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The Most Famous

PHILOSOPHERS from Ukraine

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This page contains a list of the greatest Ukrainian Philosophers. The pantheon dataset contains 1,081 Philosophers, 14 of which were born in Ukraine. This makes Ukraine the birth place of the 17th most number of Philosophers behind Austria and Czechia.

Top 10

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

Photo of Nikolai Berdyaev

1. Nikolai Berdyaev (1874 - 1948)

With an HPI of 66.28, Nikolai Berdyaev is the most famous Ukrainian Philosopher.  His biography has been translated into 50 different languages on wikipedia.

Nikolai Alexandrovich Berdyaev (; Russian: Никола́й Алекса́ндрович Бердя́ев; 18 March [O.S. 6 March] 1874 – 24 March 1948) was a Russian philosopher, theologian, and Christian existentialist who emphasized the existential spiritual significance of human freedom and the human person. Alternative historical spellings of his surname in English include "Berdiaev" and "Berdiaeff", and of his given name "Nicolas" and "Nicholas".

Photo of Anacharsis

2. Anacharsis (-700 - -600)

With an HPI of 64.32, Anacharsis is the 2nd most famous Ukrainian Philosopher.  His biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Anacharsis (; Ancient Greek: Ἀνάχαρσις, romanized: Anakharsis) was a Scythian prince and philosopher of uncertain historicity who lived in the 6th century BC.

Photo of Lev Shestov

3. Lev Shestov (1866 - 1938)

With an HPI of 62.51, Lev Shestov is the 3rd most famous Ukrainian Philosopher.  His biography has been translated into 33 different languages.

Lev Isaakovich Shestov (Russian: Лев Исаакович Шестов; 31 January [O.S. 13 February] 1866 – 19 November 1938; born Yeguda Leib Shvartsman) was a Jewish-Russian existentialist and religious philosopher. He is best known for his critiques of both philosophic rationalism and positivism. His work advocated a movement beyond reason and metaphysics, arguing that these are incapable of conclusively establishing truth about ultimate problems, including the nature of God or existence. Contemporary scholars have associated his work with the label "anti-philosophy."Shestov wrote extensively on philosophers such as Nietzsche and Kierkegaard, as well as Russian writers such as Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, and Chekhov. His published books include Apotheosis of Groundlessness (1905) and his magnum opus Athens and Jerusalem (1930-37). After emigrating to France in 1921, he befriended and influenced thinkers such as Edmund Husserl, Benjamin Fondane, Rachel Bespaloff, and Georges Bataille. He lived in Paris until his death in 1938.

Photo of P. D. Ouspensky

4. P. D. Ouspensky (1878 - 1947)

With an HPI of 59.96, P. D. Ouspensky is the 4th most famous Ukrainian Philosopher.  His biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Pyotr Demianovich Ouspenskii (known in English as Peter D. Ouspensky; Russian: Пётр Демья́нович Успе́нский, tr. Pyotr Demyánovich Uspénskiy; 5 March 1878 – 2 October 1947) was a Russian philosopher and esotericist known for his expositions of the early work of the Greek-Armenian teacher of esoteric doctrine George Gurdjieff. He met Gurdjieff in Moscow in 1915, and was associated with the ideas and practices originating with Gurdjieff from then on. He taught ideas and methods based in the Gurdjieff system for 25 years in England and the United States, although he separated from Gurdjieff personally in 1924, for reasons that are explained in the last chapter of his book In Search of the Miraculous. Ouspensky studied the Gurdjieff system directly under Gurdjieff's own supervision for a period of ten years, from 1915 to 1924. In Search of the Miraculous recounts what he learned from Gurdjieff during those years. While lecturing in London in 1924, he announced that he would continue independently the way he had begun in 1921. Some, including his close pupil Rodney Collin, say that he finally gave up the system in 1947, just before his death, but his own recorded words on the subject ("A Record of Meetings", published posthumously) do not clearly endorse this judgement.

Photo of Bion of Borysthenes

5. Bion of Borysthenes (-325 - -246)

With an HPI of 58.56, Bion of Borysthenes is the 5th most famous Ukrainian Philosopher.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Bion of Borysthenes (Greek: Βίων Βορυσθενίτης, gen.: Βίωνος; c. 325 – c. 250 BC) was a Greek philosopher. After being sold into slavery, and then released, he moved to Athens, where he studied in almost every school of philosophy. It is, however, for his Cynic-style diatribes that he is chiefly remembered. He satirized the foolishness of people, attacked religion, and eulogized philosophy.

