Philosopher Biographies

Medieval era

Witelo

1230 – 1275

Polish-German scholar

Medieval era

Pietro d'Abano

1250 – 1315

Italian physician, philosopher and philologist

Christine de Pizan

d. 1430

French poet and author (1364 – c. 1430)

Medieval era

Ramon Llull

1232 – 1316

Majorcan writer and philosopher (c.1232–1315/6)

Medieval era

Jean Gerson

December 13, 1363 – July 12, 1429

French academic (1363/1369–1429)

Medieval era

Mechthild of Magdeburg

1207 – 1282

German mystic

Medieval era

Marguerite Porete

1250 – June 1, 1310

French mystic

Medieval era

Henry Suso

March 21, 1295 – January 25, 1366

German Dominican friar and mystic

Ancient era

Enheduanna

c. 2300 BCE – c. 2300 BCE

Akkadian princess; Sumerian high priestess of Nanna at Ur; poet and philosopher

Ancient era

Ptahhotep

c. 2450 BCE – c. 2400 BCE

Ancient Egyptian vizier

Ancient era

Mazdak

c. 450 CE – 529 CE

Iranian philosopher

Ancient era

Julia Domna

c. 165 CE – 217 CE

Ancient Roman empress

Ancient era

Plotinus

205 CE – 270 CE

Hellenistic Platonist philosopher and founder of Neoplatonism (c. 204/5–270)

Ancient era

Philo of Alexandria

15 BCE – 45 CE

Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria (c. 20 BCE-c. 50 CE)

Ancient era

Clement of Alexandria

150 CE – 215 CE

Christian theologian (c.150 – c.215)

Ancient era

Tertullian

150 CE – 220 CE

Roman Christian theologian and writer (c. 155 – c. 220)

Ancient era

Lucian of Samosata

120 CE – c. 200 CE

2nd-century Syrian satirist and rhetorician

Ancient era

Porphyry

233 CE – 301 CE

3rd-century Greek Neoplatonist philosopher

Ancient era

Iamblichus

240 CE – 320 CE

Syrian Neoplatonist philosopher (c. 245 – c. 325)

Ancient era

Bardaisan

July 11, 154 CE – 222 CE

Syrian gnostic, scientist, philosopher and poet (154-222)

Modern era

Sir Ziauddin Ahmad

February 13, 1878 – December 23, 1947

Indian mathematician and philosopher (1873-1947)

Modern era

Madan Mohan Malaviya

December 25, 1861 – November 12, 1946

Indian educator and politician

Modern era

Bagha Jatin

December 7, 1879 – September 10, 1915

Bengali revolutionary (1879-1915)

Modern era

Mahadev Govind Ranade

January 18, 1842 – January 16, 1901

Indian scholar, social reformer and author (1842-1901)

Modern era

Chattampi Swamikal

August 25, 1853 – May 5, 1924

Indian spiritual leader and social reformer

Modern era

Sahodaran Ayyappan

August 21, 1889 – March 6, 1968

Indian politician and reformer (1889-1968)

Modern era

Vinoba Bhave

September 11, 1895 – November 15, 1982

Indian advocate of nonviolence and human rights (1895-1982)

Modern era

Sadhu Vaswani

November 25, 1879 – January 16, 1966

Indian educationer, humanitarian and spiritual leader (1879-1966)

Modern era

Riazuddin

November 10, 1930 – September 9, 2013

Pakistani nuclear physicist (1930–2013)

Modern era

Muhammad Hasan Askari

November 5, 1919 – January 18, 1978

Writer, Critic, Short story writer, translator (1919–1978)

Modern era

Isaiah

June 6, 1909 – November 5, 1997

Russo-British-Latvian Jewish social and political theorist, philosopher and historian of ideas (1909–1997)

Medieval era

Bernard of Clairvaux

1090 – August 20, 1153

Burgundian saint, abbot and theologian (1090–1153)

Medieval era

Catherine of Siena

March 25, 1347 – April 29, 1380

Italian Dominican saint (1347-1380)

Medieval era

Thomas a Kempis

1380 – July 25, 1471

German canon regular

Medieval era

John Wycliffe

c. 1320 – December 31, 1384

English theologian and dissident in the Roman Catholic Church

Modern era

Pope Benedict XVI

April 16, 1927 – December 31, 2022

265 th pope of the Catholic Church (2005–2013)

Medieval era

Rabia al-Adawiyya

c. 710 CE – 801 CE

Iraqi sufi and poet

Ancient era

Zhuangzi

369 BCE – 288 BCE

Chinese Taoist philosopher (c. 369–286 BC)

Ancient era

Bodhidharma

483 CE – 540 CE

Indian-Chinese philosopher and Buddhist Monk

Early Modern era

Guru Gobind Singh

December 22, 1666 – October 7, 1708

Tenth Sikh guru (1661–1708)

Medieval era

Kabir

1440 – 1518

15th-century Indian mystic poet and saint

Modern era

Ramakrishna

February 18, 1836 – August 16, 1886

Indian mystic and religious preacher (1836–1886)

Modern era

Ramana Maharshi

December 30, 1879 – April 14, 1950

Indian spiritual teacher (1879–1950)

Ancient era

Solon

638 BCE – 558 BCE

Athenian legislator

Ancient era

Xenophon

430 BCE – 354 BCE

Greek philosopher, historian, soldier (c. 430–355/354 BC)

Ancient era

Anaximander

620 BCE – 547 BCE

Pre-Socratic Greek philosopher

Ancient era

Anaxagoras

500 BCE – 428 BCE

5th-century BC Greek philosopher

Ancient era

Parmenides

515 BCE – 470 BCE

Late 6th/early 5th century BC Greek pre-Socratic philosopher

Ancient era

Empedocles

490 BCE – 430 BCE

5th century BC Greek philosopher

Ancient era

Protagoras

486 BCE – 420 BCE

Pre-Socratic Greek philosopher (c.490–c.420 BC)

Ancient era

Lucretius

94 BCE – 55 BCE

1st-century BC Roman poet and philosopher

Ancient era

Julian the Apostate

November 17, 331 CE – June 26, 363 CE

Last Pagan Roman emperor, reigned 361 to 363

Patanjali

Ancient Indian scholar(s) of grammar and linguistics, of yoga, of medical treatises

Ancient era

Ban Zhao

45 CE – 116 CE

Late 1st/early 2nd century Chinese historian, philosopher and scholar

Medieval era

Peter Abelard

1079 – April 21, 1142

French scholastic philosopher, theologian and preeminent logician (c.1079-1142)

Medieval era

Girolamo Savonarola

September 21, 1452 – May 23, 1498

Italian Dominican friar and preacher (1452-1498)

Early Modern era

Samuel Adams

September 27, 1722 – October 2, 1803

American statesman, political philosopher, governor of Massachusetts and Founding Father of the United States (1722-1803)

Modern era

Giuseppe Mazzini

June 22, 1805 – March 10, 1872

Italian nationalist activist, politician, journalist and philosopher

Early Modern era

Sophie Germain

April 1, 1776 – June 27, 1831

French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher (1776-1831)

Modern era

George Boole

November 2, 1815 – December 8, 1864

English mathematician, philosopher and logician (1815–1864)