Throughout history, philosophers have played an important role in influencing the trends of government, society, the economy, religion, the arts, education--in short, virtually every aspect of life. They research the past to come up with ideas for bettering the future. Philosophers are essentially reformers, trying to change, define, and improve the abstract conditions of life. They are often controversial within their time periods, but once people have been exposed to the new theories and ideas, they view them in a more objective way. Generally, philosophers and their theories and works were better appreciated by later generations rather than their own.

There are many different aspects of philosophy. Several different schools of thought evolved throughout the centuries, beginning with Greek and Roman philosophers. Around 600 BC, men started to think about why they were on this planet and what their purpose really was. Originating with Thales and the Ionian school of thought, philosophy evolved into Platonic philosophy and the various other schools of thought.

Two opposing schools that developed around the seventeenth century are Rationalism and Empiricism. Empiricism views experience as the most important source of knowledge by rejecting the use of pure reason. Conversely, rationalism emphasizes human reason and its ability to answer the basic questions of life.

Existentialism was first founded by Soren Kierkegaard. Since then, many other philosophers such as Nietzsche, Tillich, Barth, Jaspers, and Heidegger have expanded and revised Kirkegaard's original ideas. Existentialism is based on the idea that there is no such thing as human nature or essence. Instead, each individual is unique and people must choose for themselves what they wish to make out of life. The two primary existentialists focused on are Kirkegaard and Nietzsche. Their theories influenced many of the philosophers that followed them.

During the Enlightenment, when everything from governments to social customs was undergoing a massive overhaul, Political Philosophers began developing theories about the way government should work. They came from all different countries, sometimes agreeing with each other and the present governments, but more often violently opposing the governments and other political philosophers.

A very influential group of philosophers developed Social-Economic Theories of philosophy. Two opposing philosophers were Karl Marx and Adam Smith. Marx believed that the government should have tight control over national industries in order to solidify national income and labor, whereas Smith believed that in order for a nation to prosper, there needed to be free trade among all nations and free enterprise for all industries. Both philosophers were crucial in setting the basis for forms of Communism and capitalism.

The Group:

Mike Noordsy, Sarah Burton, James Boles, Gretchen Ludwig, and Ryan Geraetes.

Bjorn's Guide to Philosophy
(Our source for pictures of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau.)

Descartes

Locke

Hobbes

Rousseau

Smith

Marx

Nietzsche (with Strauss!)
(Our picture of Nietzsche comes from this page)




Binkely, Luther J. Conflict of Ideals. New York: American Book Co.,1969.

Catlin, George. The Story of the Political Philosophers. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1939.

Cranston, Maurice. Philosophers and Pamphleteers. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986.

Crocker, Lester G. Rousseau's Social Contract. Cleveland: The Press of Case Western Reserve University, 1968.

Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan. New York: Collier Books, 1962.

Magnus, Bernand. Nietzsche's Existential Imperative. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1978.

Rohde, Peter P. Soren Kierkegaard The Danish Philosopher. Copenhagen: F. E. Bording A-S, [n.d.]. (Picture of Kierkegaard)

Russel, Bertrand. A History of Western Philosophy. New York: Simon and Schuster Inc., 1945.

Taylor, M.E. Greek Philosophy. London: Oxford University Press, 1937.

Tsanoff, Rudoslav A. The Great Philosophers. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1953.

Tuck, Richard. Hobbes. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989.

Zeller, E. Outlines of the History of Greek Philosophy. New York: Henery Holt & Co., 1890.

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