PHILOSOPHY REVIEW

Origin Of Philosophy: Etymological Definition

The original meaning of the word Philosophy comes from the Greek roots

Philia means “Love”

Sophia means “Wisdom”

Love Of Wisdom

LOVE specifically is a strong desire for a particular object or subject

WISDOM is defining as the correct application of knowledge

PHILOSOPHY as the Love of Wisdom is a strong desire of a human person to possess knowledge and wisdom and apply it correctly.

COGITO ERGO SUM

Descartes was searching for absolute certainty in a world full of doubt. He questioned everything-his senses, his beliefs, even the existence of the external of the external world: But he realized:

Even if I doubt everything, the very act of doubting proves that I am thinking. And if I am thinking, then I must exist.

So, thinking becomes proof of existence. It’s not a conclusion from reasoning-it’s an intuition that cannot be false. Even if an evil demon were decieving him, he would still have to exist to be decieved.

RENE DESCARTES

René Descartes (1596-1650) was a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist, widely regarded as the father of modern philosophy. His work laid the foundation for much of Western thought, especially in epistemology and metaphysics.

Famous Dictum

““Cogito, ergo sum - I think, therefore I am”

Aristotle

Philosophy begins in WONDER

ARISTOTLE

Student of Plato

Aristotle’s idea that humans are defined by their capacity for reason became a cornerstone of Westen Philosophy

Thinkers like Thomas Aquinas adopted Aristotles definition to build Christian Theology. Aquinas argued that reason is what allows humans to understand divine law

Famous Dictum:

“Man is a rational animal”

PLATO

Student of Socrates

Developed the Theory of Form (abstract, perfect ideas exist beyond the physical world.

Wrote dialogues featuring Socrates

Famous Dictum:

“Wise men speak because they have something to say: fools speak because they have to say something”

SOCRATES

One of the great philosophers in the history of philosophy.

Instead of studying the universe and the world, he believed we should look at human nature and the human person.

Famous Dictum: “The unexamined life is not worth living”

ANAXIMENES OF MILETUS

Transformation through rarefaction and condensation

He believed that air transforms into other substances

Rarefield air becomes fire

Condensed air becomes wind - cloud - water - earth - stone

This process explained the diversity of matter in the universe

Air as Life Force

Anaximenes linked air to the soul, suggesting that just as breath animates humans, air animates the cosmos

This idea of “cosmic breath” gave air a spiritual and divine dimension

ANAXIMENES OF MILETUS

COSMOLOGICAL IDEAS

The philosophy of air as a fundamental substance traces back to Anaximenes of miletus, a pre-socratic greek philosopher from the 6th century BCE

He proposed that air is the arche the primary principle from which everything originates and to which everything returns.

Air as the Fundamental Element Unlike Thales(Who chose water) and Anaximander (who proposed the apeiron or “infinite”), Anaximenes selected air because it is invisible, omnipresent, and essential for life

HERACLITUS

Doctrine of Flux

Heraclitus famously declared that “you cannot step into the same river twice.” This metaphor captures his belief that change is the fundamental nature of reality. Everything is in constant motion, and permanence is an illusion.

Unity of Opposites

He argued that opposing forces are interconnected and necessary for harmony. For example, day and night, life and death, joy and sorrow - each defines and sustains each other.

HERACLITUS

COSMOLOGICAL IDEAS

Fire as the Fundamental Element

Unlike earlier philosophers who proposed water or air as the primary substance, Herclitus chose fire symbolizing transformation and impermanence. He saw fire as the essence of the universe’s dynamic nature.

Heraclitus didn’t just observe the world he reimagined how we understand it.

His philosophy invites us to embrace change, seek hidden connections, and recognize the deeper order beneath apparent chaos.

THALES OF MILETUS

A PIONEER OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY

(624-546 BCE)

Thales is widely considered the first philosopher in the Western Tradition

He marked a significant departure from mythological explanations of the world, initiating a quest for rational, naturalistic understanding.

THALES’ COSMOLOGICAL IDEAS

Thales’ most famous contribution is his assertion that water is the fundamental substance of the universe.

He believed all things originated from and ultimately consisted of water, a concept that challenged prevailing mythological cosmologies

Key Themes In Western Pre- Socratic

Focused on cosmology (nature and universe), metaphysics (fundamental reality), and epistemology (nature of knowledge)

PRE-SOCRATIC

Pre/Socratic philosophy also known as Early Greek Philosophy.

Before Socrates (470-399)

Laid the foundation for Western philosophy by shifting from Mythological explanation to rational inquiries about the nature of the universe and its fundamental principles

Western and Eastern Philosophy

Western philosophy vs Eastern Philosophy represents a dichotomy in the way that people approach understanding the world and their role in it.

Over thousands of years, these two distinct schools of thought have developed their own unique methods and perspective

While both share some similiarities, they differ in fundamental ways.

PRINCIPLES OF PHILOSOPHY

PRINCIPLE OF IDENTITY whatever is- IT IS; whatever is not - ITS NOT.

PRINCIPLE OF NON-CONTRADICTION - states that a statement cannot be both true and false at the same time and in the same respect

PRINCIPLE OF EXCLUDED MIDDLE - states that for any proposition, either that proposition is true, or its negation is true. There is no third option.

PRINCIPLE OF SUFFICIENT CAUSE - everything must have a reason or a cause

BASIS AND SCOPE OF PHILOSOPHY

NATURAL LIGHT OF REASON - Natural capacity to think or So-called unaided reason

STUDY OF ALL THINGS - distinct from other sciences because it is not one dimensional or partial