History of Philosophy/Philosophers

30 Question-and-Answer flashcards covering key philosophers, concepts, and quotes from the lecture notes.

Who is regarded as the first person to explain the universe outside of mythological concepts?

Thales of Miletus

According to Thales, what fundamental substance composes all matter?

Water

Which early philosopher was a teacher of Pythagoras?

Thales of Miletus

Which geometric concept is Pythagoras famously associated with?

The Pythagorean Theorem

Who was the first to call himself a “philosopher,” meaning lover of wisdom?

Pythagoras

What, according to Pythagoras, explains the universe?

Numbers and mathematical harmony

Which philosopher declared, “You cannot step in the same river twice”?

Heraclitus

What element did Heraclitus believe was the fundamental principle of reality?

Fire

Who is known as the first moral philosopher in Western thought?

Socrates

What question-based method of inquiry is Socrates famous for?

The Socratic Method (elenchus)

What was Socrates’ famous assertion about an unexamined life?

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”

Which philosopher maintained that “All human beings desire the good”?

Socrates

Who founded the Academy of Athens?

Plato

What is the central idea of Plato’s Theory of Forms?

Reality is divided into the physical realm and an ideal realm of Forms.

Which dialogue by Plato outlines an ideal society?

The Republic

According to Plato, what is true of the human soul?

The soul is immortal, even when the body ceases to exist.

Which philosopher was both a student of Plato and the tutor of Alexander the Great?

Aristotle

How many kinds of soul did Aristotle describe in his work ‘Peri Psyche’?

Three

Which thinker combined Christian doctrine with Platonic philosophy?

Saint Augustine of Hippo

What was Augustine’s core belief about all created things?

Everything is ultimately connected with God.

Who proclaimed that truth should be accepted no matter where it is found?

Saint Thomas Aquinas

Which medieval philosopher reaffirmed Aristotle’s three types of soul?

Saint Thomas Aquinas

Who was the first scholar to describe pulmonary circulation?

Ibn al-Nafis

According to Ibn al-Nafis, where is the soul located in the human body?

Throughout the entire body, not confined to a single organ

Which thinker is called the Father of Modern Western Philosophy?

Rene Descartes

What is Descartes’ well-known philosophical statement in Latin?

Cogito ergo sum (“I think, therefore I am”).

How did Descartes describe the relationship between mind and body?

They are distinct substances but closely joined.

Which philosopher’s view that numbers underlie reality influenced both mathematics and metaphysics?

Pythagoras

Which philosopher asserted that “Virtue is knowledge”?

Plato

What does Aristotle claim the soul explains about living beings?

The soul is the principle that explains all life.