THE 17 MOST INFLUENTIAL CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHERS - PHILOSOPHY - 2025

The best known and most influential contemporary philosophers are people whose minds have lived in the 21st century, a stage marked by the development of technology and the media that have changed the lives of human beings.

In modern society where few are concerned with "being" and rather busy trying to "have", philosophers offer us new ideas or new interpretations of old ideas.

On the other hand, modern philosophy is characterized by addressing new issues. For example, climate change or the relationship between man and animals.

Top 17 most influential contemporary philosophers

1- Mauricio Hardie Beuchot

Author of more than 100 works, the Mexican philosopher Mauricio Hardie Beuchot proposes analogical hermeneutics as an intermediate structure between univocity and equivocation.

For Beuchot the equivocation is the difference between the application and the meaning of things. It is a relative and subjective criterion, while univocity is the identity of things, which does not depend on their meaning or application. It is an objective criterion.

Beuchot's philosophy is interpretive and does not take extreme positions. His goal is that when philosophizing there is a main interpretation of the problem and secondary interpretations that detail the main idea. Mauricio Beuchot's theory emerged during the National Philosophy Congress of Morelos, Mexico, in 1993.

His ideas have been influenced by the analectic method of Enrique Dussel and the analogy of C. Peirce. His philosophy raises the possibility of interpretation and recovers the notion of Aristotle's Phronesis.

Beuchot is a member of the Institute of Philological Research (IIFL), the Mexican Academy of History, the Mexican Academy of Language and the Pontifical Academy of Santo Tomás de Aquino.

2- Dany-Robert Dufour

The French philosopher Dany-Robert Dufour has been noted for his studies of symbolic processes, language, psychoanalysis, and political philosophy. He works at the University of Paris and in other countries such as Brazil, Mexico and Colombia.

The main theme of his works is the subject in postmodern society and the problems it faces. In his works Le Divin Marché, La révolution culturelle libérale and La Cité perverse -libéralisme et pornographie, the philosopher argues that contemporary society is based on amoral principles and the cultural crisis has made it possible for economic crises such as that of 2008 to arise.

Modern society has mutated in an alarming way and the subject in it has no models, no leaders. This time is "the end of the great stories" and lacks foundation. In other works the author expands concepts of thinkers such as Plato, Freud and Kant on the incompleteness of man, which culture needs to complete itself.

His first book Le Bégaiement des maîtres discusses and expands ideas of the structuralist philosophers of the mid-20th century.

3- Roberto Esposito

"Why, at least until today, does a politics of life always threaten to become an act of death?" Roberto Esposito continues the reflection in his works on the relationship between politics and life. Before Esposito, the philosophers Michel Foucault and Rudolf Kjellén had developed this concept.

Roberto Esposito is also a professor and editor and consultant for scientific journals. He works at the Italian Institute of Human Sciences in Florence and Naples and at the Faculty of Political Sciences of the Oriental Institute in Naples. He co-publishes the journal «Political Philosophy» and is one of the founders of the Center for Research on the European political lexicon.

Also coladora with the magazines «MicroMega», «Teoría e Oggetti», Historia y Teoría Politica collar Ediciones Bibliopolis, «Comunità e Libertà» of the Laterza publishing house and «Per la storia della philosophia politica».

He is a member of the International College of Philosophy of Paris. Among his most outstanding works are Third Person. Politics of life and philosophy of the impersonal, Communitas. Origin and destiny of the community and Bíos. Biopolitics and philosophy.

4- Gary Lawrence Francione

Do animals have rights? This thinker, founder and director of the Rutgers Animal Rights Law Center, is Professor of Law at Rutgers University. He has developed the abolitionist theory of non-human animal rights and is a specialist in animal rights.

He considers that the idea that animals are owned by humans is wrong. Animals, like humans, are inhabitants of the earth and have rights. This thinker promotes veganism and rejects the consumption of any animal product.

His works focus on showing that animals are not the property of humans and that they also have rights. His ideas are more radical than those of animal advocates fighting for animal welfare, which, according to Lawrence, is not the same as animal law. Among his most famous works are Animals as People and Animals, Property and the Law.

5- Kwasi Wiredu

Can you philosophize in native African languages? In the middle of the 20th century, the colonial era ends and African peoples begin a search for their identity. The African philosopher Kwasi Wiredu known for his reflections on the post-colonial era.

