Pinpoint Answer

Editorially verified for the Sep 22, 2026

An English thinker who championed observation and a systematic approach to knowledge. 🔬
This English thinker explored natural rights, government, and the mind as a blank slate. 📜
This Chinese teacher emphasized virtue, respect, and social harmony. 🏯
These Athenian thinkers are linked to dialogue, ideal forms, and the examined life. 🏛️
The French thinker behind this declaration made doubt and reason central to certainty. 🤔

Words & how they fit

Each clue and why it belongs in the category

  • Bacon

    Francis Bacon, an English empiricist

    Bacon helped establish modern empirical philosophy.

  • Locke

    John Locke, a theorist of natural rights

    Locke shaped modern ideas about knowledge, liberty, and government.

  • Confucius

    Confucius, a teacher of ethics and social order

    Confucius developed a lasting moral and social philosophy.

  • Plato and Socrates

    Plato and Socrates, a teacher-student pair in classical Athens

    They are central figures in the Greek philosophical tradition.

  • Descartes: “I think, therefore I am”

    René Descartes, author of the cogito

    Descartes used the statement to ground knowledge in conscious thought.

How to Solve it

A step-by-step walkthrough of this puzzle

  1. 1

    Bacon And Locke 🥓

    Bacon and Locke first look like surnames of influential historical thinkers. Confucius supports that reading, since all three are recognizable names tied to major ideas.

  2. 2

    Plato Meets Socrates 🏛️

    Plato and Socrates rule out a loose list of notable figures. Their famous teacher-student link exposes a shared field: philosophy.

  3. 3

    Descartes Confirms It 💭

    Descartes makes the category unmistakable through his signature philosophical statement. The full set consists of famous philosophers from different eras and traditions.

The pattern

The clues identify famous philosophers.

Recent Pinpoint Answers

The last 7 days of solutions

Oct 7· #890

A+
B-
AB+
O+ (the most common)
O- (universal red cell donor)
Blood types

Oct 6· #889

Hamlet
Conurbation
Village
Town
City
Settlements of different size

Oct 5· #888

Recorder
Whistle
Piccolo
Flute
Clarinet
Wind instruments

Oct 4· #887

George Lazenby
Pierce Brosnan
Roger Moore
Daniel Craig
Sean Connery (first in "Dr. No")
Actors who have played James Bond

Oct 3· #886

Ground
Thread
Sense
Denominator
Knowledge (most people know it!)
Words that come after “common”

Oct 2· #885

Golf
Whiskey
Bagpipes
Haggis
The Loch Ness Monster
Things associated with Scotland (🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿)

Oct 1· #884

Ossicles
Cochlea
Semicircular canals
Tympanic membrane
Auditory nerve
Parts of the ear

What connects Bacon, Locke, Confucius, Plato and Socrates and Descartes: “I think, therefore I am”? That's Pinpoint #875, the LinkedIn puzzle from Tuesday, September 22nd, 2026. Tap any clue above to open a nudge for that word, read the final hint if you want one more push, then reveal the category. Below the answer there's a full walkthrough: the wrong turn these clues invite, the clue that breaks it open, and what each word actually pairs with.

What connects Bacon, Locke, Confucius, Plato and Socrates and Descartes: “I think, therefore I am”?

The answer to Pinpoint #875 is Famous philosophers. Every clue in the set — Bacon, Locke, Confucius, Plato and Socrates and Descartes: “I think, therefore I am” — belongs to “Famous philosophers”, which is the thread you're looking for.

If you got there in one or two clues, the giveaway was almost certainly Bacon paired with Locke — that combination rules out most of the categories a single word could belong to. The clue-by-clue breakdown above the fold shows exactly where each word lands.

How Pinpoint works

RuleDetail
GoalGuess the category that connects all five clue words (for example, “Apple, Dell, Acer, HP” → computer brands).
Clues reveal one at a timeYou start with one word and get another after each wrong guess, up to five — the fewer you need, the better your score.
GuessesType the category; the game tells you if you're right. You have a limited number of tries.
ResetA new Pinpoint puzzle drops every day at midnight Pacific Time (3:00 a.m. Eastern).

Solving a clue set like this one

  • Put the first two clues side by side before guessing anything. Bacon on its own fits a dozen categories; Bacon plus Locke usually fits one or two.
  • If your first theory dies on clue three, don't patch it — throw it out. A theory that needs an exception for one clue is the wrong theory.
  • Check for a shared word before you check for a shared topic. Pinpoint loves sets where every clue sits in front of (or behind) the same hidden word.
  • Say each clue out loud. Homophones and phrases hide in plain sight when you only read them.

How Pinpoint scoring works

You see one clue to start and earn another after every wrong guess, up to five. Solving on clue one is the best possible result and solving on clue five still counts as a win, so there's no reason to rush a guess you're not confident in — a wrong answer costs you a clue you can't get back.

Other Pinpoint clue sets

Every Pinpoint puzzle has its own page here, filed under its clue words. Use the calendar above to jump to another day, or open the main Pinpoint answers page for the current puzzle.

Frequently asked questions

What connects Bacon, Locke, Confucius, Plato and Socrates and Descartes: “I think, therefore I am”?

They're all “Famous philosophers” — the answer to Pinpoint #875 from Tuesday, September 22nd, 2026.

What was the Pinpoint #875 answer?

Famous philosophers. The walkthrough under the answer explains why each of the five clues fits.

Why is Bacon a clue for Famous philosophers?

The clue-by-clue table above gives the exact pairing for Bacon, along with the other four clues in the set.

How do I see today's Pinpoint answer instead?

Open the main LinkedIn Pinpoint answers page — it always shows the current day's clues, hints, and answer, plus a countdown to the next puzzle.