Philosophy Trivia
Philosophy trivia invites readers into the history of big ideas, from ancient Greek inquiry to modern debates about knowledge, ethics, and reality. This topic spans famous philosophers, influential schools of thought, and enduring questions that continue to shape culture, politics, and everyday reasoning.
Easy Philosophy Trivia
13 questions
These easy Philosophy trivia questions are great for beginners and kids around age 12 and under.
Question 1
Who wrote Meditations?
Answer: Marcus Aurelius wrote Meditations.
Meditations is famously associated with the Roman emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius.
Question 2
Beyond Good and Evil was written by which philosopher?
- A.Jean-Paul Sartre
- B.Friedrich Nietzsche wrote Beyond Good and Evil.
- C.Immanuel Kant
- D.Arthur Schopenhauer
Answer: Friedrich Nietzsche wrote Beyond Good and Evil.
Beyond Good and Evil is one of Friedrich Nietzsche's best-known works.
Question 3
Edmund Husserl is closely linked with what philosophical movement?
- A.phenomenology
- B.Utilitarianism
- C.Stoicism
- D.Existentialism
Answer: Edmund Husserl is closely associated with phenomenology.
Husserl is a key name associated with phenomenology.
Question 4
At which university did Martin Heidegger teach?
- A.University of Geneva
- B.University of Oxford
- C.University of Freiburg
- D.Heidelberg University
Answer: Martin Heidegger taught at the University of Freiburg.
Heidegger is closely connected with the University of Freiburg.
Question 5
Which major work was written by Jean-Paul Sartre?
- A.Critique of Pure Reason
- B.The Prince
- C.Leviathan
- D.Being and Nothingness
Answer: Jean-Paul Sartre wrote Being and Nothingness.
Being and Nothingness is one of Sartre's signature philosophical works.
Question 6
Ludwig Wittgenstein wrote which famously long-titled book?
Answer: Ludwig Wittgenstein wrote Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus.
Wittgenstein is the author of Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus.
Question 7
Who wrote A Theory of Justice?
- A.Thomas Hobbes
- B.David Hume
- C.John Rawls wrote A Theory of Justice.
- D.John Locke
Answer: John Rawls wrote A Theory of Justice.
A Theory of Justice is a major work by John Rawls.
Question 8
Deontological ethics puts the spotlight on what: duties or outcomes?
- A.tradition
- B.duties
- C.outcomes
- D.pleasure
Answer: Deontological ethics emphasizes duties rather than outcomes.
Deontological ethics is centered on duties rather than outcomes.
Question 9
Utilitarianism is closely associated with Jeremy Bentham and which other thinker?
- A.Immanuel Kant
- B.René Descartes
- C.John Stuart Mill
- D.John Locke
Answer: Utilitarianism is closely associated with Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill.
The fact pair most closely tied to utilitarianism here is Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill.
Question 10
Aristotle was born in which place?
- A.Geneva
- B.Stagira
- C.Athens
- D.Sparta
Answer: Aristotle was born in Stagira.
Aristotle's birthplace was Stagira.
Question 11
The emperor-philosopher behind Meditations was who?
Answer: The emperor-philosopher who wrote Meditations was Marcus Aurelius.
Meditations is attributed to Marcus Aurelius.
Question 12
Which Christian thinker served as bishop of Hippo Regius in North Africa?
- A.John Locke
- B.Karl Jaspers
- C.Augustine of Hippo
- D.Thomas Aquinas
Answer: Augustine served as bishop of Hippo Regius in North Africa.
Augustine of Hippo held the role of bishop in Hippo Regius.
Question 13
Confessions was written by whom?
- A.Mary Wollstonecraft
- B.Augustine of Hippo
- C.Thomas Hobbes
- D.René Descartes
Answer: Confessions was written by Augustine of Hippo.
Confessions is one of the most famous works by Augustine of Hippo.
Philosophy Family Trivia
12 questions
These family Philosophy trivia questions are built for mixed-age game nights, classrooms, and groups.
