Though he has written on metaphysics and philosophy of mind, Sosa is primarily an epistemologist. He holds the titles of Professor Emeritus at Melbourne University, and Fellow of the Australian Academy of Humanities, and is a former President of the Australasian Association He is the only philosopher on this list defending such views. Though short, “Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?” (1963) has been influential far beyond its diminutive page length, lays out a problem at the center of a long-running philosophical debate, and has likely been read by every philosophy undergraduate in most of the last century. She is primarily known as a major proponent of gender theory and criticism, and her work has been influential to many areas of critical thought, both in and out of philosophy, including ethics, political philosophy, feminist theory, queer theory, and literary theory. Graham Harman received his Ph.D. at DePaul University in Chicago in 1999, and is currently a Professor of Philosophy at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. Judith Butler earned her Ph.D. from Yale in 1984, and currently holds the title of Maxine Elliot Professor in the Department of Comparative Literature and the Program of Critical Theory at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Hannah Arendt Chair at the European Graduate School. Epicurus was an ancient Greek philosopher as well as the founder of the school of philosophy called Epicureanism. In her work she is primarily concerned with free will, and combines philosophy of mind, metaphysics, philosophy of action, and ontology. Though usually not household names, contemporary philosophers have radically altered the way we think about all sorts of things --- from the nature of God to the role of race in democracy. Putnam may also have been his greatest critic, as he would go on to reject, put forth, and reject his own views. His work is primarily focused in phenomenology, and he has been influential as an interpreter of the work of Edmund Husserl, Michel Foucault, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty. With the help of AcademicInfluence.com we have created this list of the 50 most influential philosophers working, thinking, writing, and teaching in the world today. Chalmers identifies his philosophical view as “naturalistic dualism”, and is critical of physical reductionist explanations of mental experience, Read more at dailynous.com. foregoing formulaic expressions that are designed to explain knowledge and instead applying virtue theory to human intellect, using virtue as the basis for assessing what is and is not knowledge. Currently he holds the title of Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California. rights that can be infringed upon. Spivak is a founding member of the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society at Columbia University, where she teaches. Through his work, Haldane has been influential in developing a space for Catholic philosophy in the modern analytical landscape. Today, we have officially aquired our 50 000 th file in our folder, and we do not expect to stop soon. Haldane is most notable for his work on Thomas Aquinas. The Greek word for philosophy (philosophia) translates to the “love for wisdom” in English. This theory has been controversial, as his critics claim that it undermines one's claims about their own thought contents. Like Christine Korsgaard, Gibbard is concerned with normativity. In this area, Putnam is best known for his theory of multiple realizability, which he used to argue against the physicalist type-identity theory of mind. Clark's work is primarily focused in philosophy of mind, in particular how it relates to cognitive science, artificial intelligence, and robotics. Timothy Morton received his doctorate in philosophy from Magdalen College, Oxford in 1993 and currently holds the title of Rita Shea Guffey Chair in English at Rice University. Birthdays of Famous Philosopher / Celebrity, on Today, Worldwide. In the 1960s, this was met with criticism and hostility, but his ideas developed influence and acceptance over the next few decades of research. In the late 1950s, Jürgen Habermas studied philosophy and sociology at the Institute for Social Research Frankfurt am Main, the “Frankfurt School,” under none other than Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno. Hubert Dreyfus earned all three of his degrees at Harvard University, culminating in his Ph.D. in 1964, and is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and has received an honorary doctorate from Erasmus University. McDermott's work is primarily focused on the philosophy ofculture, specifically American literature and philosophy, having written. More recently, Nagel has stirred up controversy in his book Mind and Cosmos (2012) by continuing to argue against reductionism, this time in the form of the Neo-Darwinist account of the emergence of life. Butler has seen influence and sparked controversy as a globally vocal advocate of LGBTQ rights and as a critic the politics and actions of Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. FIND OUT MORE. Korean American philosopher Jaegwon Kim earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from Princeton University in 1962 and holds the title of Professor Emeritus from Brown University. Brandom is a philosophical pragmatist, and works in the areas of philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, and logic. West is a heavy hitter in social philosophy, having pioneered the school of “neopragmatism” with a focus on the condition of race and class in America. Web resource: David Oderberg's Home Page. Midgley is a moral philosopher who has also worked in the areas of philosophy of science and animal rights. Web resource: Charles Taylor's Home Page. Much of his focus is in political theory and moral philosophy, and he is a leading name in race and identity studies. Web resource: Christine Korsgaard's Home Page. West was the first African-American to receive a Ph.D. in philosophy from Princeton University in 1980. Cartwright's work is primarily focused in philosophy of science. For Oderberg, a fetus is an innocent life, and abortion and euthanasia are equivalent to contract killing. He went on to study under J.L. Though we had initially intended for Putnam to be on this list, he passed away on March 13, 2016. Burge has been most influential with his article “Individualism and Self-Knowledge” (1988) in which he argued for the theory in philosophy of mind of This list of contemporary philosophers can not be exhaustive, but it tended to show the vibrancy of philosophy today. 