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The collection

The Philosophers

Every thinker here answers out of their own texts. Choose a voice and put your question to it.

Philosophers
148
Works
843
Passages
298k+
Centuries spanned
26

When the thinkers were born — philosophers per century

148 philosophers, born across 26 centuries from the 7th c. BCE to the 19th c. CE. The 19th c. CE is the fullest, with 29.
Philosophers born, by century
CenturyPhilosophers born
7th c. BCE3
6th c. BCE3
5th c. BCE2
4th c. BCE2
3rd c. BCE3
2nd c. BCE4
1st c. BCE4
1st c. CE4
2nd c. CE4
3rd c. CE1
4th c. CE5
5th c. CE6
6th c. CE1
7th c. CE4
8th c. CE1
9th c. CE4
10th c. CE4
11th c. CE10
12th c. CE4
13th c. CE5
14th c. CE3
15th c. CE3
16th c. CE9
17th c. CE9
18th c. CE21
19th c. CE29

Which traditions they come from — philosophers per tradition

148 philosophers across 6 traditions. Widths are shares of the roster; the names are in the legend.
  • The Western tradition 87
  • The Indian tradition 29
  • The Chinese tradition 15
  • The Japanese tradition 6
  • The Jewish tradition 6
  • The Islamic and Persian tradition 5
Philosophers by tradition
TraditionPhilosophersShare
The Western tradition8759%
The Indian tradition2920%
The Chinese tradition1510%
The Japanese tradition64%
The Jewish tradition64%
The Islamic and Persian tradition53%

What the corpus argues about — share of the canon per question

The six great questions, ranked by their share of every tagged passage in the corpus. Mind and knowledge leads at 11.5%. A passage can answer to more than one question, so the six do not sum to a whole.
Share of the canon by question
QuestionShare of the canon
Mind and knowledge11.5%
Metaphysics and the cosmos10%
Politics and power9.5%
Ethics and the good life7.8%
Logic and language4.4%
Being and existence4.1%

8 philosophers match

By year of birth

15th c. CE

3 in the arena

  1. Desiderius Erasmus

    1466–1536

    The Renaissance

    Desiderius Erasmus mocked the Church in In Praise of Folly, wanted it reformed but not divided, and argued for peace, learning and a simple, inward faith.

    19 works · 11,357 passages grounded

  2. Niccolò Machiavelli

    1469–1527

    The Renaissance

    Niccolò Machiavelli examined power, fear, fortune, and republican liberty in The Prince and Discourses on Livy—ideas that still test political judgment.

    5 works · 1,937 passages grounded

  3. Martin Luther

    1483–1546

    The Renaissance

    Martin Luther held that nobody can earn God's forgiveness, only trust it, and the Western church split over it. His thought on grace, Scripture and power.

    12 works · 1,127 passages grounded

16th c. CE

5 in the arena

  1. John Calvin

    1509–1564

    The Renaissance

    John Calvin, the Geneva reformer, argued that Scripture judges the church and God chooses who is saved. His thought on authority, worship and election.

    1 work · 2,402 passages grounded

  2. Teresa of Ávila

    1515–1582

    The Renaissance

    Teresa of Ávila, Carmelite reformer and first woman Doctor of the Church, called prayer a friendship with God and mapped its stages from experience.

    3 works · 968 passages grounded

  3. Michel de Montaigne

    1533–1592

    The Renaissance

    Michel de Montaigne, author of the Essays: doubt, custom, cruelty and a changing self, tested on one life during France's wars of religion.

    1 work · 2,286 passages grounded

  4. John of the Cross

    1542–1591

    The Renaissance

    John of the Cross, Carmelite poet of the dark night, taught that the way to God runs through emptiness, faith and love, refusing even visions.

    5 works · 1,095 passages grounded

  5. Francis Bacon

    1561–1626

    The Renaissance

    Francis Bacon reshaped the pursuit of knowledge through empirical inquiry, examining method, nature, ethics, and the uses of science.

    4 works · 834 passages grounded