PHILOSOPHER
Walter Benjamin
1892 - 1940
Walter Benjamin
Walter Bendix Schönflies Benjamin ( BEN-yə-min; German: [ˈvaltɐ ˈbɛnjamiːn] ; 15 July 1892 – 26 September 1940) was a German-Jewish philosopher, cultural critic, media theorist, and essayist. An eclectic thinker who combined elements of German idealism, Romanticism, Western Marxism, Jewish mysticism, and neo-Kantianism, Benjamin made influential contributions to aesthetic theory, literary criticism, and historical materialism. He was associated with the Frankfurt School and also maintained formative friendships with thinkers such as playwright Bertolt Brecht and Kabbalah scholar Gershom Scholem. Read more on Wikipedia
Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Walter Benjamin has received more than 2,811,202 page views. His biography is available in 69 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 67 in 2019). Walter Benjamin is the 92nd most popular philosopher (up from 95th in 2019), the 115th most popular biography from Germany (up from 117th in 2019) and the 13th most popular German Philosopher.
Walter Benjamin was a German Jewish philosopher, cultural critic, and essayist. His most famous work is "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction."
Memorability Metrics
2.8M
Page Views (PV)
74.40
Historical Popularity Index (HPI)
69
Languages Editions (L)
10.12
Effective Languages (L*)
3.30
Coefficient of Variation (CV)
Among PHILOSOPHERS
Among philosophers, Walter Benjamin ranks 92 out of 1,267. Before him are Athanasius of Alexandria, Peter Abelard, Theophrastus, Johann Gottfried Herder, Ibn Taymiyyah, and Leucippus. After him are Zhuang Zhou, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Jean Bodin, Boethius, Jeremy Bentham, and George Gurdjieff.
Most Popular Philosophers in Wikipedia
Go to all RankingsAthanasius of Alexandria
295 - 373
HPI: 74.61
Rank: 86
Peter Abelard
1079 - 1142
HPI: 74.57
Rank: 87
Theophrastus
371 BC - 287 BC
HPI: 74.54
Rank: 88
Johann Gottfried Herder
1744 - 1803
HPI: 74.49
Rank: 89
Ibn Taymiyyah
1263 - 1328
HPI: 74.49
Rank: 90
Leucippus
500 BC - 500 BC
HPI: 74.41
Rank: 91
Walter Benjamin
1892 - 1940
HPI: 74.40
Rank: 92
Zhuang Zhou
369 BC - 286 BC
HPI: 74.38
Rank: 93
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
1809 - 1865
HPI: 74.36
Rank: 94
Jean Bodin
1530 - 1596
HPI: 74.34
Rank: 95
Boethius
480 - 525
HPI: 74.13
Rank: 96
Jeremy Bentham
1748 - 1832
HPI: 74.11
Rank: 97
George Gurdjieff
1866 - 1949
HPI: 74.04
Rank: 98
Contemporaries
Among people born in 1892, Walter Benjamin ranks 6. Before him are J. R. R. Tolkien, Josip Broz Tito, Francisco Franco, Manfred von Richthofen, and Ivo Andrić. After him are Zita of Bourbon-Parma, Arthur Seyss-Inquart, Haile Selassie, Alexander Alekhine, Pearl S. Buck, and Ryūnosuke Akutagawa. Among people deceased in 1940, Walter Benjamin ranks 5. Before him are Leon Trotsky, Selma Lagerlöf, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Paul Klee. After him are Neville Chamberlain, J. J. Thomson, Mikhail Bulgakov, Robert Wadlow, Nikolai Yezhov, Carl Bosch, and Peter Behrens.
