Summarise the main currents of philosophy and thinkers of the twentieth century.

In the
hundred years of the twentieth century, many different philosophical movements proliferated
across the world. Although one can summarize some important movements, even summarizing the
major innovations and influential figures would be the work of one or more book-length works. A
few of the important movements are discussed below:

Analytic
Philosophy: Perhaps the most important development in Anglo-Saxon philosophy is
broadly termed "analytic philosophy." Eschewing metaphysics and religion, this type of
philosophy is broadly concerned with philosophy of language and logic, and reflects mainly on
the tools and apparatus of critical thinking. It is known for its rigor and precision but
sometimes criticized for being insular and academic and avoiding the "big questions"
that are the heart of much earlier philosophy. Analytic philosophy originated with such thinkers
as Bertrand Russell, Ludwig Wittgenstein, G. E. Moore, Gottlob Frege, and the logical
positivists (e.g., Carnap, Hempl, Ayer). Important subsequent figures in the analytic tradition
include J. L. Austin, Gilbert Ryle, Willard Van Orman Quine, and Philippa Foot.

New Confucianism: Although Mao and his immediate followers
rejected traditional Chinese culture, a major movement in modern China has been the revival of
Confucian thought, especially in mainland China after 1978. One central emphasis of this
philosophy is its focus on striving toward a "harmonious society."

Continental Philosophy: This term is used among
Anglo-Saxon philosophers to denote a wide variety of movements in European philosophy including
Existentialism (associated with S¸ren Kierkegaard, Jean Paul Sartre, and Simone de Beauvoir),
phenomenology, and deconstruction.