i can't believe people skip straight to marx. you can't even begin to understand marx until you have read the following thinkers in the following order:
Hesiod (7th cent. BC), Thales (early 6th cent. BC), Anaximander (6th cent. BC), Anaximenes (6th cent. BC), Xenophanes (6th-5th cent. BC), Pythagoras (6th-5th cent. BC), Heraclitus (6th-5th cent. BC), Parmenides (born ca. 510 BC), Zeno of Elea (born ca. 490 BC), Melissus of Samos (fl. ca. 440 BC), Anaxagoras (fl. mid-5th cent. BC), Leucippus (5th cent. BC), Empedocles (late 5th cent. BC), Democritus (born ca. 460 BC), Philolaus of Croton (late 5th cent. BC), Diogenes of Apollonia (late 5th cent. BC), Protagoras (d. ca. 420), Archytas (5th-4th cent. BC), Socrates (469–399 BC), Hippocrates (d. ca. 380 BC), Gorgias (483-375 BC), Antisthenes (ca.446-366 BC), Aristippus (ca. 435-356 BC), Xenophon (ca. 430-c.350 BC), Plato (429-347 BC), Speusippus (ca. 410-338 BC), Diogenes of Sinope (ca. 404-323 BC), Aristotle (384-322 BC), Xenocrates (395–313 BC), Theophrastus (372–288 BC), Crates (d. ca. 285 BC), Epicurus (342-271 BC), Pyrrho (d. ca. 275–270 BC), Zeno of Citium (344–262 BC), Euclid (fl. 300 BC), Arcesilaus (ca. 316-241 BC), Cleanthes (d. 232 BC), Timon of Phlius (ca. 320–230 BC), Erasistratus (fl. first half 3rd c. BC), Herophilus (3rd c. BC), Archimides (ca. 287– 212 BC), Chrysippus (d. ca. 206), Carneades (ca. 214–129 BC), Philo of Larissa (158–83 BC), Antiochus of Ascalon (ca. 130-69 BC), Lucretius (d. ca. 50 BC), Philodemus of Gadara (1st cent. BC), Cicero (106-43 BC), Aenesidemus (1st cent. BC), Agrippa (1st cent. BC), Andronicus (1st cent. BC), Boethus of Sidon (second half 1st cent. BC), Eudorus (fl. ca. 25 BC), Philo of Alexandria (first half 1st cent.), Thrasyllus (d. 36), Seneca (d. 65), Quintilian (ca. 35-100), Plutarch (ca. 50-120), Epictetus (ca. 55-135), Calvenus Taurus (first half 2nd cent.), Aspasius (ca. 100-150), Justin Martyr (ca. 100-165), Ptolemy (ca. 100-170), Marcus Aurelius (121-180 (reigned 161-80)), Irenaeus of Lyons (ca. 130-200), Sextus Empiricus (fl. ca. 200), Clement of Alexandria (ca. 150-215), Tertullian (155-ca. 220), Galen (129–ca. 216), Alexander of Aphrodisias (fl. ca. 200), Numenius (mid 2nd cent.), Apuleius (mid 2nd cent.), Alcinous (2nd cent.), Origen (185-253), Plotinus (205-270), Porphyry (234-ca. 305), Iamblichus (ca. 245-ca. 320), Calcidius (fl. 320's), Arius (ca. 260-336), Lactantius (ca. 260-340), Antony the Great (d. 356), Victorinus (fl. 353-362), Julian
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