Philosophers of Antiquity

The Pre-Socratic Philosophers


     Milesian School:

            Thales  (624 – c 546 BCE)

            Anaximander  (610 – 546 BCE)

            Anaximenes of Miletus  (c. 585 – c. 525 BCE)

            Diogenes of Apollonia (c. 460 BCE – ?)


      Pythagoreans:

            Pythagoras  (582 – 496 BCE)

            Philolaus  (470 – 380 BCE)

            Alcmaeon of Croton

            Archytas  (428 – 347 BCE)


      Heraclitus  (535 – 475 BCE)


      Eleatic School:

            Xenophanes  (570 – 470 BCE)

            Parmenides   (510 – 440 BCE)

            Zeno of Elea  (490 – 430 BCE)

            Melissus of Samos  (c. 470 BCE – ?)


      Pluralists:

            Empedocles  (490 – 430 BCE

            Anaxagoras  (500 – 428 BCE)


      Atomists:

            Leucippus   (first half of 5th century BCE)

            Democritus   (460 – 370 BCE)

            Metrodorus of Chios  (4th century BCE)

            Pherecydes of Syros  (6th century BCE)


      Sophists:   Professional teachers.  Plato had Socrates debate them in his dialogs 

            Protagoras  (490 – 420 BCE)
            Gorgias  (487 – 376 BCE)
            Antiphon  (480 – 411 BCE)
            Prodicus  (465/450 – after 399 BCE)
            Hippias  (middle of the 5th century BCE)
            Thrasymachus  (459 – 400 BCE)
            Callicles  (484? - c. 400 BCE)
            Critias  (460 - 403 BCE)



Classical Greek (450 - 321 BCE), Hellenist (321 - 31 BCE), and Roman (0 - 540 CE) Schools:


      Socratic:

            Socrates  (469 – 399 BCE)

            Euclid of Megara  (450 – 380 BCE)  Socratic & Eleatic

            Xenophon  (430 - 354)  Student of and source for Socrates


     ( Aristippus  (435 – 356 BCE)  Cyrenaic School )


Platonic:


      The First Academy:

            Plato  (428 – 347 BCE)

            Speusippus  (407 – 339 BCE)  Follower, but also critic, of Plato

            Xenocrates  (396 – 314 BCE)  Platonic


      Middle Platonism:


            Antiochus of Ascalon  (130 – 68 BCE)

            Philo of Alexandria  (25 BCE - 50 CE)

            Plutarch  (45 - 120)

            Alcinous (philosopher)  (2nd century CE)



      Neo-Platonism:

            Ammonius Saccas  (3rd century CE)

            Plotinus  (205 – 270 CE)  Neoplatonist

            Porphyry  (232 – 304 CE)

            Iamblichus  (242 – 327 CE)

            Proclus  (411 – 485 CE)   Neoplatonist

            Damascius  (462 – 540 CE)


Aristotelian: 

      Aristotle  (384 – 322 BCE)

      Peripatetic School   (Followers of Aristotle)

            Theophrastus  (370 – 288 BCE)

            Alexander of Aphrodisias  (3rd century CE)


Other Schools:

      Cynicism

            Antisthenes  (445 - 365 BCE)

            Diogenes of Sinope  (412 - 323 BCE)

            Creates of Thebes  (365 - 285 BCE)

            Menippus  (3rd century BCE)


      Epicureanism

            Epicurus  (341 – 270 BCE)

            Metrodorus of Lampsacus (the younger)  (331 – 278 BCE)

            Lucretius  (94 – 55 BCE)   Epicurean


      Skepticism (1):  Pyrrhonism

            Pyrrho   (365 – 275 BCE)

            Timon  (320 – 230 BCE)

            Aenesidemus  (1st century BCE) (Neo-Pyrrhonic)


       Skepticism (2):  Second (or Middle)  Academy:

            Arcesilaus  (316 – 232 BCE)


       Skepticism (3):  Third (or New) Academy

            Carneades  (214 – 129 BCE)

            Clitomachus  (187 – 109 BCE)

            Philo of Larissa  (160 – 80 BCE)

            Agrippa  (1st century CE)  (???)



       Stoicism:

            Zeno of Citium  (333 – 263 BCE)

            Cleanthes   (c. 330 – c. 230 BCE)

            Chrysippus  (280 – 207 BCE)

            Posidonius  (135 – 51 BCE)

            Seneca  (4 BCE – 65 CE)  

            Epictetus  (55 – 135 CE)

            Marcus Aurelius  (121 – 180 CE)

            Musonius Rufus  (30 – 100 CE)


      Early Christian:

           Alcinous (philosopher)  (2nd century CE)

           Clement of Alexandria  (150 – 215 CE)

           Augustine of Hippo  (354 – 430 CE)



Miscellaneous:

            Archimedes  (c. 287 – 212 BCE)  Mathematician and scientist more than a philosopher

            Cicero  (106 – 43 BCE)  Roman Orator

            Epicurean Poets:  Virgil  (70 - 19 BCE)   /  Horace  (65 - 8 BCE)  /  Ovid  (43 BCE - 17 CE)  

            Diogenes Laërtius  (3rd Century CE)  Biographer of Philosophers

            Sextus Empiricus  (160 - 210 AD)  Mostly an historian of the Skeptics

            Themistius  (317 – 388 CE)  Roman Orator