Western Philosophical Thoughts

(Philosophers and Philosophies)

Darene Noel G. Adrada

Social Sciences
Stoicism

• Seneca
• Epictetus
• Marcus Aurelius

• Emphasis on morality, virtue, calm and

emotional fortitude
Scholasticism

• St. Thomas Aquinas

• St. Augustine of Hippo

• Application of Philosophy to define and

explain religious doctrine
Humanism

• Petrarch
• Desiderius Erasmus
• Niccolo Machiavelli
• Francois Rabelais
• Emphasis on the human person; use of
philosophy to understand society, nature
and humanity
Rationalism

• Rene Descartes
• Immanuel Kants
• Gottfried Leibniz

• Reason and logic considered the basis of

knowledge and belief; man has innate
knowledge that can be accessed
through intuition or deduction.
Empiricism

• David Hume
• Francis Bacon
• John Locke

• Knowledge is gained through the senses

and experience; reliance on inductive
reasoning to arrive at generalizations
Social and Political Philosophy

• Voltaire
• Jean Jaques Rousseau
• Thomas Hobbes
• John Stuart Mill
• Discussion on the ideal human situation
and society; emphasis on individual rights
and liberties
Existentialism

• Soren Kierkegaard
• Friedrich Nietzsche
• Martin Heidegger
• Jean Paul Sartre
• Simone de Beauvoir
• Human experience is defined by the
views, emotions and actions of the
individual
Existentialism
Existentialism

• Existence precedes essence

• Freedom is dangerous
• We are condemned to be free
Existentialism

• Existence precedes essence

• Freedom is dangerous
• We are condemned to be free
 Existentialism

These authorities are just people

like you - people who don’t
have answers , people who had
to figure out for themselves how
to live.
Pragmatism

• Charles Peirce
• William James
• John Dewey

• Emphasis on the practical use of

knowledge and ideas
Pragmatism(way of thinking)
Pascal’s Wager
(A Gamblers Argument)

God Exists God doesn’t

Eternity in
Belief Not much
Heaven
Eternity in
Disbelief Not much
Hell
Phenomenology

• Edmund Husserl

• Experience is studied based on the

subjective viewpoint of the individual
Absurdism

• Albert Camus

• Man will never understand the human

condition and the meaning of life.
• The search for answers in an answerless
world
• Since there is not Teleology, the world
wasn’t created for a reason, and it
doesn’t existed for a reason, and if there
is no reason for any of these, then there is
no absolutes to abide by; there is no
cosmic justice, no fairness, no order, no
rules.
Post-modernism
Post-structuralism

• Jacques Derrida
• Michel Fouccult

• Analysis on how knowledge, ideas and

power relations are defined
 Judaism(Israel, the Levant)

• Abraham
• Moses

• Belief in one God who has a role in the

ultimate destiny of mankind; the Jewish
people are God’s chosen people
 Judaism(Israel, the Levant)

• Abraham
• Moses

• The observance of God’s

commandments will result in rewards. A
deeper study and understanding of God’s
laws as revealed in the sacred scriptures
will lead to wisdom
 Hinduism

• Vedas

• Belief in Pantheon of Gods, with three

main Gods – Brahma , Shiva and Vishnu
• Belief in a cycle of birth and
rebirth(samsara), which is broken when a
person achieves ultimate union with the
Divine(moksha)
 Hinduism

• Vedas

• Emphasis on dharma, the fulfillment of

duties and behavior in accordance with
the established order in the world;
individual actions contribute to either a
good or bad effect(karma) in a person’s
life.
 Shinto(Japan)

• No distinct philosopher

• An Animistic Religion influenced by

Japanese myth and traditions
• The material and spiritual world are
closely connected; rituals and traditions
are a way to connect with the spiritual
world
 Shinto(Japan)

• No distinct philosopher

• Mankind and the world are essentially

good and pure.
• Harmony and Balance are essential in
maintaining purity
 Jainism(India)

• Mahavira

• Rejects the idea of a Creator and

considers the universe as eternal and
unceasing; time is a wheel which goes
through cycles of prosperity and suffering.
 Jainism(India)

• Mahavira

• Wisdom is developed through the

practice of five main vows:
• Ahimsa – non-violence
• Satya – truth
• Asteya – honesty
• Brahmacharya – chastity
• Aparigraha - piety
 Buddhidm

• Siddharta Gautama (Buddha)

• Shares a number of beliefs with Hinduism

• Emphasizes the Four Noble Truths,
describes as worldly existence as
imperfect and influenced by desires and
suffering
• One must follow the eight fold path
 Buddhidm

• Siddharta Gautama (Buddha)

• Divided into two major branches:

• Theravada Buddhism
• Mahayana Buddhism
 Confucianism(East Asia)

• Confucius

• The contemplation of the order of things

can lead to self-transformation
• Self-transformation can lead to the
betterment of family and society
 Confucianism(East Asia)

• Confucius

• Human relationships are based on mutual

obligations
• Individuals should perform their intended
roles and contribute to social order
 Taoism

• Lao Tzu

• Emphasis on the unity and harmony

among opposing elements(Yin and Yang)
• Individuals must seek to understand and
act in accordance with the natural world.
 Islam(West Asia)

• Muhammad

• Belief in one God(Allah)

• Five Pillars
• Shahada
• Salat
• Zakat
• Sawmm
• Hajj
 Islam(West Asia)

• Muhammad

• Religion and Society are intertwined

• All Muslims are member of a community
bounded by faith
• Sunni and Shia
 Sikkhism(INDIA)

• Guru Nanak
• Guru Granth Sahib

• God is believed to have created the

universe and is present everywhere and
in everything
• Man communicates with God through
meditation