The Most Influential Political Thinkers in History

John Stuart Mill is essential to this ranking for his profound defense of utilitarianism and liberalism, laying the groundwork for modern debates on individual liberty and governance.

• Advocate of utilitarianism

• Democratic politics as a fundamental mechanism for moral development

• Most important liberal intellectual of the nineteenth century

• He reconciled English classical economics with historical and socialist currents

Plato is fundamental to political thought for his work "The Republic," where he laid the foundations of Western political philosophy with his ideal of justice and his proposal for a state governed by philosopher-kings. His ideas on state structure, the education of rulers, and the nature of justice have been debated and reconfigured over centuries, demonstrating his enduring influence.

• Rescues very valuable political ideals

• Plato's Republic is considered one of the most influential works in the history of thought

Nietzsche's ideas on the critique of traditional morality, the will to power, and the Übermensch have had a profound and lasting impact on political thought, influencing various ideological currents and debates on the nature of power and society. His radical questioning of established values laid the groundwork for critical analyses of power structures and dominant ideologies.

• Influenced major thinkers

• Affirmed the ethical imperative to create new values

• Deconstructed Western culture, religion, and philosophy

John Locke is fundamental to this ranking for laying the groundwork of classical liberalism, advocating for natural rights to life, liberty, and property. His ideas on the social contract and popular sovereignty profoundly influenced modern revolutions and constitutions, particularly the United States Declaration of Independence.

• Influenced modern psychology

• Laid the groundwork for philosophy and politics of later centuries

• Exerted enormous influence on political liberalism

• Promotes the separation of church and state

Karl Marx is one of the most influential political thinkers in history due to his profound analysis of capitalism and his theory of historical materialism. His ideas on class struggle and critique of economic exploitation have shaped social and political movements worldwide, inspiring revolutions and ideological debates that continue to this day.

• He left ideas that revolutionized thought, economy, and politics

• Influential thinker with a lasting legacy

Leo Strauss is one of the most influential political thinkers in history, recognized for his profound critique of modern political philosophy and his re-reading of the classics. His work has revitalized the study of political philosophy and has significantly influenced contemporary political theory and the history of thought.

• Influential among the most conservative political philosophers

• His approach to intellectual elitism was successful

Niccolò Machiavelli is a central figure in political thought for his work "The Prince," which revolutionized the understanding of power and governance. His pragmatic and realistic approach laid the groundwork for modern political science, separating it from morality and theology.

• Relevant figure of the Italian Renaissance

• His work is a useful guide on how to exercise politics

• Pragmatic and realistic spirit

• The people are a brake on tyranny

Jean-Jacques Rousseau is fundamental to this ranking for his radical questioning of society and government, proposing the idea of the social contract and the general will as bases for a legitimate political order. His works laid the groundwork for democratic revolutions and modern thought on popular sovereignty.

• He/She proposed a revolutionary political theory

• Precursor of populist constitutionalism

Aristotle is fundamental to this ranking for laying the groundwork of Western political philosophy with his work "Politics". His analyses of citizenship, justice, constitutions, and different forms of government have profoundly influenced political thought throughout the centuries.

• He understood the constitution as an order that determines who rules

• He was one of the most brilliant minds of the Hellenistic world

• Man, as a rational being, develops his ends within politics

• He defended the value of the community in preserving the happiness of citizens

Hannah Arendt is a crucial figure in political thought for her innovative analysis of totalitarianism and her profound reflection on the nature of political action and freedom. Her concepts, such as the "banality of evil" and the "human condition," continue to inform contemporary debates on ethics, citizenship, and resistance.

• He/She defended a concept of pluralism in the political sphere

• The political subject is essentially free, unique, singular, and unpredictable

• An essential reference in contemporary political thought

• It claims political life as a more fully human way of life

Milton Friedman is one of the most influential political thinkers in history due to his profound impact on economic policy and classical liberalism. His ideas on free markets, deregulation, and monetarism shaped governmental policies worldwide and continue to be debated and applied today.

• Pioneered the development of economic freedom rankings

• Enormous influence on the economics profession

• Influenced how we view politics