Theorists on Western civilization

German-born philosopher (1818-1883)

German writer, artist, natural scientist and politician (1749–1832)

French novelist, poet, dramatist and politician (1802–1885)

François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his pen name Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Enlightenment writer, philosopher (philosophe), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit and his criticism of Christianity (especially of the Catholic Church) and of slavery, Voltaire was an advocate of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and separation of church and state.

American polymath and statesman (1706–1790)

British writer and journalist (1903–1950)

German philosopher, sociologist and economist (1820–1895)

Avram Noam Chomsky is an American intellectual, philosopher, linguist, political activist, and social critic. Sometimes called "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky is also a major figure in analytic philosophy and one of the founders of the field of cognitive science. He is a laureate professor of linguistics at the University of Arizona and an institute professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Among the most cited living authors, Chomsky has written more than 150 books on topics such as linguistics, war, and politics. In addition to his work in linguistics, since the 1960s, Chomsky has been an influential voice on the American Left as a consistent critic of the foreign policy of the United States, contemporary capitalism, and corporatocracy.

German sociologist, philosopher, and political economist (1864–1920)

Austrian philosopher and logician (1889–1951)

English philosopher (1588–1679)

British philosopher and political economist (1806–1873)

German philosopher (1889–1976)

Czech statesman, playwright, and former dissident, the last president of Czechoslovakia and the first president of the Czech Republic (1936–2011)

Russian revolutionary anarchist and philosopher (1814–1876)

American Founding Father, philosopher, and political activist (1737–1809)

Austrian-British philosopher of science and social and política e falsificationism and for criticism of Plato, Hegel and Marx as totalitarian opponents of open society (1902-1994)

American author and screenwriter (1920–2012)

American author (1922–2007)

English author and Christian apologist (1874–1936)

Swedish writer and painter (1849–1912)

American poet and critic (1885–1972)

German philosopher and anthropologist (1804–1872)

French politician, philosopher, anarchist and socialist (1809-1865)

English historian and politician (1737–1794)

Polish science fiction author, philosopher and futurologist, studied medical doctor (1921–2006)

French anthropologist and ethnologist (1908–2009)

French philosopher (1930–2004)

Slovenian philosopher (born 1949)

Prussian philosopher, government official, diplomat, and educator (1767–1835)

French and Swiss film director (1930–2022)

Indian novelist, essayist, and activist

Sir David Frederick Attenborough is an English broadcaster, natural historian and writer. His presenting career began as host of Zoo Quest in 1954, and has spanned eight decades; it includes the nine documentary series forming The Life Collection, Natural World, Wildlife on One, the Planet Earth franchise, The Blue Planet and Blue Planet II. He is the only person to have won BAFTA Awards in black-and-white, colour, high-definition, 3D and 4K resolution. Over his life, he has collected dozens of honorary degrees and awards, including three Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Narrator and one Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Daytime Personality - Non-Daily.

German historian and philosopher (1880-1936)

Israeli historian and author of popular science bestsellers

Swedish 18th century scientist and theologian (1688-1772)

British historian (1889–1975)

American writer (1925–2012)

English American author and journalist (1949–2011)

American political scientist (1927–2008)

American political scientist, political economist, and author

French utopian socialist and philosopher (1772–1837)

British historian and politician (1800–1859)

American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter (1933–2023)

French historian and leader of the Annales School

American-Canadian speculative fiction writer (born 1948)

American historian, philosopher and writer (1885–1981)

American scientist, historian, and author (born 1937)

American author and activist (1952–2021)

American author (born 1938)

British novelist

French economist (born 1971)

British novelist (1930–2009)

French Marxist theorist, writer, filmmaker (1931–1994)

German historian, psychologist, sociologist, student of hermeneutics, and philosopher (1833–1911)

French philosopher and sociologist

American historian, playwright, and socialist thinker (1922–2010)

French historian (1924-2014)

French sociologist and anthropologist (1872-1950)

British prehistorian archaeologist (1892–1957)