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Philosophical Schools - TSV
Philosophical schools represent major intellectual movements in Western philosophy that took different positions on the sources of knowledge, methodology, and understanding of human existence. Beginning with the 17th-century Rationalism (Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz) and 18th-century Empiricism (Locke, Berkeley, Hume), these schools were critically synthesized by Kant's critical philosophy. From the 19th to 20th centuries, Existentialism (Kierkegaard, Sartre, Camus) emphasizing individual freedom and choice, Analytic Philosophy (Russell, Wittgenstein) focusing on language and logical analysis, and Structuralism (Saussure, Levi-Strauss) exploring underlying structures in culture and language emerged, profoundly influencing contemporary thought.
code slug name description coreConcept keyPhilosophers period
01 rationalism Rationalism A philosophical school that regards reason and logic as the source of knowledge. Cogito, ergo sum ["Descartes","Spinoza","Leibniz"] 17th Century
02 empiricism Empiricism A philosophical school that regards sensory experience as the only source of knowledge. Tabula rasa ["Locke","Berkeley","Hume"] 18th Century
03 existentialism Existentialism A philosophical school that emphasizes individual existence, freedom, and choice. Existence precedes essence ["Kierkegaard","Sartre","Camus","Heidegger"] 19th-20th Century
04 analytic-philosophy Analytic Philosophy A philosophical school that aims for clear discourse through the analysis of language and logic. Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent ["Frege","Russell","Wittgenstein","Moore"] 20th Century
05 structuralism Structuralism A school that explores universal structures underlying culture and language. Binary opposition and meaning through difference ["Saussure","Levi-Strauss"] 20th Century