We're Still Learning From Them Today

From Charles Darwin to Galileo, visionaries who think outside the box and challenge traditional thought are the ones who elevate humanity to new heights of knowledge. You've probably heard their names thrown around, but how familiar are you with their theories? Here's a cheat sheet for you of all the greatest thinkers and their theories so you can sound like the smartest one in the room.

1. Aristotle

Aristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher. He coined the term "golden mean" which is the middle ground between two extremes (indulgence and deficiency) where virtuous behavior will result. He also argued that knowledge comes from observation and experience, giving rise to experimental science.

2. Albert Einstein

The German physicist's "theory of relativity" showed that space and time are relative, shattering the belief that space and time were fixed. His famous equation for special relativity led to the creation of nuclear power and the atomic bomb.

3. Isaac Newton

Isaac Newton was an English mathematician whose greatest theory was the "Law of Universal Gravitation" which showed that every particle in the universe attracts every other particle with a force proportional to their masses. Within that theory, he formulated the "Three Laws of Motion," the backbone of classical mechanics, which describes how objects interact under forces.

4. Friedrich Nietzsche

Friedrich Nietzsche was a German philosopher who is considered among the most influential modern thinkers. His ideas are oriented around the concept of good and evil and morality, and he argued that life lacks any overarching meaning or purpose.

5. Confucius

Confucius was an ancient Chinese philosopher who is heavily credited with establishing teaching as a profession. His philosophy of benevolence, respect for elders, and loyalty to one's family formed the backbone of Confucianism.

6. Plato

Plato was an ancient Greek philosopher who argued that our physical world is not the real world and that true reality exists beyond our physical realm. He's famous for penning one of the most influential works of philosophy ever written, The Republic which describes a society ruled by philosopher-kings.

7. Immanuel Kant

One of the main Enlightenment thinkers, Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher who believed that human reason should be the basis of morality and that our ability to reason is what sets us apart from other animals. He believed that every human has an innate right to freedom under the condition that they act within the moral social contract.

8. Socrates

Socrates was an ancient Greek philosopher who's credited as being the founder of philosophy. He created the "Socratic Method" which is a form of dialogue between teacher and students meant to stimulate critical thinking.

9. René Descartes

René Descartes was a French philosopher who believed the mind and body to be distinct and separate from each other and therefore follow different laws. This theory is now known as "mind-body dualism."

10. Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Swiss philosopher who influenced revolutionary and political thought. His theory, the "Social Contract" stated that when laws are in line with general good will, citizens will be at peace and harmony.

11. Karl Marx

Karl Marx is a German philosopher known for creating Marxism, which would become the basis of communism. He argues for the creation of a classless, property-less society where everyone is equal and the means of production are owned collectively.

12. Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin was an English naturalist who first proposed the theory of evolution. This idea states that every species of life descended from a common ancestor, evolving through a process called natural selection.

13. Galileo Galilei

Galileo Galilei was an astronomer who proved that the earth orbits the sun as opposed to the widely accepted theory that the Earth is at the center of the galaxy. He also improved the telescope which allowed his to discover Jupiter's moons.

14. Sigmund Freud

Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis. He theorized that human behavior is formed by unconscious desires and memories.

15. Noam Chomsky

Noam Chomsky is an American intellectual known as the father of modern linguistics. He posited that humans are pre-wired to learn languages and that all languages have a common underlying structure.

16. Jean-Paul Sartre

Jean-Paul Sartre was a French philosopher and novelist who was one of the leading figures of existentialist philosophy. He argued that humans aren't born with a predefined purpose but must create their own through their choices and actions.

17. Niccolò Machiavelli

Niccolò Machiavelli was an Italian Renaissance thinker and politician. His most famous work, The Prince, states "The ends justify the means" and that violence and deceit are necessary for maintaining power.

18. Simone de Beauvoir

Simone de Beauvoir was a prominent existentialist philosopher and feminist. One of her main theories was that women are made inferior to men by society and that gender roles are socially constructed.

19. Epicurus

Epicurius was an Ancient Greek philosopher who tried to explain all natural phenomena in atomic terms. He also founded Epicureanism, a philosophy based on the idea that happiness comes from the simple things in life.

20. Voltaire

Voltaire was a French Enlightenment writer and philosopher famous for his ideas around reason. He believed that reason is the way to achieve progress and that no authority, including religion, is above being challenged by reason.