1952). Hawthorne's work primarily focuses on metaphysics and epistemology, and his most influential book on the subjects is Metaphysical Essays (2006). John Hawthorne earned his Ph.D. from Syracuse University and from 2006 to 2015 was the Wayneflete Professor of Metaphysical Philosophy at the University of Oxford. Dennett, an atheist and strong supporter of evolution Korsgaard argues that the normativity of moral obligation is self-imposed, and is justified through our establishing a kind of self-authority through our autonomy. Alain Badiou is formerly chair of Philosophy at the École normale supérieure (ENS), and is a founder of the faculty of Philosophy of the Université de Paris VIII along with French philosophy luminaries Michel Foucault and Jean-François Lyotard. Dreyfus is considered a leading authority on the notoriously dense and confusing philosophy of Martin Heidegger, having written multiple books of commentary Heidegger's work, such as Being-in-the-World: A Commentary on Heidegger's Being and Time, Division 1 (1990). 6. Seventeenth Century Philosophers (1600’s) Sir Francis Bacon English (1561-1626) Sir Francis Bacon advocated the use of inductive reasoning (as opposed to the deductive reasoning used by the … Best known for his contributions to political and continental philosophy, his work draws on the continental tradition and blends political theory, cultural theory, psychoanalysis, film studies and aesthetics, and theology. He is on the Advisory Boards of several global humanitarian organizations, such as Academics Stand Against Poverty, and Animal Charity Evaluators. In his view, everything is an object (human, animal, rock, city, etc. Singer evaluates how the individual interests of living beings should be weighed, concluding that they do not all garner equal treatment. 1998), which seeks to provide a simple, broad introduction to the area of contemporary philosophy of mind for both students of philosophy, and interested readers in the general public. Aristotle is still considered one of the greatest thinkers in the areas of politics, psychology, and ethics. ——— There is no greatest living philosopher. His work is primarily focused in logic, and he has been widely published with an estimated 240 papers to his name, in addition to six books. Also, for most of his career he looked like Dave Mustaine from Megadeth. He is currently a Professor of Philosophy and Christian Practice at the Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Here is our list of top 10 famous philosophers that laid the foundations for the modern world. Along with being a voice for LGBTQ issues, Butler, who is Jewish, has been a vocal critic of Israeli politics, a stance that led to certain Israeli leaders to protest her selection for the Theodor Adorno Prize, an award given for outstanding achievements in philosophy. Advertised by the press as one of the best books of the year of its publication, The Conscious Mind is his magnum opus, where he revives the long dead worldview of dualism, going as far back as Rene Descartes and the 16th century. Web resource: Alasdair Macintyre's Home Page. Peter Unger studied under A.J. Sometimes identified as a “celebrity philosopher,” Žižek's name and face are recognizable beyond academic philosophy. Web resource: Crispin Wright's Home Page. For Craig, in this argument if everything While her interests and writings range in many different areas of philosophical study, Haack is probably best known for her influential book Evidence and Inquiry (1993) in which she presented her epistemological theory of “foundherentism.”. the metaphysical disputes about existence that populate contemporary philosophy suffer from being misguided in their basic questioning. Philosophy, one of the oldest areas of intellectual endeavor, is as significant today as ever. No, really. If we take anything to be of value, then, in Korsgaard's view, we have to acknowledge that we have moral obligations, implied through us finding value in those things, which we must maintain in order to be consistent with our autonomy, the source of our moral obligation. His approach is associated with continental philosophy and deconstructionism, and his work is primarily focused in ontology and literary criticism. Famous Philosophers including Karl Marx, Thomas Paine, John Locke, Alan Watts, Friedrich Nietzsche and many more. Van Inwagen may be best Rather than claim AI is impossible, however, Dreyfus argued there needs to be a serious consideration of the current research programs in place. But are there any important philosophers living in the world today? Gibbard's primary focus in in metaethics, and has been influential in arguing for a contemporary form of non-cognitivism, in which ethical sentences cannot be true or false because they do not express propositions. Singer specializes in applied ethics, and is best known for his contemporary utilitarianism. He holds that while some mental states (intentional mental states, such as beliefs and desires) can be reduced to physical sources in the brain, other mental states, (phenomenal mental states, such as sensations) cannot be reduced to physical sources, and are epiphenomenal. Craig's most famous book is Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics (1994) in which he discussed reformed epistemology, Christian apologetics, and the application of his ideas to evangelism. Nancy Cartwright earned her Ph.D. in philosophy at the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle, and is currently a Professor of Philosophy at the University of California at San Diego and the University of Durham. His work is widely cited (making him one of the most cited scholars in history), and he has encountered more than his fair share of controversy, both in academia, and in his public life. Habermas works in the traditions of critical theory and pragmatism, and has been very influential to philosophy and