Collection: Western Philosophies

Western philosophy is the intellectual tradition that originated in ancient Greece and has developed through European thought. It explores fundamental questions about reality, existence, ethics, knowledge, and the nature of truth.

Ancient: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle

Medieval: Augustine, Thomas Aquinas

Modern: René Descartes, John Locke, Immanuel Kant

Contemporary: Ludwig Wittgenstein, Jean-Paul Sartre, Michel Foucault

A full list of western thinkers can be viewed here.

Metaphysics: Study of reality and existence

Epistemology: Study of knowledge and belief

Ethics: Study of morality and values

Logic: Study of reasoning and argumentation

Aesthetics: Study of beauty and art

Western philosophy often focuses on analytical reasoning, individualism, and the nature of knowledge, while Eastern philosophy emphasizes harmony, interconnectedness, and practical wisdom.

Plato’s The Republic

Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics

Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy

Rudolf Steiner's Philosophy of Freedom

Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Carl Jung's The Red Book

The Enlightenment emphasized reason, science, and individual rights, challenging traditional authorities like the church. Philosophers like Voltaire, Rousseau, and Kant shaped modern political and ethical thought.

Aristotle contributed extensively to logic, metaphysics, ethics, politics, and natural sciences. His systematic approach to categorizing knowledge influenced Western thought for centuries.

Empiricism is the view that knowledge is primarily derived from sensory experience. Key empiricists include John Locke, George Berkeley, and David Hume.

Rationalism holds that reason is the primary source of knowledge, independent of sensory experience. Prominent rationalists include Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz.

Existentialism is a philosophical movement that focuses on individual freedom, choice, and the search for meaning in an often absurd or meaningless world. Key figures include Sartre, Heidegger, and Camus.

Christianity shaped Western thought, particularly during the medieval period, where philosophers like Augustine and Aquinas integrated theological principles with Greek philosophy.