Timeline of Eastern philosophers
This is a wide-ranging alphabetical list of philosophers from the Eastern traditions of philosophy, with special interest in Indo-Chinese philosophy. The list stops at the year 1950, after which philosophers fall into the category of contemporary philosophy.
Chinese philosophers
Ancient Chinese philosophers
Before 256 BCE (until the end of the [Zhou dynasty])
- Guan Zhong
- Confucius — founder of Confucianism
- Sun Tzu — military philosopher
- Laozi — founder of Taoism
475–221 BCE ([Warring States period])
- Gaozi
- Liezi
- Mencius — political philosopher, social contract
- Mozi — political and religious philosopher
- Gongsun Longzi — School of Names
- Xu Xing
- Hui Shi —School of Names
- Shang Yang — Legalist bureaucrat
- Shen Buhai — Legalist bureaucrat
- Shen Dao
- Song Xing
- Yang Zhu — Usually classified as a Hedonist
- Zhuang Zhou — major Taoist philosopher
- Han Feizi — totalistic legalism
- Xunzi — Confucianist, pessimistic about human nature
- Zou Yan — School of Naturalists, Yin-Yang, Five Elements
221 BCE – 220 CE (Qin">Qin dynasty">Qin, Han">Han dynasty">Han and Xin">Xin dynasty">Xin dynasties)
- Zheng Xuan
- Jia Yi
- Dong Zhongshu
- He Yan
- Liu An
- Wang Chong
- Yang Xiong
220 CE – 907 CE ([Three Kingdoms] period to [Tang dynasty])
- Ruan Ji
- Wang Bi — commentator on the Tao Te Ching and the I Ching
- Guo Xiang
- Zhi Dun
- Sengzhao
- Ge Hong
- Zhiyi
- Jizang
- Huineng
- Fazang
- Li Ao
- Han Yu
- Zongmi
- Linji Yixuan
907–1368 ([Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period] to [Yuan dynasty])
- Chang Tsai
- Cheng Hao — established the Confucian "School of Mind"
- Cheng Yi
- Zhou Dunyi
- Hu Yuan — revived Confucianism
- Shao Yung
- Zhu Xi — thinker of the Confucianist "School of Principle"
- Hu-Hung
- Lu Jiuyuan
1368–1912 (Ming">Ming dynasty">Ming and Qing">Qing dynasty">Qing dynasties)
- Zhang Xuecheng
- Ch'en Hsien-chang
- Chiao Hung
- Huang Zongxi
- Kang Youwei
- Liang Qichao
- Liu Tsung-chou
- Sun Yat-sen
- Dai Zhen
- Tan Sitong
- Wang Fuzhi
- Wang Yangming
- Yen Yuan
- Yu Zhengxie — prominent scholar and male feminist, philosopher, philologist, astrologer
Modern Chinese philosophers
1912–1950
- Ch'ien Mu
- Thomé H. Fang
- Feng Youlan
- Xiong Shili
- Xu Fuguan
- Hu Shih
- Liang Shuming
- Zhang Dongsun
- Liu Shaoqi
- Mao Zedong
- Mou Tsung-san
- T'ang Chun-i
- Hao Wang
Indian philosophers
Ancient Indian philosophers
Early Vedic age 1500-800BCE (Saptarishi)
- Vasishtha
- Atri
- Vishvamitra
- Agastya
- Gautama Maharishi
- Jamadagni
- Bharadwaja
Late Vedic age 800–400 BCE (Sectarianism)
- Parshvanatha Parshvanatha is the earliest Jain tirthankara who is generally acknowledged as a historical figure.
- Aruni credited with laying the foundation of Indian atomism
- Yajnavalkya credited for coining Advaita, an important tradition within Hinduism
- Makkhali Gosala — founder Ājīvika philosophy
- Pāṇini — made contributions to Philosophy of language and Sanskrit grammar
- Siddhartha Gautama — founder of Buddhism
- Mahākāśyapa — Most Venerable Mahā Kāshyapa Maha Thero
- Bṛhaspati — Founder of Cārvāka philosophy
- Mahavira — heavily influenced Jainism, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism
- Badarayana — Author of Brahma Sutras
- Kapila founder of Sankhya philosophy
321–184 BCE (Maurya Empire)
- Shvetashvatara — Author of earliest textual exposition of a systematic philosophy of Shaivism
- Chanakya — A pioneer in the field of economics and political science
- Jaimini — Author of Purva Mimamsa Sutras
- Aksapada Gautama — founder of Nyaya philosophy
- Kanada – founder of Vaisheshika
- Pingala – Renowned for his work on Combinatorics and Sanskrit prosody
184 BCE–100 CE (Early Middle Kingdoms Begin – The Golden Age)
- Patanjali — Author of Yoga Sutra and a commentary on Panini
- Thiruvalluvar, best known for authoring the Tirukkuṛaḷ, a collection of couplets on ethics
100–300 (Cholas, Cheras, Pandavas and Kushan Empire)
- Nagarjuna — founder of Madhyamaka Buddhism
- Kundakunda, exponent of Jain mysticism and Jain nayas
- Umāsvāti or Umasvami, author of first Jain work in Sanskrit Tattvārthasūtra
300–550 (Gupta Empire)
- Vasubandhu — one of the main founders of the Yogacara school
- Asanga — one of the main founders of the Yogacara school
- Bodhidharma — founder of Zen Buddhism
- Vatsyayana — author of commentary on Nyāya Sūtras and Kama Sutra
- Bhartrhari — contributed to lingusitic theory
- Buddhaghosa
- Siddhasena Divākara — Jain logician and author of important works in Sanskrit and Prakrit
- Dignāga — one of the Buddhist founders of Indian logic
- Śīlabhadra He is best known as being an abbot of Nālandā monastery in India, as being an expert on Yogācāra teachings, and for being the personal tutor of the Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang.