Since its independence, the continent has undergone economic, political and cultural reconstruction. The dilemma between the forms of government and the social and cultural organization (tribes) of the African peoples is reflected in the works of Wiredu. Its goal is to restore the cultural identity that was fragmented during the colonization of Western countries.

Because the traditional collective life of African peoples was not destroyed during the colony, Wiredu understands that it is possible to define what Africa is and who Africans are. Wiredu raises the need for mental decolonization of the peoples, for this he speaks of the consensus among African governments.

Wiredu seeks respect for human rights, traditions and its culture. According to Wiredu, in order for Africans to decolonize their minds, the use of traditional languages ​​is necessary.

By thinking in your own language and reflecting on problems, the concepts used in philosophical discourse that do not make sense in an African language will be translated or created. This will allow the development of the language, which after all is the basis of thought.

6- David P. Gauthier

He developed the neo-Hobbesian contractualist moral theory in his book Morality by Agreement. In addition to Hobbs' ideas, his theory is based on Game Theory and Rational Choice Theory.

David P. Gauthier believes that people must agree on the definition of what a moral attitude is. According to the author, morality must be based on reason.

Gauthier is also a professor at the University of Pittsburg. His books include Egoísmo, Moralidad y Sociedad Liberal and Rousseau: The Sentiment of Existence.

7- Julian Nida-Rümelin

When acting, is it rational to think about which action has better consequences? Does the end justify the means? This practical philosopher discusses ethical, social, state and legal problems in his works.

He specializes in ethics, rationality, cultural theories, political philosophy, theories of science, and epistemology.

His doctoral thesis explores the relationship between morality and rationality according to decision theory. His works discuss the importance of "acting rationally" and study consequentialist models of action.

In his works The Logic of Collective Decisions and Critique of Consequentialism, he criticizes the postulate "that which has better consequences is rational."

The German Julian Nida-Rümelin is one of the most influential philosophers in Germany. Among his best known ideas is his theory of democracy.

Nida-Rümelin was Minister of Culture during Gerhard Schröder's chancellorship. In his work "Democracy and Truth" he criticizes skepticism in the field of politics and contradicts the school of Carlo Schmitt and political decisionism.

8- Michel Onfray

Ethical hedonism. This French philosopher, founder of the Popular University of Caen, belongs to a group of individualist and anarchist intellectuals. Michel Onfray has written 30 works on his ethical hedonistic project.

Many of his ideas are utopians and his works promote the creation of a new society based on libertarian capitalism, the commune and the ideas of Proudhon.

Many consider that the philosopher promotes a libertarian socialism. According to Onfray, capitalism is inherent in the land and is related to the scarcity and value of material goods.

Onfray argues that there have been different capitalisms: a liberal capitalism, an illiberal capitalism, a Soviet capitalism, a fascist capitalism, a warrior capitalism, a Chinese capitalism and others.

That is why the libertarian capitalism that Onfray proposes would be the fair distribution of wealth. Among his works are The Womb of the Philosophers. Critique of the Dietary Reason, Politics of the rebel. Treaty of resistance and insubordination or The desire to be a volcano. Hedonistic journal.

9- Slavoj Žižek

The real, the symbolic and the imaginary. The Slovenian cultural critic, philosopher, sociologist and psychoanalyst Slavoj Žižek was noted for his work on the thought of Jacques Lacan and dialectical materialism which is used to exemplify popular culture theory.

According to Žižek, there are 3 categories that explain contemporary culture. The real, the imaginary and the symbolic. Žižek's studies are based on many examples of expressions from popular culture such as movies and books.

The real, according to Žižek, is not reality, but a nucleus that cannot be symbolized, that is, changed by language. The symbolic is the language and its constructions and the imaginary is the perception of the self.

Žižek combines Marxist methodology with Lacanian psychoanalysis to study contemporary cultural expressions.

10- Jacques Rancière

Jacques Rancière is a disciple of Louis Althusser and, together with Étienne Balibar and other authors, wrote the work To read Capital. His ideological differences over the French May separated him from Althusser. His early works include the works La Parole ouvrière, La Nuit des prolétaires and Le Philosophe et ses pauvres.