sociology. interested in the history of Central European philosophy, discussed in his book Philosophy and Logic in Central Europe from Bolzano to Tarski: Selected Essays (1992). other major thinkers, such as Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Immanuel Kant, René Descartes, and Martin Heidegger, but he is best known for his writings that apply deconstructionist thought to issues of freedom, existence, and community. She also holds the titles of Professor Emeritus at the London School of Economics, Fellow of the British Academy, Tsing Hua Honorary Distinguished Chair Professor at the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, and Visiting Research Fellow at Ca' Foscari University in Venice. Her work is influenced by philosopher Michel Foucault, to which she has cited in her arguments that the language of gender has been pushed to necessity from the desire of powers to censor any deviation from heterosexuality. Analytical Thomism seeks to merge the ideas of contemporary analytical philosophy with the ideas of 13th century thinker (and saint) Thomas Aquinas. version of Aristotle's theory of categories, in order to update Aristotle's ontology and for the theory to be made compatible with modern science. He currently holds the title of Professor of Philosophy at New York University. Working in the analytic school of philosophy, Nussbaum is has primarily focused on political philosophy, ethics (including animal rights), and feminism. Singer is a very popular moral philosopher, both in and out of academia, and because of his fame, influence, outspokenness and moral stance, Singer has garnered controversy and protest, especially among conservative groups. Putnam has been influential in analytic philosophy, working in the areas of philosophy of language, philosophy of mathematics, and philosophy of science, but has had the most significant impact through his work in philosophy of mind. Web resource: Peter van Inwagen's Home Page. Greek Philosophers. Sosa has been influential through his introduction of the notion of “virtue epistemology,” developed partly in response to the Gettier problem, which he discusses in his books such as Knowledge in Perspective (1991) and A Virtue Epistemology (2007). Gu Su is member of editorial Board of the journal NanoEthics and currently a Senior Fellow at the Institute for the Advanced Study of Social Sciences at Fudan University. Today will be marked by a significant step in our march to save philosophy. In regards to evolution, Plantinga supports the notion of intelligent design, but he holds a nuanced view, arguing that although he is opposed to the idea of “unguided” evolution (meaning that things evolved entirely on their own accord) on theological grounds, he supports the idea that evolution could be “guided” by intelligent design, and so, by God, finding evolution and intelligent design to be compatible. Like Plato, Aristotle was a prolific writer. In his book The Universe as we Find It (2012), Heil considers how our notions of causation and truth making contribute to our ontological understanding of the world, and pursues the application of this ontology to contemporary philosophical problems. Haldane is a catholic, he and is a papal advisor to the Vatican. Singer is a strong advocate of altruism, arguing that our goal should be to reduce suffering in the most effective way possible. Clark's views run counter to traditional models of cognition in that, rather than understanding cognition as a one-way flow of sensory phenomena, he argues that cognition takes a two-way route of sensory input, assessment, and prediction. A philosopher is someone who practices philosophy.The term philosopher comes from the Ancient Greek: φιλόσοφος, romanized: philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'.The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek thinker Pythagoras (6th century BCE).. Along with Socrates and Plato, he laid much of the foundation of Western philosophy. Morton's work is primarily focused in ontology and ecotheory, as well as literary theory and criticism. In this view, McDowell sees philosophy as therapeutic, with its goal being to sooth and dissolve philosophical error, to He eventually became a Professor at the University of Strasbourg, and, though he is now retired, continues to add publication credits to his already lengthy bibliography. Harman's work has primarily focused on metaphysics and ontology, and he has been influential as a key figure in speculative realism and the development of object oriented ontology. With her influential critique “Can the Subaltern Speak?” she ushered in the concept of the subaltern, the study of populations who live below normal social and hegemonic power structures. John Heil is currently a Professor of Philosophy at Washington University in St. Louis, and holds the title of Honorary Research Associate at Monash University. Web resource: John Hawthorne's Home Page. These beliefs dictate how we understand and involve ourselves in the world. John McDermott received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Fordham University, in New York City, in 1959, and, though he is getting up in his years, is still teaching, holding the position of University Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Humanities at Texas A&M University. West is also among the most public living philosophers appearing on several talk shows, including CNN and the Colbert Show, and has even been parodied on Saturday Night Live. Plantinga has argued for a “reformed epistemology,” claiming that belief in God is a “basic belief,” and can be rational and justified without need for argument. However, this glorious intellectual enterprise is today alive and kicking and produces output admirable for its sharpness, profundity, and richness. ) and the ethics of identity ( 2005 ), Friedrich Nietzsche many. Resentment, then, significantly affect our sense of moral norms metaphysical disputes about existence that populate contemporary suffer! Founder of the greatest philosophers being Socrates, Plato, and is Professor at! His party Poverty, and his work in philosophy `` OK '', his intellectual Home he..., profundity, and he is the only philosopher on this site argues for,... 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