- Udyotakara Udyotakara — Nyaya Philosopher
600–900 (Late Middle Kingdoms – The Classical Age)
- Candrakirti — Madhyamaka Buddhist
- Kumārila Bhaṭṭa — Mimansa Philosopher
- Udyanacharya — Nyaya Philosopher
- Prabhākara — Grammarian and Mimansa Philosopher
- Dharmakirti
- Gaudapadacharya — Advaita Philosopher
- Adi Shankara — Advaita Vedanta school
- Anandavardhana — Philosopher of Aesthetics
- Vasugupta — Author of Shiva Sutras
- Vācaspati Miśra — Nyaya Philosopher
- Jayanta Bhatta — Nyaya Philosopher
900–1100 (The Islamic Sultanates)
- Abhinavagupta
- Atiśa He was one of the major figures in the spread of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism in Asia and inspired Buddhist thought from Tibet to Sumatra
- Udayana he was a very important Hindu logician who attempted to reconcile the views held by the two major schools of logic.
- Ramanuja — founder of Vishishtadvaita or Qualified Non-dualism
1100–1500 (Vijaynagara Empire and Delhi Sultanate)
- Gorakshanath
- Basaveshwara — founder of Lingayatism
- Shri Madhvacharya
- Gangeśa Upādhyāya
- Nimbarka
- Mādhava Vidyāranya
- Kabir
- Vyasatirtha
- Raghunatha Siromani — founder of Navya Nyāya philosophy
- Vallabhacharya
- Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
- Ravidas
1500–1800 (Mughal Empire, Rajput Kingdoms and Marahtha Confederacy Era)
- Mirabai Bhakti saint & devotee of Krishna
- Nanak — Bhakti Philosopher, Founder of Sikhism
- Madhusūdana Sarasvatī
- Vijñānabhikṣu — synthesized Vedānta, Sāṃkhya, and Yoga into avibhagādvaita
- Gadadhara Bhattacharya — Nyaya philosopher
Modern Indian philosophers
1800–1947 (Colonial and Postcolonial Era)
- Devendranath Tagore
- Dayananda Saraswati founder of arya samaj
- Sai Baba
- Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
- Swami Vivekananda
- Krishna Chandra Bhattacharya Phenonenology
- Narayana Guru
- Rabindranath Tagore
- Brajendranath Seal
- Sri Aurobindo
- Allama Iqbal
- Ramana Maharshi
- Nigamananda
- Vinayak Damodar Savarkar
- Gopinath Kaviraj
- Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
- Nolini Kanta Gupta
- Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar
- Jiddu Krishnamurti
- A. C. Bhaktivedanta — founder/acharya of ISKCON
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
- Haridas Chaudhuri
- Deendayal Upadhyaya
- U. G. Krishnamurti
- Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar
- Swami Krishnananda
- Jitendra Nath Mohanty
- Osho
- Amartya Sen
- Bimal Krishna Matilal
- Pandurang Shastri Athavale
Japanese philosophers
Ancient Japanese philosophers
Until 1185 CE (until the end of the [Heian period])
- Kūkai
- Hōnen
1185–1333 ([Kamakura period])
- Shinran
- Dōgen Zenji
- Nichiren
1333–1867 ([Muromachi period] to [Edo period])
- Zeami Motokiyo
- Fujiwara Seika
- Miyamoto Musashi
- Kumazawa Banzan
- Itō Jinsai
- Kaibara Ekken
- Ogyū Sorai
- Hakuin Ekaku
- Tominaga Nakamoto
- Motoori Norinaga
- Nishi Amane
Modern Japanese philosophers
1867–1950
- Nishida Kitaro
- D. T. Suzuki
- Tanabe Hajime
- Kuki Shūzō
- Watsuji Tetsuro
- Sakurazawa Yukikazu
- Miki Kiyoshi
- Nishitani Keiji
Korean philosophers
Ancient Korean philosophers
Until 676 CE (until the end of the Three Kingdoms period">Three Kingdoms of Korea">Three Kingdoms period)
- Seungrang
676–935 ([Unified Silla period])
- Woncheuk
- Wonhyo
- Uisang
- Doseon
- Choi Chi-won
935–1392 ([Goryeo period])
- Uicheon
- Jinul
1392–1910 ([Joseon period])
- Jeong Do-jeon
- Seo Gyeong-deok
- Yi Eon-jeok
- Jo Sik
- Yi Hwang
- Yi I
- Jeong Je-du
- Jeong Yak-yong
- Kim Jeong-hui
- Choi Han-gi
- Choi Je-u
- Yi Je-ma
Modern Korean philosophers