# Western Philosophers

> Learn about Western philosophers and test your knowledge with quizzes. (iPhone/iPad app by Brad Gayman.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/western-philosophers/id962077332 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Brad Gayman](https://appshunter.io/developer/304237058)
- Category: Education, Reference
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.76/5 from 448 App Store ratings · 211 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 12.0 · 463 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2015-02-13
- Data updated: 2026-08-13
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/western-philosophers/id962077332/reviews.md

## What is Western Philosophers?

An easy-to-use, fun, app to learn more about philosophers.

Review information about each—including wikipedia entries—and see how well you do on the quiz.

Questions ask about great works and quotes. Great for reviewing, or studying for, an introductory philosophy course.

## Key features

- Philosopher biographies
- Wikipedia integration
- Quiz on works and quotes
- Study aid for philosophy courses
- Review tool

## What do users think of Western Philosophers?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 🚀 Impressive, free app
- 👍 Easy to use, detailed interface
- 💡 Clever, Twitter-like format
- 🤩 Beautifully designed
- 🎉 Passion project with great content
- 🔍 Comprehensive philosopher database
- 🎧 Free audiobooks and ebooks
- 🗺️ Useful timelines and maps

**Cons**

- 🐛 Broken links and bugs
- 🌍 Lacks diversity, focused on Western philosophers
- 🕰️ App not updated in years, feels abandoned

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Crashes when favoriting philosophers
- Quiz layout issues on iPad landscape mode
- Audiobook downloads not working

**Most requested features**

- More Eastern and non-Western philosophers
- Ability to suggest new philosophers
- Community-driven content additions
- Better quiz format with philosopher names
- Home screen widgets and updated UI
- Offline audiobook downloads

## Recent user reviews (10 of 211)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/western-philosophers/id962077332/reviews.md

### 2/5 — Terrible selection, Continental philosophy, no science

*2026-05-20, version 3.5.1*

If you’re interested in the foundations of logic, reason, and science (Analytical philosophy), you won’t find it here. The selection is beyond biased, comprised almost solely of Continental philosophy, useless for anything more than Marx, existentialism, and social “science”. The “philosophy” appears to be snippets from a quotation collection. This app is teaching outdated postmodernism, not philosophy.

### 5/5 — Amazing

*2026-04-11, version 3.5.1*

Good job …

### 5/5 — numwam1368

*2026-03-31, version 3.5.1*

Help

### 5/5 — I’m not sure a free app has ever impressed me this much.

*2026-01-13, version 3.5.1*

I was awed

### 5/5 — Saint Thomas More

*2025-09-28, version 3.5.1*

Why is he not found in this app?

### 2/5 — Many links are dead and app is not updated any more

*2025-09-16, version 3.5.1*

Many links are dead and app is not updated any more

### 1/5 — Brain rot

*2025-07-29, version 3.5.1*

Full of lies and communist ideologies and white hate.

### 5/5 — Good but clearly forgotten

*2025-05-28, version 3.5.1*

Love this app. However, many links to Wiki or SEP are broken. Looks like the devs are done with it. Still really cool!

### 3/5 — Nice app, but the Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy feature is not functional.

*2025-05-24, version 3.5.1*

When you click on the link to a relevant article on the Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy, an error pops up. Very frustrating.

### 4/5 — PLEASE UPDATE

*2025-05-07, version 3.5.1*

I’ve enjoyed this app—with its easy-to-use, detailed interface, iMessage stickers, and “philosopher” camera—for almost several years, but I really wish it were updated for the latest OS and devices… specifically, the widgets. Having the widget only on the search screen on iPhone and sidebar on iPad is nice, but implementing the new home screen widgets would be more useful.    

Also, there’s a bug on iPad where if you are in landscape mode while taking the quiz, the names are hidden behind the photos.

Sadly, the fact that this app hasn’t updated in over two years makes me feel that the developer has abandoned it.

## Frequently asked questions about Western Philosophers

### What does the Western Philosophers app do?

This app provides information about various Western philosophers, including details from their Wikipedia entries. It also features quizzes to test your understanding of their great works and quotes.

### What are the key features of this app?

Key features include learning about individual philosophers, accessing their Wikipedia entries, and engaging in quizzes that cover their significant works and famous quotes. It's designed as a study and review tool.

### Is this app free to use?

Yes, the app is free to use. The provided information indicates no in-app purchases or advertisements, suggesting a completely free experience.

### Who would benefit from using this app?

This app is particularly beneficial for students taking introductory philosophy courses who need to review material or study for exams. It's also suitable for anyone interested in learning more about the history of Western philosophy.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.5.1 — 2020-04-01

● Fixes an issue that causes the app to crash at launch

### 3.5 — 2020-02-26

• Various bug fixes and UI improvements
• Adds ability to download ebooks as ePub file and open with third-party apps
• Adds new AR scenes for select philosophers that can be accessed from their respective profile screens
• Adds a variety of new AR objects
• Adds new AR masks:
    ◦ Plato
    ◦ Thomas Hobbes
    ◦ Martin Heidegger
    ◦ Michel Foucault
    ◦ John Stuart Mill
    ◦ Simone de Beauvoir
• Adds new philosophers:
   ◦ Roger Bacon
   ◦ Lady Damaris Cudworth Masham
   ◦ Herbert Marcuse
   ◦ Friedrich Hayek

### 3.4 — 2020-01-22

• Various bug fixes 
• General user interface improvements
• New wallpaper generator
    ◦ Customize your device's home and lock screen with your favorite philosopher
    ◦ Access the generator through the "Profile" tab
    ◦ Generate a Live Photo to make your lock screen even more fun
• New app icons for:
    ◦ John Locke
    ◦ Niccolò Machiavelli
• Added philosophers:
    ◦ Roland Barthes
    ◦ Jane Addams
    ◦ Ralph Waldo Emerson

### 3.3 — 2020-01-03

• Improved caching
• Fixes issues that caused popup messages to not appear on iOS 13
• Celebrate philosophers' birthdays on their profile page
• Minor performance and user interface improvements
• Adds new philosophers
    ◦ Thomas Nagel
    ◦ Guy Debord
    ◦ Carl Jung
    ◦ Seneca

### 3.2 — 2019-11-11

• Fixes bug that prevented deep links from opening correct page when app was no longer in memory
• Adds support for "Full Page" screenshots in system markup editor
• Minor performance and user interface improvements
• Adds new philosophers:
    ◦ Xenophanes
    ◦ Zeno of Elea
    ◦ John Dewey

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-13.*
