Aristotle (/ˈærɪstɒtəl/;[3] Greek: Ἀριστοτέλης Aristotélēs, pronounc

ed [aristotélɛːs]; 384–322 BC)[A] was a Greek philosopher during

the Classical period in Ancient Greece, the founder of
the Lyceum and the Peripatetic school of philosophy
and Aristotelian tradition. Along with his teacher Plato, he has
been called the "Father of Western Philosophy". His writings
cover many subjects –
including physics, biology, zoology, metaphysics, logic,
ethics, aesthetics, poetry, theatre,
music, rhetoric, psychology, linguistics, economics, politics and
government. Aristotle provided a complex synthesis of the various
philosophies existing prior to him, and it was above all from his
teachings that the West inherited its intellectual lexicon, as well as
problems and methods of inquiry. As a result, his philosophy has
exerted a unique influence on almost every form of knowledge in
the West and it continues to be a subject of contemporary
philosophical discussion.
Thales of Miletus (c. 624 BCE – c. 546 BCE) was an ancient
(pre-Soctratic) Greek philosopher who is often considered the first
philosopher and the father of Western philosophy. His approach
to philosophical questions of course cannot compare to modern or
even later Greek philosophers, however, he is the first known
person to use natural explanations for natural phenomena rather
than turning to supernatural world and his example was followed
by other Greek thinkers who would give rise to philosophy both as
a discipline and science. In addition to being viewed as the
beginner of Western philosophy, Thales of Miletus is also the first
to define general principles and develop hypotheses. He is
therefore sometimes also referred to as the “father of science”
although this epithet is usually used in reference to Democritus,
another prominent ancient Greek philosopher who formulated the
atomic theory that states that all matter is composed of particles
called atoms.
Pythagoras of Samos[a] (c. 570 – c. 495 BC)[b] was an
ancient IonianGreek philosopher and the eponymous founder
of Pythagoreanism. His political and religious teachings were well
known in Magna Graecia and influenced the philosophies
of Plato, Aristotle, and, through them, Western philosophy.
Knowledge of his life is clouded by legend, but he appears to
have been the son of Mnesarchus, a seal engraver on the island
of Samos. Modern scholars disagree regarding Pythagoras's
education and influences, but they do agree that, around 530 BC,
he travelled to Croton, where he founded a school in which
initiates were sworn to secrecy and lived
a communal, ascetic lifestyle. This lifestyle entailed a number of
dietary prohibitions, traditionally said to have
included vegetarianism, although modern scholars doubt that he
ever advocated for complete vegetarianism
Plato (/ˈpleɪtoʊ/; PLAY-
toe[2] Greek: Πλάτων Plátōn, pronounced [plá.tɔːn]PLAH-
tone in Classical Attic; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was
an Athenian philosopher during the Classical period in Ancient
Greece, founder of the Platonist school of thought, and
the Academy, the first institution of higher learning in the Western
world.
He is widely considered the pivotal figure in the history of Ancient
Greekand Western philosophy, along with his teacher, Socrates,
and his most famous student, Aristotle.[a] Plato has also often
been cited as one of the founders of Western
religion and spirituality.[4] The so-called Neoplatonismof
philosophers like Plotinus and Porphyry influenced Saint
Augustine and thus Christianity. Alfred North Whitehead once
noted: "the safest general characterization of the European
philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to
Plato
Socrates (/ˈsɒkrətiːz/;[2] Ancient
Greek: Σωκρᾰ́της, romanized: Sōkrátēs, [sɔːkrátɛːs]; c. 470 –
399 BC)[3][4] was
a classical Greek (Athenian) philosopher credited as one of the
founders of Western philosophy, and as being the first moral
philosopher[5][6] of the Western ethical tradition of thought.[7][8][9] An
enigmatic figure, he made no writings, and is known chiefly
through the accounts of classical writers writing after his lifetime,
particularly his students Plato and Xenophon. Other sources
include the contemporaneous Antisthenes, Aristippus,
and Aeschines of Sphettos. Aristophanes, a playwright, is the
main contemporary author to have written plays mentioning
Socrates during Socrates' lifetime, though a fragment of Ion of
Chios' Travel Journal provides important information about
Socrates' youth.[10][11]
Plato's dialogues are among the most comprehensive accounts of
Socrates to survive from antiquity, from which Socrates has
become renowned for his contributions to the fields
of ethics and epistemology. It is this Platonic Socrates who lends
his name to the concepts of Socratic irony and the Socratic
method, or elenchus. However, questions remain regarding the
distinction between the real-life Socrates versus Plato's portrayal
of Socrates in his dialogues.[12]