#pre-socratic philosopher

[tagitables]

Empedocles as portrayed in the Nuremberg Chronicle

[theabhishekroy-blog]

Human Enquiry ‘On Nature’

Many thinkers seem to be of the opinion that human perceptions are nonrelevant and are just misleading afflictions. One of them was Parmenides. Read this blog to find more about him.

Over the centuries, there had been much debate upon the reliance on human perceptions and truth of their sensations. Many philosophers both in most recent times as well as back in ancient time have bickered enough over the proposition. Many thinkers seem to be of the opinion that human perceptions are non-reliant and are just misleading afflictions. One of them was Parmenides. Parmenides was a Pre-Socratic Philosopher from Elea, Graecia in the 6th-5th century. He used to apply strict logos i.e. logic and used deductive arguments to give his theories.

[whatsthepointofphilosophy]

The Pre-Socratics

There is a general consensus that Socrates invented Western philosophy (what we call “thinking”) in the fifth century BC, around the same time the Hundred Schools of Thought were taking off in China, which is either a dramatic coincidence, or exactly what you’d expect.

This might be a little unfair on the Greek philosophers who came before him. So let’s have a look at some of them and why anyone should bother.

Thales of Miletus

Thales is generally regarded as the first natural philosopher, by which we mean he was the first person in the Western tradition to attempt to explain how things work without relying on religious myths. He developed the basis for our modern geometry, and using this new skill, he was the first person to correctly predict a solar eclipse.

He also believed that everything was ultimately composed of water, but, as with many disciplines, the early suggested answers are almost irrelevant compared to the genius of posing questions no one had asked before.

Anaximander of Miletus

Anaximander was the first philosopher to write down his own work, which must have seemed utterly pointless to everyone around him. He was also the first to produce a map of the world (i.e. the Mediterranean). 

His primary contribution to modern philosophy was the abstract idea of uncertainty, which he felt ruled everything, and which has been translated into English as the “infinite principle”. Again, this must have seemed utterly pointless to everyone around him, but now it’s how all sensible philosophers think about everything.

Pythagoras of Samos

Pythagoras is most famous these days for his triangle theorem, but he made the arguably more influential discovery that there is a mathematical relationship between the length of a string and the pitch it produces. 

As the planets are clearly in motion, he theorised that each planet must emit its own tone, and that these tones must necessarily be in harmony (or, presumably, they would make an awful racket).  

There is the overwhelming sense in Pythagorean philosophy that we could solve the mysteries of the universe if only we knew the right numbers. That feeling persists today among a number of mathematicians and gematria practitioners.

Xenophanes of Colophon

Xenophanes was the first philosopher to directly trash the historic idea of gods as ridiculous and nothing more than human projections. He further theorised that a god would have to have characteristics that would make him infinite but more or less imperceptible by any means, which is where most theologians are today.

He also developed the earliest form of epistemology, claiming that absolute truth is essentially unknowable, and everything we think we know is nothing more than a series of best guesses, which is where philosophers and scientists are today.

Heraclitus of Ephesus 

Heraclitus is most famous for believing that everything is made of different types of fire, and the volatile nature of fire means that everything is in a constant state of change. He famously pointed out that you can’t step into the same river twice, because the water has changed, and so have you. 

He is also the first philosopher in a dark tradition, carried on by people like Heidegger and Derrida, who wrote in an intentionally difficult way, to make sure that only clever people could understand it. 

[the-ancient-world-blog]

Heraclitus 

“You will never step in the same river twice.” This is my favorite quote from Heraclitus that we discussed in class. He seems so wise and philosophical (duh). His teachings are pretty deep, so they can be a bit tough to comprehend... What I have taken away from them is the essence of change. The world, our lives, and everything around us is constantly changing. It’s important to remember that we will never be exactly the same ever again, so we need to appreciate each moment for what it is. Thanks for sharing your wisdom with us, Heraclitus.