Question 1
Which famous conqueror was taught by Aristotle?
- A.Julius Caesar
- B.Hannibal
- C.Cleopatra
- D.Alexander the Great
Answer: Alexander the Great
Aristotle is well known for tutoring Alexander the Great.
Question 2
In what city was Aristotle born?
Answer: Stagira
Aristotle’s birthplace was Stagira.
Question 3
What is the title of Aristotle’s famous work on ethics?
Answer: Nicomachean Ethics
Aristotle wrote the ethical work Nicomachean Ethics.
Question 4
Plato started a school in Athens with what name?
- A.Forum
- B.Academy
- C.Lyceum
- D.Garden
Answer: Academy
Plato founded the Academy in Athens.
Question 5
According to history, Socrates was sentenced to death by drinking what?
Answer: hemlock
The traditional account says Socrates drank hemlock.
Question 6
Diogenes of Sinope is most closely linked with which philosophical movement?
- A.Stoicism
- B.Epicureanism
- C.German Idealism
- D.Cynicism
Answer: Cynicism
Diogenes of Sinope is closely associated with Cynicism.
Question 7
Epicurus gave his school in Athens a very outdoorsy name. What was it called?
- A.the Garden
- B.the Academy
- C.the Porch
- D.the Library
Answer: the Garden
Epicurus founded a school in Athens known is the Garden.
Question 8
Augustine served as bishop of which North African city?
Answer: Hippo Regius
Augustine served is bishop of Hippo Regius in North Africa.
Question 9
Avicenna was a philosopher, but he also worked in what profession?
Answer: physician
Avicenna was both a philosopher and a physician.
Question 10
Thomas Aquinas belonged to which religious order?
Answer: Dominican Order
Thomas Aquinas belonged to the Dominican Order.
Question 11
Which major work was written by Thomas Aquinas?
Answer: Summa Theologiae
Thomas Aquinas wrote Summa Theologiae.
Question 12
What nickname is given to the principle associated with William of Ockham?
Answer: Ockham's razor
William of Ockham is associated with the principle nicknamed Ockham's razor.
Fun Philosophy Trivia
13 questions
These fun Philosophy trivia questions highlight surprising moments and playful facts for game-night groups.
Question 1
Before becoming a philosopher with a giant reputation, whose student was Martin Heidegger?
Answer: Edmund Husserl
Martin Heidegger studied under Edmund Husserl, one of the central figures in phenomenology.
Question 2
Which award did Jean-Paul Sartre famously say “no thanks” to in 1964?
- A.The Booker Prize
- B.The Pulitzer Prize
- C.The Prix Goncourt
- D.The Nobel Prize in Literature
Answer: The Nobel Prize in Literature
Jean-Paul Sartre declined the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1964.
Question 3
Simone de Beauvoir’s lifelong intellectual partnership was with which philosopher?
Answer: Jean-Paul Sartre
Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre maintained a lifelong personal and intellectual partnership.
Question 4
Hannah Arendt had both a personal and intellectual relationship with which philosopher?
Answer: Martin Heidegger
Arendt and Heidegger were connected both personally and intellectually.
Question 5
For many years, Karl Jaspers taught at which university?
Answer: Heidelberg University
Karl Jaspers spent many years teaching at Heidelberg University.
Question 6
Bertrand Russell didn’t build Principia Mathematica alone. Who coauthored it with him?
Answer: Alfred North Whitehead
Principia Mathematica was coauthored by Bertrand Russell and Alfred North Whitehead.
Question 7
Who wrote On Liberty?
Answer: John Stuart Mill
On Liberty is a major work by John Stuart Mill.
Question 8
Which philosopher co-wrote The Communist Manifesto with Friedrich Engels?
Answer: Karl Marx
Karl Marx co-wrote The Communist Manifesto with Friedrich Engels.
Question 9
Who is the author of Beyond Good and Evil?