Others Born in 1892
Go to all RankingsJ. R. R. Tolkien
WRITER
1892 - 1973
HPI: 87.63
Rank: 1
Josip Broz Tito
POLITICIAN
1892 - 1980
HPI: 83.72
Rank: 2
Francisco Franco
POLITICIAN
1892 - 1975
HPI: 82.31
Rank: 3
Manfred von Richthofen
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1892 - 1918
HPI: 76.45
Rank: 4
Ivo Andrić
WRITER
1892 - 1975
HPI: 75.99
Rank: 5
Walter Benjamin
PHILOSOPHER
1892 - 1940
HPI: 74.40
Rank: 6
Zita of Bourbon-Parma
COMPANION
1892 - 1989
HPI: 71.86
Rank: 7
Arthur Seyss-Inquart
POLITICIAN
1892 - 1946
HPI: 71.39
Rank: 8
Haile Selassie
POLITICIAN
1892 - 1975
HPI: 71.15
Rank: 9
Alexander Alekhine
CHESS PLAYER
1892 - 1946
HPI: 70.44
Rank: 10
Pearl S. Buck
WRITER
1892 - 1973
HPI: 70.40
Rank: 11
Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
WRITER
1892 - 1927
HPI: 70.29
Rank: 12
Others Deceased in 1940
Go to all RankingsLeon Trotsky
POLITICIAN
1879 - 1940
HPI: 82.80
Rank: 1
Selma Lagerlöf
WRITER
1858 - 1940
HPI: 81.25
Rank: 2
F. Scott Fitzgerald
WRITER
1896 - 1940
HPI: 80.28
Rank: 3
Paul Klee
PAINTER
1879 - 1940
HPI: 75.60
Rank: 4
Walter Benjamin
PHILOSOPHER
1892 - 1940
HPI: 74.40
Rank: 5
Neville Chamberlain
POLITICIAN
1869 - 1940
HPI: 73.51
Rank: 6
J. J. Thomson
PHYSICIST
1856 - 1940
HPI: 73.42
Rank: 7
Mikhail Bulgakov
WRITER
1891 - 1940
HPI: 71.84
Rank: 8
Robert Wadlow
CELEBRITY
1918 - 1940
HPI: 70.71
Rank: 9
Nikolai Yezhov
POLITICIAN
1895 - 1940
HPI: 68.99
Rank: 10
Carl Bosch
CHEMIST
1874 - 1940
HPI: 68.90
Rank: 11
Peter Behrens
ARCHITECT
1868 - 1940
HPI: 67.97
Rank: 12
In Germany
Among people born in Germany, Walter Benjamin ranks 115 out of 7,253. Before him are Alfred Wegener (1880), Albert Speer (1905), Clara Zetkin (1857), Bruce Willis (1955), Theodor W. Adorno (1903), and Nikolaus Otto (1832). After him are Charles the Fat (839), Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1742), Ludwig II of Bavaria (1845), Leni Riefenstahl (1902), Novalis (1772), and Wim Wenders (1945).
Others born in Germany
Go to all RankingsAlfred Wegener
GEOLOGIST
1880 - 1930
HPI: 74.59
Rank: 109
Albert Speer
ARCHITECT
1905 - 1981
HPI: 74.54
Rank: 110
Clara Zetkin
POLITICIAN
1857 - 1933
HPI: 74.45
Rank: 111
Bruce Willis
ACTOR
1955 - Present
HPI: 74.43
Rank: 112
Theodor W. Adorno
SOCIOLOGIST
1903 - 1969
HPI: 74.41
Rank: 113
Nikolaus Otto
INVENTOR
1832 - 1891
HPI: 74.40
Rank: 114
Walter Benjamin
PHILOSOPHER
1892 - 1940
HPI: 74.40
Rank: 115
Charles the Fat
POLITICIAN
839 - 888
HPI: 74.38
Rank: 116
Carl Wilhelm Scheele
CHEMIST
1742 - 1786
HPI: 74.25
Rank: 117
Ludwig II of Bavaria
POLITICIAN
1845 - 1886
HPI: 74.21
Rank: 118
Leni Riefenstahl
FILM DIRECTOR
1902 - 2003
HPI: 74.18
Rank: 119
Novalis
WRITER
1772 - 1801
HPI: 74.17
Rank: 120
Wim Wenders
FILM DIRECTOR
1945 - Present
HPI: 74.15
Rank: 121
Among PHILOSOPHERS In Germany
Among philosophers born in Germany, Walter Benjamin ranks 13. Before him are Ludwig Feuerbach (1804), Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling (1775), Karl Jaspers (1883), Jürgen Habermas (1929), Carl von Clausewitz (1780), and Nicholas of Cusa (1401). After him are Meister Eckhart (1260), Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767), Rudolf Christoph Eucken (1846), Johann Friedrich Herbart (1776), Hans-Georg Gadamer (1900), and Friedrich Fröbel (1782).
Ludwig Feuerbach
1804 - 1872
HPI: 76.61
Rank: 7
Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling
1775 - 1854
HPI: 76.47
Rank: 8
Karl Jaspers
1883 - 1969
HPI: 76.18
Rank: 9
Jürgen Habermas
1929 - Present
HPI: 75.85
Rank: 10
Carl von Clausewitz
1780 - 1831
HPI: 75.64
Rank: 11
Nicholas of Cusa
1401 - 1464
HPI: 75.54
Rank: 12
Walter Benjamin
1892 - 1940
HPI: 74.40
Rank: 13
Meister Eckhart
1260 - 1328
HPI: 73.38
Rank: 14
Wilhelm von Humboldt
1767 - 1835
HPI: 73.16
Rank: 15
Rudolf Christoph Eucken
1846 - 1926
HPI: 73.16
Rank: 16
Johann Friedrich Herbart
1776 - 1841
HPI: 72.78
Rank: 17
Hans-Georg Gadamer
1900 - 2002
HPI: 72.04
Rank: 18
Friedrich Fröbel
1782 - 1852
HPI: 71.90
Rank: 19