The Most Famous

Philosophers from Spain

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This page contains a list of the greatest Spanish Philosophers. The pantheon dataset contains 1,267 Philosophers, 36 of which were born in Spain. This makes Spain the birth place of the 10th most number of Philosophers behind India and China.

Top 10 Philosophers

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Spanish Philosophers of all time. This list of famous Spanish 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 Spanish Philosophers.

  1. #1
    Photo of Seneca the Younger

    Seneca the Younger

    4 BC - 65

    HPI 86.8197 langs

    Seneca the Younger is most famous for being a philosopher and tragedian. He was also a tutor to Nero, the emperor of Rome.

  2. #2
    Photo of Averroes

    Averroes

    1126 - 1198

    HPI 86.05109 langs

    Averroes is most famous for his commentaries on Aristotle.

  3. #3
    Photo of Ibn Arabi

    Ibn Arabi

    1165 - 1240

    HPI 80.8572 langs

    Ibn Arabi is most famous for his Sufi writings, which are considered to be some of the most influential writings in the Islamic world.

  4. #4
    Photo of Ramon Llull

    Ramon Llull

    1232 - 1316

    HPI 77.3860 langs
    Ramon Llull was a Catalan philosopher, logician, and mystic. He is most famous for his work on the Ars Magna, a system for solving all...Read moreShow less

    Ramon Llull was a Catalan philosopher, logician, and mystic. He is most famous for his work on the Ars Magna, a system for solving all problems that can be expressed in logical form.

  5. #5
    Photo of Ibn Tufail

    Ibn Tufail

    1110 - 1185

    HPI 75.5446 langs
    Ibn Tufail is most famous for his philosophical novel, "Hayy ibn Yaqzan" (meaning "Alive, son of Awake"). The book, written in Arabic, tells...Read moreShow less

    Ibn Tufail is most famous for his philosophical novel, "Hayy ibn Yaqzan" (meaning "Alive, son of Awake"). The book, written in Arabic, tells the story of a man who is raised in isolation on an island and discovers the world through his own observations and reasoning. The book was an early example of philosophical fiction and had a major influence on later European thinkers, including Gottfried Leibniz, Baruch Spinoza, and George Berkeley.

  6. #6
    Photo of José Ortega y Gasset

    José Ortega y Gasset

    1883 - 1955

    HPI 74.7157 langs
    Ortega y Gasset is most famous for his idea of the "revolt of the masses" in which he believes that the masses have become more important...Read moreShow less

    Ortega y Gasset is most famous for his idea of the "revolt of the masses" in which he believes that the masses have become more important than the individual.

  7. #7
    Photo of Miguel de Unamuno

    Miguel de Unamuno

    1864 - 1936

    HPI 73.5761 langs

    Miguel de Unamuno is most famous for his novel "Niebla" in which he explores the idea of a man who is unable to find meaning in life.

  8. #8
    Photo of Baltasar Gracián

    Baltasar Gracián

    1601 - 1658

    HPI 73.5241 langs

    Baltasar Gracián is most famous for his "The Art of Worldly Wisdom," a book of aphorisms and maxims.

  9. #9
    Photo of Solomon ibn Gabirol

    Solomon ibn Gabirol

    1021 - 1058

    HPI 73.3546 langs

    Solomon ibn Gabirol is most famous for his poetry.

  10. #10
    Photo of Francisco Suárez

    Francisco Suárez

    1548 - 1617

    HPI 73.1446 langs
    Francisco Suárez was a Spanish Jesuit priest and theologian. He is most famous for his work Defensio fidei catholicae, in which he defended...Read moreShow less

    Francisco Suárez was a Spanish Jesuit priest and theologian. He is most famous for his work Defensio fidei catholicae, in which he defended the Catholic Church's teaching on the Eucharist.

People

Pantheon has 36 people classified as Spanish philosophers born between 4 BC and 1970. Of these 36, 2 (5.56%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Spanish philosophers include Fernando Savater, and Paul B. Preciado. The most famous deceased Spanish philosophers include Seneca the Younger, Averroes, and Ibn Arabi. As of April 2024, 1 new Spanish philosophers have been added to Pantheon including Paul B. Preciado.

Living Spanish Philosophers

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Deceased Spanish Philosophers

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Newly Added Spanish Philosophers (2025)

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Overlapping Lives

Which Philosophers were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 8 most globally memorable Philosophers since 1700.

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