is considered one of the first astronomers in history, since he was able to create the first image of the universe.

This fellow citizen and disciple of Thales of Miletus was studied and analyzed by later philosophers. One of his most important notions was that the principle of all things was infinite.

3. Aristotle (384 - 322 B.C.)

Considered the father of biology and logic, Aristotle founded the history of knowledge in the West.. His legacy consists of more than 200 texts in which he theorizes and develops ideas in seven different fields of knowledge.

The creativity and depth of this philosopher, excellent in his writing and in the complexity of his approaches, not only meant a step forward in the thinking of Ancient Greece but also that many later thinkers would base their postulates on the ideas and experiences left by the great Aristotle.

• Learn more: "The 100 best famous quotes of Aristotle".

Socrates (470 - 399 B.C.)

Socrates, born in Athens, was one of the most important Greek philosophers. To him we owe the questioning of reasoning itself, as well as the Socratic method, which allowed thinkers to question their own behavior until they reached more certain and enduring approaches.

He was Plato's teacher, who followed his philosophical keys and developed them.

• Learn more: "70 great phrases of Socrates to understand his thought".

1. Plato (427 - 347 B.C.)

A disciple of Socrates, Plato developed the theology of his master and intertwined it with new metaphysical approaches.. Founder of the Academy in Athens, he taught his ethical theories, as well as dialectics and physics, where he also contributed great knowledge.

Through these scientific and philosophical facets, Plato sought to create much more educated men capable of governing themselves.

• Learn more: "The 80 best phrases of Plato and his philosophy".
• And also: "Plato's important contributions to the study of psychology".