Photo of Zalmoxis

6. Zalmoxis (-713 - )

With an HPI of 55.88, Zalmoxis is the 6th most famous Ukrainian Philosopher.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Zalmoxis (Greek: Ζάλμοξις) also known as Salmoxis (Σάλμοξις), Zalmoxes (Ζάλμοξες), Zamolxis (Ζάμολξις), Samolxis (Σάμολξις), Zamolxes (Ζάμολξες), or Zamolxe (Ζάμολξε) is a divinity of the Getae and Dacians (a people of the lower Danube), mentioned by Herodotus in his Histories Book IV, 93–96, written before 425 BC.Said to have been so called from the bear's skin (ζάλμος) in which he was clothed as soon as he was born.According to Jordanes' Getica, he was a learned philosopher, before whom two other learned men existed, by the names of Zeuta and Deceneus.In modern times, theories and debate on Zalmoxis's religion by such scholars as Mircea Eliade are influenced by considerations of Romanian nationalism as well by pure historical interest.

Photo of Alexius Meinong

7. Alexius Meinong (1853 - 1920)

With an HPI of 55.27, Alexius Meinong is the 7th most famous Ukrainian Philosopher.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Alexius Meinong Ritter von Handschuchsheim (17 July 1853 – 27 November 1920) was an Austrian philosopher, a realist known for his unique ontology. He also made contributions to philosophy of mind and theory of value.: 1–3 

Photo of Theophan Prokopovich

8. Theophan Prokopovich (1681 - 1736)

With an HPI of 55.07, Theophan Prokopovich is the 8th most famous Ukrainian Philosopher.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Feofan/Theophan Prokopovich (Russian: Феофан Прокопович; 18 June [O.S. 8 June] 1681 – 19 September [O.S. 8 September] 1736) was a Russian Imperial Orthodox theologian, writer, poet, mathematician, and philosopher of Malorossiya origin. He was Rector of the Academia Mohileana in Kiev (now Kyiv, Ukraine), and Archbishop of Novgorod. He elaborated upon and implemented Peter the Great's reform of the Russian Orthodox Church. Prokopovich wrote many religious verses and some of the most enduring sermons in the Russian language.

Photo of Mykhailo Drahomanov

9. Mykhailo Drahomanov (1841 - 1895)

With an HPI of 53.48, Mykhailo Drahomanov is the 9th most famous Ukrainian Philosopher.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Mykhailo Petrovych Drahomanov (Ukrainian: Михайло Петрович Драгоманов; 18 September 1841 – 2 July 1895) was a Ukrainian intellectual and public figure. As an academic, Drahomanov was an economist, historian, philosopher, and ethnographer, while as a public intellectual he was a political theorist with socialist leanings, perhaps best known as one of the first proponents of Ukrainian autonomism. For Drahomanov, ethnographic studies had a deep influence on his political ideas, and his politics in turn motivated study of particular areas of Ukrainian folk literature.

Photo of Yuriy Drohobych

10. Yuriy Drohobych (1450 - 1494)

With an HPI of 53.26, Yuriy Drohobych is the 10th most famous Ukrainian Philosopher.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Yuriy Drohobych or Yuriy Kotermak (1450 – 4 February 1494) was a Ruthenian philosopher, astronomer, writer, medical doctor, rector of the University of Bologna, and professor of Kraków Academy, and the first publisher of a Church Slavonic printed text. He is the author of Iudicium Pronosticon Anni 1483 Currentis.

Pantheon has 14 people classified as philosophers born between 713 BC and 1893. Of these 14, none of them are still alive today. The most famous deceased philosophers include Nikolai Berdyaev, Anacharsis, and Lev Shestov. As of April 2022, 3 new philosophers have been added to Pantheon including Mykhailo Drahomanov, Yuriy Drohobych, and Edward Abramowski.

Deceased Philosophers

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Newly Added Philosophers (2022)

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Which Philosophers were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 9 most globally memorable Philosophers since 1700.