PHILOSOPHERS from Belarus

Top 5

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Belarusian Philosophers of all time. This list of famous Belarusian Philosophers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Shneur Zalman of Liadi (1745 - 1812)

With an HPI of 59.71, Shneur Zalman of Liadi is the most famous Belarusian Philosopher.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages on wikipedia.

Shneur Zalman of Liadi, (Hebrew: שניאור זלמן מליאדי; September 4, 1745 – December 15, 1812 O.S. / 18 Elul 5505 – 24 Tevet 5573) commonly known as the Alter Rebbe or Baal Hatanya, was a rabbi as well as the founder and first Rebbe of Chabad, a branch of Hasidic Judaism. He wrote many works, and is best known for Shulchan Aruch HaRav, Tanya, and his Siddur Torah Or compiled according to the Nusach Ari.

2. Salomon Maimon (1754 - 1800)

With an HPI of 57.99, Salomon Maimon is the 2nd most famous Belarusian Philosopher.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Salomon Maimon (; German: [ˈmaɪmoːn]; Lithuanian: Salomonas Maimonas; Hebrew: שלמה בן יהושע מימון‎ Shlomo ben Yehoshua Maimon; 1753 – 22 November 1800) was a philosopher born of Lithuanian Jewish parentage in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, present-day Belarus. Some of his work was written in the German language.

3. Kazimierz Łyszczyński (1634 - 1689)

With an HPI of 54.47, Kazimierz Łyszczyński is the 3rd most famous Belarusian Philosopher.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Kazimierz Łyszczyński (Polish pronunciation: [kaˈʑimjɛʂ wɨˈʂt͡ʂɨj̃skʲi]; 4 March 1634 – 30 March 1689), also known in English as Casimir Liszinski, was a Polish nobleman, philosopher, and soldier in the ranks of the Sapieha family, who was accused, tried, and executed for atheism in 1689. For eight years he studied philosophy as a Jesuit and then became a podsędek (supply judge) in legal cases against the Jesuits concerning estates. He wrote a treatise entitled On the Non-Existence of God and was later executed on charges of atheism. His trial has been criticised and is seen as a case of legalised religious murder in Poland.

4. Anna Tumarkin (1875 - 1951)

With an HPI of 49.72, Anna Tumarkin is the 4th most famous Belarusian Philosopher.  Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Anna Tumarkin (Belarusian: А́нна-Э́стер Паўлаўна Тума́ркін, Hebrew: אנה-אסתר פבלובנה טומרקין, 16 February 1875 – 7 August 1951) was a Russian-born, naturalized Swiss academic, who was the first woman to become a professor of philosophy at the University of Bern. She was the first woman in Europe to be allowed to examine doctoral and professorial candidates and the first woman to sit as a member of a University Senate anywhere in Europe.

5. Joseph B. Soloveitchik (1903 - 1993)

With an HPI of 48.35, Joseph B. Soloveitchik is the 5th most famous Belarusian Philosopher.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Joseph Ber Soloveitchik (Hebrew: יוסף דב הלוי סולובייצ׳יק Yosef Dov ha-Levi Soloveychik; February 27, 1903 – April 9, 1993) was a major American Orthodox rabbi, Talmudist, and modern Jewish philosopher. He was a scion of the Lithuanian Jewish Soloveitchik rabbinic dynasty. As a rosh yeshiva of Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) at Yeshiva University in New York City, The Rav, as he was known, ordained close to 2,000 rabbis over the course of almost half a century. Some Rabbinic literature, such as sefer Shiurei HaGrid, refers to him as הגרי"ד, short for "The great Rabbi Yosef Dov". He is regarded as a seminal figure by Modern Orthodox Judaism and served as a guide and role-model for tens of thousands of Jews, both as a Talmudic scholar and as a religious leader.