Francis Bacon was an English philosopher and statesman.
Michel de Montaigne was a celebrated French philosopher and author, renowned for pioneering the essay as a literary genre.
Baruch Spinoza was a 17th-century Dutch philosopher who developed a comprehensive metaphysical system, blending rationalism and mysticism.
H.L. Mencken was an American journalist, satirist, cultural critic, and scholar of American English who significantly influenced American literature and culture.