List of philosophers born in the centuries BC

Philosophers born in the centuries BC (and others important in the history of philosophy), listed alphabetically:


 * Note: This list has a minimal criterion for inclusion and the relevance to philosophy of some individuals on the list is disputed.

A

 * Aenesidemus, (1st century BC)
 * Agastya,(c.1000 BCE)
 * Alcibiades, (c. 450-404 BC)
 * Alcmaeon of Croton, (5th century BC)
 * Anacharsis, (6th century BC)
 * Anaxagoras, (died 462 BC)*
 * Anaxarchus, (fl. 340 BC)
 * Anaxilaus, (1st century BC)
 * Anaximander, (c. 610-c. 546 BC)
 * Anaximenes of Miletus, (585-525 BC)
 * Andronicus of Rhodes, (c. 70 BC)
 * Angiras, (c. 11th century BC)
 * Anniceris, (fl. 300 BC)
 * Akspada Gautama,(8th century bc)
 * Antiochus of Ascalon, (c. 130-68 BC)
 * Antiphon, (480-403 BC)
 * Antisthenes, (c. 444-365 BC)
 * Arcesilaus, (316-241 BC)
 * Archimedes, (d. 212 BC)
 * Archytas, (428-347 BC)
 * Aristippus the Elder of Cyrene, (c. 435-366 BC)
 * Aristo of Chios, (fl. 250 BC)
 * Aristotle, (384 BC-322 BC)
 * Aristoxenus, (4th century BC)
 * Asclepiades of Bithynia, (129-40 BC)
 * Ajita Kesakambali (6th century BCE)
 * Ashvapati, (c. 1000 BC)
 * Ashtavakra, (c. 1000 BC)
 * Titus Pomponius Atticus, (110-32 BC)

B

 * Bādarāyaņa, (c. 3rd century BC)
 * Blossius, (2nd century BC)
 * Gautama Buddha, (6th century BC)

C

 * Callicles, (late 5th century BC)
 * Carneades, (c. 214-129 BC)
 * Cārvāka, (c. 200-150 BC)
 * Cebes of Thebes, (5th century BC)
 * Chaerephon, (c. 460-c. 400 BC)
 * Chanakya (or Kautilya) (321-296 BC)
 * Chao Cuo (c. 200-154 BC)
 * Chia Yi (or Jia Yi or Chia I), (201-169 BC)
 * Chrysippus, (279-207 BC)
 * Cicero, (106 BC-43 BC)
 * Cleanthes, (301-232 BC)
 * Cleobulus, (fl. 560 BC)
 * Clitomachus, (187-109 BC)
 * Confucius, (551 BC-479 BC)
 * Crantor, (4th century BC)
 * Crates of Thebes, (4th century BC)
 * Cratylus of Athens, (c. 400 BC)

D

 * Democritus, (born 460 BC)
 * Dirghatamas (14th century BCE)
 * Deng Xi (501 BC)
 * Diagoras, (5th century BC)
 * Dandamis (4th Century BCE)
 * Diodorus Cronus, (3rd century BC)
 * Diogenes Apolloniates, (c. 460 BC)
 * Diogenes the Cynic of Sinope, (412-323 BC)
 * Dong Zhongshu (or Tung Chung-shu), (c. 176-c. 104 BC)

E

 * Ellopion of Peparethus, (4th century BC)
 * Empedocles, (490 BC-430 BC)
 * Epicharmus, (c. 540-450 BC)
 * Epicurus, (341 BC-270 BC)
 * Epimenides, (6th century BC)
 * Eubulides of Miletus, (4th century BC)
 * Euclid of Alexandria, (c. 323-283 BC)
 * Euclid of Megara, (c. 400 BC)
 * Eudoxus of Cnidus, (410 or 408 BC-355 or 347 BC)

G

 * Gaozi, (c. 420 BC)
 * Gautama, Aksapada, (c. 2nd century BC)
 * Gautama, Siddhartha (or Buddha), (ca. 563-483 BC)
 * Gargi Vachaknavi (8th century BCE)
 * Geminus, (c. 110-c. 40 BC)
 * Gongsun Longzi, (c. 300 BC)
 * Ghosha (8th century BCE)
 * Gorgias, (c. 483-375 BC)
 * Guan Zhong (or Kuan Tzu or Kwan Chung or Guanzi) (740-645 BC)
 * Guiguzi

H

 * Han Fei, (d. 233 BC)
 * Hecato of Rhodes, (135-50 BC)
 * Hegesias of Cyrene, (c. 300 BC)
 * Heraclides Ponticus, (387-312 BC)
 * Heraclitus of Ephesus, (ca. 535-475 BC)
 * Hicetas, (400-335 BC)
 * Hipparchia of Maroneia, (4th century BC)
 * Hippasus, (c. 500 BC)
 * Hippias, (5th century BC)
 * Hippocrates, (460-380 BC)
 * Hsu Hsing, (c. 300 BC)
 * Huai Nun Tzu (or Huainanzi or Liu An), (179-122 BC)
 * Hui Shi, (4th century BC)

I

 * Isocrates, (436-338 BC)

J

 * Jaimini, (c. 3rd century BC)

K

 * Kapila, (c. 6th century BC)
 * Kanada, (c. 2nd century BC)