Answer: Friedrich Nietzsche
Beyond Good and Evil was written by Friedrich Nietzsche.
Question 10
Whose title sounds like a spellbook but is actually a philosophy classic: Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus?
Answer: Ludwig Wittgenstein
Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus was written by Ludwig Wittgenstein.
Question 11
True or false: Bertrand Russell was one of the co-authors of Principia Mathematica.?
Answer: True
Bertrand Russell did co-author Principia Mathematica.
Question 12
Which philosopher wrote The Second Sex?
Answer: Simone de Beauvoir
The Second Sex is a major work by Simone de Beauvoir.
Question 13
Who founded the Academy in Athens, basically launching one of history’s most famous schools?
Answer: Plato
Plato founded the Academy in Athens.
Funny Philosophy Trivia
13 questions
These funny Philosophy trivia questions highlight playful moments, odd facts, and inside jokes.
Question 1
Which philosopher is most closely associated with the ontological argument for God's existence—the proof that tried to win by pure thinking power alone?
- A.George Berkeley
- B.Anselm
- C.Boethius
- D.William of Ockham
Answer: Anselm
Anselm is closely linked with the ontological argument for God's existence.
Question 2
Before philosophy became a full-time headache, Baruch Spinoza earned money by doing what practical job?
Answer: Grinding lenses
Spinoza earned a living in part by grinding lenses.
Question 3
In 1889, Friedrich Nietzsche suffered a mental collapse in which city?
- A.Basel
- B.Leipzig
- C.Turin
- D.Vienna
Answer: Turin
Nietzsche suffered a mental collapse in Turin in 1889.
Question 4
If you were mailing Gottlob Frege a very serious logic question for much of his career, which city would likely be on the envelope?
- A.Heidelberg
- B.Jena
- C.Berlin
- D.Vienna
Answer: Jena
Frege worked in Jena for much of his career.
Question 5
Ludwig Wittgenstein once took a break from ultra-dense philosophy to work as what in Austria?
- A.A postmaster
- B.A violin tuner
- C.A train conductor
- D.Village schoolteacher
Answer: A village schoolteacher
Wittgenstein worked is a village schoolteacher in Austria for a time.
Question 6
Which Stoic teacher began life enslaved before becoming a philosopher—talk about a difficult origin story?
- A.Zeno
- B.Seneca
- C.Cleanthes
- D.Epictetus
Answer: Epictetus
Epictetus was born enslaved before becoming a Stoic teacher.
Question 7
Which philosopher is the English one in this lineup: William of Ockham, Baruch Spinoza, Laozi, or Nāgārjuna?
- A.Nāgārjuna
- B.William of Ockham
- C.Baruch Spinoza
- D.Laozi
Answer: William of Ockham
William of Ockham was an English philosopher.
Question 8
Who taught at the University of Jena, helping make logic sound extra official?
Answer: Gottlob Frege
Gottlob Frege taught at the University of Jena.
Question 9
Tradition links which figure to the Tao Te Ching, a book famous for saying a lot while sounding like it's saying very little on purpose?
- A.Nāgārjuna
- B.Zeno
- C.Epictetus
- D.Laozi
Answer: Laozi
Laozi is traditionally linked to the Tao Te Ching.
Question 10
Boethius wrote which famous work while awaiting execution—an impressively stressful writing retreat?
- A.The City of God
- B.The Consolation of Philosophy
- C.Meditations
- D.The Republic
Answer: The Consolation of Philosophy
Boethius wrote The Consolation of Philosophy while awaiting execution.
Question 11
George Berkeley held office in which church, proving idealism still came with administrative duties?
- A.Church of Ireland
- B.The Roman Catholic Church
- C.The Church of England
- D.The Eastern Orthodox Church
Answer: The Church of Ireland
George Berkeley was a bishop in the Church of Ireland.
Question 12
Arthur Schopenhauer gave his major work which grand title, because apparently short titles were beneath the will?
