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A philosophy that rejects all religious and moral principles, often in the belief that life is meaningless. Nihilists argue that there is no objective basis for truth and that concepts such as 'morality' are constructs with no inherent validity.

An artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. It emphasized strong emotions as a source of aesthetic experience and glorified the past and nature, preferring imagination over reason.

A 19th-century American philosophical and literary movement that held that individuals could transcend the limits of the senses and the material world to reach a higher spiritual truth.

A range of social movements, political movements, and ideologies that aim to define, establish, and achieve the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that societies prioritize the male point of view.

Merges the phenomenological approach with existentialist concerns, focusing on the individual's experience in a hostile or indifferent universe. It aims to describe the structure of experience as it is lived from the first-person point of view.

A style of philosophy that became dominant in English-speaking countries during the 20th century. In analytic philosophy, the emphasis is on clarity and argumentation and often involves the analysis of language.

Refers to a set of traditions of 19th and 20th-century philosophy from mainland Europe. This tradition includes German idealism, phenomenology, existentialism, and post-structuralism among others.

A 20th-century philosophy focused on individual existence, freedom, and choice. It is founded on the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual.

Developed in ancient Greece, Stoicism is a philosophy that teaches the development of self-control and fortitude as a means to overcome destructive emotions. It believes in accepting the moment as it presents itself, without being controlled by desire for pleasure or fear of pain.

A philosophy that is based on the absolute idealistic system of G.W.F. Hegel. Hegelianism is characterized by the movement of the so-called dialectical stage—thesis, antithesis, synthesis—through which the Absolute develops.

Developed as a response to structuralism, post-structuralism is a late 20th-century movement in philosophy and literary criticism, which is difficult to summarize but generally defines itself in its opposition to the popular structuralist movement that preceded it.

An ancient Chinese philosophy developed by Confucius, which emphasizes morality, the importance of family, social harmony, and governmental morality. Confucianism is known for stressing the importance of education and the role of the gentleman.

A 20th-century movement, principally in reaction to structuralism, that questions the fundamental conceptual distinctions, or 'oppositions,' in Western philosophy through a close examination of the language and logic of philosophical and literary texts.

A methodology that implies elements of human culture must be understood by way of their relationship to a broader, overarching system or structure. It works to uncover the structures that underlie all things that humans do, think, perceive, and feel.

A broad movement that developed in the mid- to late-20th century across philosophy, the arts, architecture, and criticism, marking a departure from modernism. Postmodernism is generally defined by an attitude of skepticism toward grand narratives and ideologies.

An ancient Greek philosophical system taught by Epicurus. It holds that the greatest good is to seek modest pleasures in order to attain a state of tranquility and freedom from fear, alongside absence of bodily pain; pleasure as the beginning and end of living happily.

A philosophical movement that emerged in the early 20th century, which held that a statement is only meaningful if it can be empirically verified or is analytically true. It emphasizes the empirical sciences and the logical analysis of language.

A philosophical movement that emerged in the 17th century, which holds that the criterion of the truth is not sensory but intellectual and deductive. Rationalists believe in intuition and deduction as the primary means of knowledge and reason as the supreme authority.

A family of consequentialist ethical theories that promotes actions that maximize happiness and well-being for the majority. The best action is the one that maximizes utility, often defined as the one that produces the greatest well-being of the greatest number of people.

A theory that states that knowledge comes only or primarily from sensory experience. Empiricism emphasizes the role of experience and evidence, especially sensory perception, in the formation of ideas, while discounting the notion of innate ideas.

A political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of authority and rejects all involuntary, coercive forms of hierarchy. Anarchists advocate for stateless societies based on non-hierarchical voluntary associations.

A method of socioeconomic analysis and a political theory based on the works of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Marxism posits a materialist interpretation of history, a critique of capitalism, and a theory of social change.

A medieval philosophy that sought to reconcile the philosophy of ancient classical philosophers with medieval Christian theology. It dominated Europe from the Middle Ages until the rise of humanism and reformation in the Renaissance.

An American philosophy that originated in the late 19th century which suggests that the truth of beliefs and the meaning of concepts are best understood in terms of their practical uses and successes.