Thinkers and Thoughts of the Axial Age

Region	Sage/Thinker and Time Period	Philosophy/Religion	Distinctive Ideas
Southwest Asia	Jewish sages, ca. 700-500 BCE	Judaism	Monotheism; trials of faith; punishments for sin; covenant with God
Southwest Asia	Zoroaster, ca. 600 BCE	Zoroastrianism	Eternal conflict between good and evil (dualism)
India	Gautama Siddharta, ca. 560 BCE	Buddhism	Meditation; karma; Four Noble Truths; escaping desire
India	Mahavira, ca. 559 BCE	Jainism	Sanctity of life; nonviolence
Greece	Pythagoras, ca. 550 BCE	Mathematics	Geometrical and mathematical ideas; ratios; ideas that numbers are real.
China	Confucius, ca. 500 BCE	Secular philosophy	Loyalty to God, staet, and family; importance of ethics and right conduct
Greece	Parmenides, ca. 425 BCE	Rationalism	Objects of thought are more real than sense perception
China	Mozi, ca. 400 BCE	Secular philosophy	Universal love
Greece	Zeno, ca. 390 BCE	Stoicism	Nature is morally neutral; happiness achieved by accepting misfortune
Greece	Aristotle and Plato, ca. 380 BCE	Secular philosophy	Logic; science; political thought
India	Nyaya school, 350 BCE	Rationalism	Logic; reason as an extraordinary perception conferred by God
China	Laozi, ca. 300 BCE	Daoism	Detachment from world; quest for immortality
Greece	Epicurus, ca. 280 BCE	Scepticism	Centrality of matter; soul is not immortal; if God exists he is indifferent to human affairs
China	Xunzi, ca. 250 BCE	Secular philosophy	Human goodness can be attained through progress and freedom
China	Han Feizi, ca. 225 BCE	Legalism	Only good is the good of the state; law and order more important than tyranny and injustice
Southwest Asia	Jesus, ca. 30 CE	Christianity	Importance of faith, divine love