- A.The World as Will and Representation
- B.Beyond Good and Evil
- C.Being and Time
- D.Critique of Pure Reason
Answer: The World as Will and Representation
Schopenhauer titled his major work The World is Will and Representation.
Question 13
Which philosopher is a major figure in Madhyamaka Buddhism?
- A.Nāgārjuna
- B.Laozi
- C.Boethius
- D.Anselm
Answer: Nāgārjuna
Nāgārjuna is a major philosopher of Madhyamaka Buddhism.
Hard Philosophy Trivia
14 questions
These hard Philosophy trivia questions are for expert fans who want a real challenge.
Question 1
During World War I, which philosopher was imprisoned in Britain for antiwar activism?
- A.William James
- B.Robert Nozick
- C.Bertrand Russell
- D.G. W. F. Hegel
Answer: Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Russell was imprisoned in Britain during World War I because of his antiwar activism.
Question 2
In Buddhist philosophy, what concept is often used as a central idea: emptiness, cynicism, deconstruction, or utopia?
- A.Emptiness
- B.Cynicism
- C.Deconstruction
- D.Utopia
Answer: Emptiness
Buddhist philosophy often uses the concept of emptiness.
Question 3
Athens had many schools, but which philosopher founded the one known as the Garden?
- A.Zeno of Citium
- B.Diogenes of Sinope
- C.Epicurus
- D.Socrates
Answer: Epicurus
Epicurus founded a school in Athens called the Garden.
Question 4
Who wrote The Consolation of Philosophy?
Answer: Boethius
The Consolation of Philosophy was written by Boethius.
Question 5
Which philosopher in this set was born in Córdoba in al-Andalus?
- A.Averroes
- B.Avicenna
- C.Spinoza
- D.Derrida
Answer: Averroes
Averroes was born in Córdoba in al-Andalus.
Question 6
Name the philosopher whose nationality here is simply given as French.?
- A.Blaise Pascal
- B.Michel Foucault
- C.Jacques Derrida
- D.George Berkeley
Answer: Blaise Pascal
Blaise Pascal was French.
Question 7
Which philosopher was born in Amsterdam?
- A.Jacques Derrida
- B.Søren Kierkegaard
- C.Averroes
- D.Baruch Spinoza
Answer: Baruch Spinoza
Baruch Spinoza was born in Amsterdam.
Question 8
Which philosopher is identified here as Irish?
- A.Søren Kierkegaard
- B.George Berkeley
- C.William James
- D.Charles Sanders Peirce
Answer: George Berkeley
George Berkeley is listed is an Irish philosopher.
Question 9
At which institution did G. W. F. Hegel teach?
- A.Lionsgate Television
- B.University of Berlin
- C.Harvard University
- D.20th Television
Answer: The University of Berlin
Hegel taught at the University of Berlin.
Question 10
Who wrote The World as Will and Representation?
Answer: Arthur Schopenhauer
The World is Will and Representation is identified as a work by Arthur Schopenhauer.
Question 11
Which philosopher in this list is from Copenhagen?
- A.Baruch Spinoza
- B.Søren Kierkegaard
- C.George Berkeley
- D.Blaise Pascal
Answer: Søren Kierkegaard
Søren Kierkegaard was from Copenhagen.
Question 12
Which philosopher taught at Harvard University?
- A.William James
- B.Charles Sanders Peirce
- C.Robert Nozick
- D.Michel Foucault
Answer: William James
William James is the philosopher listed is having taught at Harvard University.
Question 13
Which of these philosophers is identified as American?
- A.Jacques Derrida
- B.Charles Sanders Peirce
- C.George Berkeley
- D.Blaise Pascal
Answer: Charles Sanders Peirce
Charles Sanders Peirce was an American philosopher.
Question 14
Who wrote Anarchy, State, and Utopia?
- A.Michel Foucault
- B.Arthur Schopenhauer
- C.Bertrand Russell
- D.Robert Nozick
Answer: Robert Nozick
Anarchy, State, and Utopia is listed is a work by Robert Nozick.
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