Philosophers from Greece

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Greeks Philosophers of all time. This list of famous Greeks Philosophers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Greeks Philosophers.

1. #1

   

   Aristotle

   384 BC - 321 BC

   HPI 96.25223 langs

   Aristotle is most famous for his philosophy on the four causes. He believed that there were four causes for everything, and that they were...Read moreShow less

   Aristotle is most famous for his philosophy on the four causes. He believed that there were four causes for everything, and that they were material, formal, efficient, and final.

2. #2

   

   Plato

   427 BC - 347 BC

   HPI 95.94217 langs

   Plato is most famous for his theory of Forms. Plato believed that the world we see is only a reflection of the true world of Forms.

3. #3

   

   Socrates

   470 BC - 399 BC

   HPI 94.90201 langs

   Socrates is most famous for his contribution to the field of philosophy. He is often considered the father of Western philosophy.

4. #4

   

   Pythagoras

   570 BC - 495 BC

   HPI 93.36158 langs

   Pythagoras is most famous for the Pythagorean theorem, which states that in a right triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the...Read moreShow less

   Pythagoras is most famous for the Pythagorean theorem, which states that in a right triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.

5. #5

   

   Democritus

   460 BC - 360 BC

   HPI 86.85102 langs

   Democritus is most famous for his atomic theory.

6. #6

   

   Epicurus

   341 BC - 269 BC

   HPI 86.6595 langs

   Epicurus is most famous for his philosophy of hedonism, which is the idea that the greatest pleasure is the absence of pain. He also...Read moreShow less

   Epicurus is most famous for his philosophy of hedonism, which is the idea that the greatest pleasure is the absence of pain. He also believed that the soul dies with the body, and that there is no afterlife.

7. #7

   

   Plutarch

   46 - 127

   HPI 83.5199 langs

   Plutarch is most famous for his Parallel Lives, a series of biographies that compare the lives of famous Greeks and Romans.

8. #8

   

   Protagoras

   486 BC - 420 BC

   HPI 83.3771 langs

   Protagoras is most famous for his saying "man is the measure of all things."

9. #9

   

   Gorgias

   483 BC - 375 BC

   HPI 80.9067 langs

   Gorgias is most famous for his "On Non-Existence" speech, in which he argues that nothing exists.

10. #10

    

    Theophrastus

    371 BC - 287 BC

    HPI 80.1973 langs

    Theophrastus was a Greek philosopher and naturalist who is most famous for his book Enquiry into Plants, which was the first systematic...Read moreShow less

    Theophrastus was a Greek philosopher and naturalist who is most famous for his book Enquiry into Plants, which was the first systematic study of plants.