L

 * Lopamudra (1950 BCE-1100 BCE)
 * Lao Zi (or Lao Tzu), (4th century BC)
 * Leucippus, (5th century BC)
 * Li Kui (455 BC-395 BC)
 * Li Si, (c. 280-208 BC)
 * Liezi (or Lieh Tzu), (c. 440 BC-c. 360 BC)
 * Lu Ban (507-440 BC)
 * Lucretius, (c. 99-55 BC)

M

 * Mahavira, (599-527 BC)
 * Makkhali Gosala, (6th century BC)
 * Melissus of Samos, (late 5th century BC)
 * Mencius (or Meng K'o or Meng-tzu or Mengzi), (372-289 BC)
 * Markandeya, (c.1000BCE)
 * Menedemus, (c. 350-278 BC)
 * Maitreyi (8th century BCE)
 * Metrocles, (c. 300 BC)
 * Metrodorus of Lampsacus (the elder), (5th century BC)
 * Metrodorus of Chios, (4th century BC)
 * Metrodorus of Lampsacus (the younger), (331-278 BC)
 * Metrodorus of Stratonicea, (late 2nd century BC)
 * Mozi (or Mo Tzu, or Mo Ti, or Micius), (c. 470-c. 390 BC)

N

 * Nagasena (born 150 BC)

O

 * Ostanes, Iranian alchemist mage

P

 * Parshvanatha,(8th century BC)
 * Panaetius, (c. 185-c. 110 BC)
 * Pāṇini, (c. 600-500 BC)
 * Parashara (c.1200 BCE)
 * Parmenides, (5th century BC)
 * Pañcaśikha (6th century BCE)
 * Parshva, (c. 877-777 BC)
 * Patañjali, (2nd century BC)
 * Payasi (6th century BCE)
 * Pippalada,(6th Century BC)
 * Pherecydes of Syros, (6th century BC)
 * Philo Judaeus of Alexandria, (20 BC-AD 40)
 * Philo of Larissa, (1st century BC)*
 * Philo the Dialectician, (c. 300 BC)
 * Philodemus of Gadara, (1st century BC)*
 * Philolaus of Croton, (c. 480-c. 405 BC)
 * Pingala, (c. 4th century BC)
 * Plato, (c. 427 BC-c. 347 BC)
 * Polyaenus of Lampsacus, (died 278 BC)
 * Posidonius, (c. 135-51 BC)
 * Prodicus, (c. 450-399 BC)
 * Protagoras, (c. 481-420 BC)
 * Purana Kassapa (6th century BCE)
 * Pakudha Kaccayana (6th century BCE)
 * Pyrrho, (c. 360-c. 270 BC)
 * Pythagoras, (c. 570 BC- c. 495 BC)

S

 * Sanjaya Belatthiputta (7th-6th century BCE)
 * Śāriputra (6th century BCE)
 * Seneca the Younger, (c. 4 BC-AD 65)
 * Shang Yang (or Gongsun Yang), (d. 338 BC)
 * Shvetaketu,(9th century BCE)
 * Shen Buhai, (d. 337 BC)
 * Shen Dao (or Shen Tzu), (c. 350-275 BC)
 * Shvetashvatara, (c. 4th century BC)
 * Socrates, (470 BC-399 BC)
 * Solomon, (970-931 BC)
 * Shukracharya (8th century BCE)
 * Speusippus, (410-339 BC)
 * Stilpo, (380-330 BC)
 * Strato of Lampsacus, (c. 340-c. 268 BC)
 * Sun Tzu, (4th century BC)
 * Sung Hsing (or Sung Tzu), (360-290 BC)
 * Su Qin (380-284 BC)

T

 * Thales, (c. 635 BC-543 BC)
 * Theodorus of Cyrene, (c. 340-c. 250 BC)
 * Theophrastus, (372-287 BC)
 * Thrasymachus, (5th century BC)
 * Thucydides, (c. 460-c. 400 BC)
 * Timaeus of Locri, (5th century BC)
 * Timon of Phlius, (c. 300 BC)
 * Tiruvalluvar, (c. 1st century BC–2nd century CE)

U

 * Uddalaka Aruni (c. 1000 BC)

V

 * Vasishtha (12th century BCE)
 * Vyasa

X

 * Xenocrates, (396-314 BC)
 * Xenophanes of Colophon, (570-480 BC)
 * Xenophon, (427-355 BC)
 * Xun Zi (or Hsun Tzu), (c. 310-237 BC)*
 * Xu Xing

Y

 * Yajnavalkya, (fl. c. 7th century BC)
 * Yang Chu, (370-319 BC)
 * Yang Xiong (or Yang Hsiung) (53 BC-AD 18)

Z

 * Zengzi (505 BC-436 BC)
 * Zeno of Citium (333 BC-264 BC)
 * Zeno of Elea (c. 495 BC-c. 430 BC)
 * Zeno of Sidon (1st century BC)
 * Zeno of Tarsus (3rd century BC)
 * Zhang Yi (c. 329-309 BC)
 * Zhuang Zi (or Chuang Tzu or Chuang Chou), (c. 300 BC)
 * Zichan (522 BC)
 * Zisi (c. 481-402 BC)
 * Zoroaster
 * Zou Yan (3rd century BC)