Historical Introduction to Philosophy/Presocratics and Socrates
- 1 Presocratics
- 1.1 Thales 624-545 B.C.E.
- 1.2 Anaximander 610-540 B
Historical Introduction to Philosophy/Presocratics and Socrates
- 1 Presocratics
- 1.1 Thales 624-545 B.C.E.
- 1.2 Anaximander 610-540 B.C.E.
- 1.3 Anaximenes 545 B.C.E.
- 1.4 Xenophones 570 B.C.E.
- 1.5 Pythagoras 570-497 B.C.E.
- 1.6 Heraclitus 540-480 B.C.E.
- 1.7 Parmenides of Elea 515-445 B.C.E.
- 1.8 Zeno of Elea 490-430 B.C.E.
- 1.9 Empedocles???-440 B.C.E.
- 1.10 Anaxagoras 500-428 B.C.E.
- 1.11 Leucippus (dates widely disputed), and Democritus 470-360 B.C.E.
- 1.12 The Sophists
- 2 Socrates 469-399B.C.E.
- 3 Quiz
- 4 References
- 5 Work Cited
Thales 624-545 B.C.E.
Thales was born in Miletus (the New York Harbor of its day) had the opportunity to participate in society and was encouraged to. His main interests were natural philosophy, mathematics, and astronomy. He wrote “On Nature” and with his use and understanding of physics, he was able to measure the Egyptian pyramids by using a stick, ratio and the geometrical shape of a triangle. He studied weather and was able to make money after predicting an early harvest by renting all of the area's olive oil presses. His name is included in most of the lists of the seven sages of Greece. One of his finest accomplishments was to redirect a river for King Croesus’s army to cross. Another was his prediction of a solar eclipse in 585 B.C.E. He was in search of the arche or first principle of the universe. His conclusion was all is water. From water we come to water we go. His idea was that the world rests on water and has a soul or spirit. That, motion is life he concluded that magnets could move iron-creating motion therefore giving life to the world.
Anaximander 610-540 B.C.E.
Anaximander was possibly a student of Thales and showed great interest in geometry, astronomy, and philosophy. Anaximander was the first to write prose specifically for Philosophy. He invented the sundial, giving the Greeks a way to measure time. He was also the first Greek to give us a map of the world. His main argument was that all is the “boundless” and has no specific qualities, therefore, creating opposites. Water is wet, fire is dry, and water puts out fire. It is eternal because it gives rise to opposites. Divine because it is deathless and indestructible. He believed that the world is surrounded by concentric circles made up of the earth in the center then water, air, fire. Thus using the idea of four elements, two pairs, and opposites, all things happen through time mixing together creating change and cycles. Conflict leads to resolution and the unbounded is cyclical and continuous. Keeping the earth up because of the balance, it creates. He argued that the earth was the center of the cosmos and has no reason to move.
Anaximenes 545 B.C.E.
Anaximenes too was a student of the philosopher before him. He believed that all is air, and it has no limits and never dies. His empirical research led him to believe that what is alive breaths and has a soul. He felt that this must also be true of the cosmos. Arguing that what happens to the smallest creature must also happen on a greater level. Condensation of air creates water to snow then ice. Like Thales, Anaximenes believed that, the earth rested on something and his something was air.
Xenophones 570 B.C.E.
Xenophanes, a traveler and roaming poet, was born in Colophon not far from the city of Miletus. Many historians believe that he was the teacher of Parmenides. Xenophanes was interested in poetry, religion, and natural philosophy. He was the first to try to discredit the gods. His main argument was that humans project their thoughts and actions onto the gods. That is, humans believe the gods look like them, and every society describes the gods differently according to how the people look. He believed that humans have knowledge from experience, or perception is different for each human.
Pythagoras 570-497 B.C.E.
Pythagoras was the leader of a popular religious cult named after him. He and his followers called the Pythagorean Brotherhood lived a regimented life in Croton Italy. They shared material possessions similar to the idea of a commune. He believed in reincarnation and the transmigration of the soul. The soul is immortal and humans can reunite with the divine if they are perfect and purify themselves. That incarnation is punishment for bad things humans do. In order to be worthy of the divine we must think, act, and live correctly to end the cycle of reb