Presocratic Philosophy Review

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts from Presocratic philosophy, focusing on important philosophers, their ideas, and key terms related to their theories.

Xenophanes of Ephesos

A philosopher who rejected Homeric anthropomorphism and conceived of a single cosmic mind (nous) that orders the universe.

Anthropomorphism

Attribution of human traits or emotions to gods or deities.

Nous

Intellect or the ordering principle of the universe, according to Xenophanes.

Arche

The first principle or primary substance, which for Xenophanes was earth and water.

Thales of Miletus

Considered a practical engineer and one of the Seven Sages, known for his theory that water is the arché.

Cosmogony

A theory or story of the origins and development of the universe.

Anaximander of Miletus

Philosopher who proposed the apeiron as the first principle and drew one of the first maps of the world.

Apeiron

The indefinite or boundless that generates opposites, leading to change and movement according to Anaximander.

Logos

The rational principle governing the universe, associated with Heraclitus.

Union of Opposites

Heraclitus' idea that opposites define each other and are necessary for understanding existence.

Flux

The concept of constant change in the universe, emphasized by Heraclitus.

Pythagoreanism

A philosophical tradition attributed to Pythagoras, including ideas of metempsychosis and the belief that the universe is founded on numbers.

Empedocles of Acragas

Philosopher who identified four elements—earth, air, fire, and water—as the basis for all things and introduced the forces of Love and Strife.

Anaxagoras of Clazomenae

Proposed that all things are aggregates of everything else, with mind (nous) as the organizing force.

Democritus of Abdera

Philosopher known for his atomic theory, positing that all existence consists of indivisible atoms and void.

The Sophists

Itinerant intellectuals in ancient Greece who taught rhetoric and philosophy, emphasizing relativism in truth.

Protagoras

A prominent Sophist known for his relativistic views on truth, famously declaring that "man is the measure of all things."

Rhetoric

The art of persuasive speaking or writing, a key skill taught by the Sophists.

Paradox

A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but may in fact be true, often used by Zeno.

Zeno's Paradoxes

A series of philosophical paradoxes created to challenge the concept of motion and plurality.

Monism

The belief that reality is ultimately a singular unity, often associated with Parmenides' philosophy.

Natural Law

An inherent principle guiding the order and justice in the universe, as described by Anaximander.