philosophy

5 branches of philosophy

1. logic

   1. bedrock of phil; reasoning well by employing methods of correct thinking

2. metaphysics

   1. study of what exists

   2. what is real?

   3. explores concepts of being, existence, and nothingness

3. ethics/value theory

   1. thoughts behind human behavior

   2. what is right/wrong

4. aesthetics

   1. concerned with nature + appreciation of beauty

   2. what is beauty?

5. epistemology

   1. study of knowledge (esp in regards to its methods, validity, and scope)

      1. “investigation of what distinguishes justified belief from opinion”

meaning of philosophy

• philo = “love of”

• sophia = “wisdom”

• questioning previously obtained info

  • essential discussion on almost every facet of life

basic principles of egyptian mythology

basic

• egypt = birthplace of all life

• gods live among their creations

• god (ra) divided rulership of earth between 2 brothers (osiris and seth)

afterlife

• only gods can summon anubis (guardian of afterlife)

• no communication btween living and dead

• judgement takes place in hall of two truths (life or death)

• measurement of gold/deeds to make way into afterlife

belief abt gods

• ra = supreme

• day/night determined by position of ra

• evil constantly lurking, ra constantly fighting it (explanation for evil)

basic principles of greek mythology

basic

• polytheistic, like egyptians

  • power struggle between gods

afterlife

• world began w/several primordial beings

• heaven made titans, imprisoned them in earth

• gods = children of the titans (responsible for diff realms of existence)

• elysium = the good place

• tartatus = the bad place

pre-socratic philosophers

1. thales of miletus

   1. water = fundamental unit of matter

   2. did not believe in role of gods physical earth (weather, stars, etc)

2. anaximander

   1. source of everything = the “boundless” (indefinite matter)

3. anaximenes

   1. air = fundamental unit of matter

   2. proposed 2 processes of change; condensation + rarefaction

4. pythagoras

   1. existence made up of numbers, not substance (reality can be expressed in formulas)

5. heraclitus

   1. logos = rule/law according to which all things are accomplished

   2. everything always changing

6. parmenides (his name always reminds me of parmesan cheese)

   1. change and variety are only illusions and appearances

   2. reality or “being” not perceptible to our senses

7. empedocles

   1. among 1st pluralists

   2. basic components of life composed of water, earth, fire, air

   3. two “motions”: love (unity), strife (separation)

8. anaxagoras

   1. nous = all-pervading mind

      1. imposes intelligent pattern upon earth/existence

   2. things are composed of small bits (basis for atoms)

9. the atomists

   1. leucippus - originator of atomism

   2. democritus - atoms are small, invisible to human eye

      1. believes no intentional purpose or order in existence

athens ppl we talked abt

EMPIRICAL (right) - represented by aristotle

(focuses on observable and physical reality)

1. euclid

   1. known for his work in geometry, especially the development of Euclidean geometry, which relies on logical deductions from self-evident axioms.

2. diogenes

   1. known for his philosophy of Cynicism, advocating for living in virtue in agreement with nature, rejecting social conventions and materialism.

3. raphael

   1. painted it, invites the viewer to participate in philosophy/reason

RATIONALITY (left) - represented by plato

(focus on abstract, theoretical)

1. averroes

   1. known for his interpretation and integration of Aristotelian philosophy with Islamic thought, emphasizing reason and logic.

2. pythagoras

   1. known for his belief in the significance of numbers in understanding the universe and for founding the Pythagorean school

3. alexander the great

   1. spread Greek philosophical ideas through his empire, facilitating the Hellenistic period's rational and philosophical advancements

4. hypatia

   1. known for her contributions to mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy, particularly in Neoplatonism

5. socrates

   1. known for his development of the Socratic method, a form of cooperative argumentative dialogue to stimulate critical thinking and draw out underlying assumptions

6. heraclitus

   1. Known for his doctrine that everything is in constant flux and that reason (logos) governs the cosmos. He is often associated with the idea that change is the fundamental nature of the universe

raphael painted 4 diff paintings (one of which school of athens) to represent which 4 branches of human knowledge?

1. theology

2. philosophy

3. poetry

4. justice

axiom

self-evident truth

(basic statement or principle that is accepted as true without requiring proof. In mathematics and philosophy)