PHILOSOPHER

Laozi

604 BC - 600 BC

Laozi

Laozi (UK: ; US: ; Chinese: 老子 Mandarin pronunciation: [làu̯.tsɨ]; literally "Old Master"), also rendered as Lao Tzu ( or ) and Lao-Tze (), was an ancient Chinese philosopher and writer. He is the reputed author of the Tao Te Ching, the founder of philosophical Taoism, and a deity in religious Taoism and traditional Chinese religions. A semi-legendary figure, Laozi was usually portrayed as a 6th-century BC contemporary of Confucius, but some modern historians consider him to have lived during the Warring States period of the 4th century BC. A central figure in Chinese culture, Laozi is claimed by both the emperors of the Tang dynasty and modern people of the Li surname as a founder of their lineage. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Laozi has received more than 2,529,256 page views. His biography is available in 134 different languages on Wikipedia making him the 29th most popular philosopher.

Memorability Metrics

2.5M
Page Views (PV)
81.86
Historical Popularity Index (HPI)
134
Languages Editions (L)
9.56
Effective Languages (L*)
5.59
Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Page views of Laozis by language

Among PHILOSOPHERS

Among philosophers, Laozi ranks 28 out of 1,005. Before him are Thomas Hobbes, Arthur Schopenhauer, Heraclitus, Erasmus, Thales of Miletus, and Friedrich Engels. After him are Averroes, Søren Kierkegaard, Martin Heidegger, David Hume, Sun Tzu, and Diogenes.

Most Popular Philosophers in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings

Thomas Hobbes
1588 - 1679
HPI: 83.83
Rank: 22
Arthur Schopenhauer
1788 - 1860
HPI: 83.65
Rank: 23
Heraclitus
535 BC - 470 BC
HPI: 83.34
Rank: 24
Erasmus
1466 - 1536
HPI: 82.71
Rank: 25
Thales of Miletus
623 BC - 546 BC
HPI: 82.61
Rank: 26
Friedrich Engels
1820 - 1895
HPI: 82.51
Rank: 27
Laozi
604 BC - 600 BC
HPI: 81.86
Rank: 28
Averroes
1126 - 1198
HPI: 81.69
Rank: 29
Søren Kierkegaard
1813 - 1855
HPI: 81.21
Rank: 30
Martin Heidegger
1889 - 1976
HPI: 80.94
Rank: 31
David Hume
1711 - 1776
HPI: 80.79
Rank: 32
Sun Tzu
543 BC - 495 BC
HPI: 80.52
Rank: 33
Diogenes
404 BC - 322 BC
HPI: 80.42
Rank: 34

Contemporaries

Among people born in 604 BC, Laozi ranks 1. Among people deceased in 600 BC, Laozi ranks 1. After him are Daniel, Draco, Tomyris, Belshazzar, Astyages, Maya, Epimenides, Anacharsis, Theano, Ibycus, and Phalaris.