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The 20th century deals with the upheavals produced by a series of conflicts within philosophical discourse over the basis of knowledge, with classical certainties overthrown, and new social, economic, scientific and logical problems. 20th century philosophy was set for a series of attempts to reform and preserve, and to alter or abolish, older knowledge systems. Seminal figures include Ludwig Wittgenstein, Martin Heidegger, Bertrand Russell, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Edmund Husserl. Epistemology, the theory of knowledge, and its basis was a central concern, as seen from the work of Heidegger, Russell, Karl Popper, and Claude Lévi-Strauss. Phenomenologically oriented metaphysics undergirded existentialism (Sartre, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Albert Camus) and finally poststructuralism (Gilles Deleuze, Jean-François Lyotard, Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida). 

Pragmatist Richard Rorty has argued that these and other schools of 20th century philosophy, including his own, share an opposition to classical dualism that is both anti-essentialist and antimetaphysical. The psychoanalytic work of Sigmund Freud, Jacques Lacan, Julia Kristeva, and others has also been influential in contemporary continental philosophy.

A notable phenomenon of the latter half of the century was the rise of popular philosophers who promulgated systems for dealing with the world but were isolated from academic philosophy, such as Ayn Rand, who were radical critics of traditional philosophy and psychology and relied on unorthodox methods. Conversely, some philosophers have attempted to define and rehabilitate older traditions of philosophy. Most notably, Hans-Georg Gadamer and Alasdair MacIntyre have both, albeit in different ways, revived the tradition of Aristotelianism.

The 21st century's philosophy is difficult to clarify due to the short span of time that has lapsed since the start of the new millennium. Only nearly one decade has passed since its beginning, however it is usually seen as being defined by the prominent 20th century philosophers who still survive today. These include the likes of Noam Chomsky, Saul Kripke and Jürgen Habermas, whose work as professors and educators in the field of philosophy have allowed them to reach prominence in the mainstream media. The 21st century continues to carry with it much of the philosophical debate seen in the former one, with continental and analytic traditions still reigning in major debate. A variety of new topics, however, have risen to the stage, resurrecting ethics into the modern philosophical discussion. For instance the implications of new media and information exchange, such as the Internet, have brought back interest in the philosophy of technology and science.
Eastern philosophy
REF:wikipediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_History_of_Philosophy#Modern_philosophy