Augustine of Hippo

About Augustine of Hippo

Augustine of Hippo (354–430 CE) stands as a monumental figure in Western thought, ranking #99 in historical importance according to the MIT Pantheon project. As a key philosopher and theologian of the early Christian Church, his works, particularly Confessions and City of God, profoundly shaped medieval philosophy and Christian doctrine for centuries. His influence spans theology, political theory, and Western intellectual history, cementing his status among the globally most influential individuals.

Despite this deep historical weight, Augustine's modern digital footprint presents an attention gap. He garnered 1.6 million annualized Wikipedia views in 2025. This level of attention is substantially lower than that given to many figures with less historical standing; for instance, he receives only about one-third of the attention shown to the philosopher-musician Elvis Presley (#224 importance) and significantly less than contemporary politicians like Joe Biden (#329 importance). The data reveals a clear overattention ratio of +3x favoring modern, culturally proximal figures over this foundational philosopher.

Interestingly, while Augustine's standing is immense, his 2025 attention showed a slight decline, with a 4% drop between Q1 and Q3 engagement, suggesting his cultural presence online is either static or slowly receding relative to the intense focus some other historical topics commanded over the same period.