Built by Austin Slakey, an AI researcher at Netflix, the Map of Philosophy is an exploratory guide to the world of philosophical thought. Instead of a ranked list or a linear history, it lays thinkers out as a landscape you can wander — to find philosophers similar to ones you have already read, notice the gaps in your own knowledge, and deliberately seek out ideas distant from your own beliefs.
There are two ways to draw the map, and they disagree in interesting ways:
A philosopher can keep very different company depending on which view you choose. Those disagreements are often the most revealing thing on the map.
Color by re-shades everything along any of ten dimensions — Political Orientation, Religious Orientation, Metaphysical Stance, Ethical Orientation, Era, Region, School / Movement, and more. Every category has a written definition: hover a legend entry to read it, or click one to focus the map on just those thinkers. Click any point for core teachings, historical context, and key works.
The map is a guide, not a verdict. It is not exhaustive, and every category is a guidepost through a genuinely contested landscape rather than a settled label.