In his work The ignorant teacher. Five Lessons for Intellectual Emancipation describes the revolutionary method as an educational process that pursues equality.

11- Mohammed Abed al-Jabri

How can tradition survive? It is one of the questions that most concerns the philosophers of the Arab world. The Moroccan philosopher Mohammed Abed al-Jabri, a specialist in the thought of the Islamic world, considers that only Averroism can answer this question. According to Abed al-Jabri, only the Arab philosophical tradition is capable of founding modern Islamic culture.

This philosopher believes that science and philosophy exist to explain religion and that only reason can help rebuild Islamic society and save traditions. Among his works the Critique of Arab Reason stands out.

12- John Gray

Is there progress? In his works False dawn. The Hoaxes of Global Capitalism, Straw Dogs and Black Mass, British philosopher John Gray criticizes anthropocentrism and humanism and rejects the idea of ​​progress.

In his opinion, the human being is a devastating and voracious species that eliminates other living beings to ensure its survival and also destroys its own habitat.

Gray defends that morality is only an illusion and the human being is a species that destroys itself. An example of the destructive tendencies of the human being have been apocalyptic ideas such as millennialism in the Middle Ages or the socialist and Nazi utopian projects of the 20th century.

The idea of ​​progress and the quest to create a perfect society (utopia) have become a true religion for humanity that wishes to achieve these goals at all costs.

13- Douglas Richard Hofstadter

Who I am? The American philosopher Douglas Richard Hofstadter deals with problems about identity, the concept of the self and the other. In his book I am a strange loop, Hofstadter argues that the "I" is an illusion or hallucination necessary for the human being.

Hofstadter applied Escher, Bach and Gödel's concept of the strange loop in relation to the identity of man. His works criticize the theory that the soul is a "caged bird" that lives in our brain.

Hofstadter considers that our brain houses not only our "I" but many copies of the "I" of other people with whom the subject interacts.

14- Derek Parfit

The work Reasons and People has had a great influence on the development of modern philosophy. In his latest book On What Matters, British philosopher Derek Parfit continues the ideas of the book Reasons and People.

His books deal with rationality, personal identity, ethics, and the relationship between these issues. Parfit believes in secular ethics and raises problems such as the right or wrong of actions, that is, I study practical ethics and ignores metaethics.

He was also a professor and work at Oxford University, New York University, Harvard University, and Rutgers University.

Parfit deals with topics such as rational selfishness, consequentialism, and common sense. His ideas debate the theory of rational selfishness which says that human beings do not act in a way that harms their well-being. More Parfit contradicts this idea and says that man acts according to his wishes.

15- Harry Gordon Frankfurt

Professor at Rockefeller and Yale Universities, Harry Gordon Frankfurt is one of the most popular philosophers today. His works deal with problems such as morality, reationalism, the philosophy of mint and other subjects.

His book On bullshit is an investigation of the concept of “bullshit” in today's society. In 2006 Gordon published a sequel called "On Truth," where he discusses how and why today's society has lost interest in the truth.

In his work On the Freedom of the Will, the philosopher defends his idea that only man is free when he acts according to his will. Furthermore, man is morally responsible even when he commits an immoral act against his will.

Gordon has recently published several works on love and care. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

16- Nassim Kuhllann

The founder of the new school of Indian sociology and AC / DC structure theory Nassim Kuhllann has been noted for works such as Meta-structural Micro-Irritations, The New Capital and Rules of the Structural Method of Networks: The Reality and Analysis of AC / DC Social. He is one of the most prominent social thinkers today, along with Mark Granovetter and Harrison White.

17- Byung-Chul Han

The South Korean philosopher and essayist Byung-Chul Han is one of the most famous of contemporary times. This professor at the Berlin University of the Arts. In his works he deals with issues such as work, technology, criticism of capitalism and hyper-transparency.

The main concept of his works is transparency, which Byung-Chul considers as the main cultural norm that the neoliberal system has created.

In his works The Society of Transparency, The Topology of Violence and The Society of Fatigue, the philosopher deals with human relationships, loneliness and the suffering of people in modern society, violence nowadays that takes very subtle, individualism that does not allow us to dedicate ourselves to the not-self.

Byung-Chul argues that due to new technologies “a digital swarm” of individuals with no collective sense has been created.