600 - 500 BCE Flashcards
Thales of Miletus
c. 624 - 546 BCE
One of the seven sages of Greece; Aristotle regarded him as the first philosopher in the Greek tradition and the founder of the Ionian school.
First person in history known to have engaged with scientific philosophy and is therefore regarded as the “father of science”.
Broke with the use of mythology to explain things and started using naturalistic theories and hypotheses.
Believed that the nature of matter was a single material substance: water. Russell believes that this is his single biggest contribution to thought.
Pherecydes of Syros
c. 620 - c. 550 BCE
The first writer to communicate philosophical ideas in prose as opposed to verse.
Wrote a book on cosmogony… “His cosmogony was derived from three divine principles: Zas (Life), Cthonie (Earth), and Chronos (Time). In the narrative, Chronos creates the Classical elements and other gods in cavities within the earth. Later, Zas defeats the dragon Ophion in a battle for supremacy and throws him in Oceanus. Zas marries Chthoniê, who then becomes the recognizable Earth (Gê) with forests and mountains. Chronos retires from the world as creator, and Zas succeeds him as ruler and assigns all beings their place.”
His cosmogony forms a bridge between mythological thought of Hesiod and pre-socratic Greek philosophy.
He is associated with the development of pythagoreanism and orphism.
Anaximander of Miletus
c. 610 - 546 BCE
Was a student of Thales. Later became the master of that school and taught Anaximenes and maybe Pythagoras too.
Although he was influenced by mythologies he was an early proponent of science and was interested in the universe and its origin. He claimed that nature is ruled by laws.
Thought that the arche was something called apeiron.
Anaximenes of Miletus
c. 585 - 525 BCE
Student of Anaximander and the last of the 3 philosophers of the Milesian school.
Like Thales and Anaximander was a material monist who sought to discover the arche (the one underlying physical yet divine basis of everything).
He thought the arche was air and the Earth was a flat disc floating on top of it.
Pythagoras of Samos
c. 580 - c. 500 BCE
Metempsychosis: the transmigration of souls. Held that souls were immortal and upon death enter into a new body.
Musica universalis: the planets move according to mathematical equations and thus resonate to produce an inaudible symphony of music.
Possible contributions:
- Pythagorean theorem
- Pythagorean tuning
- The 5 regular solids
- The theory of proportions
- The sphericity of the Earth
- The morning and evening stars are in fact Venus
Xenophanes of Colophon
c. 570 - 480 BCE
Important pre-socratic philosopher and poet. Sought to explain natural phenomena in terms of first principles rather than mythology.
Distinguished between different forms of knowledge and belief as an early proponent of epistemology.
Later philosophers such as the Eleatics and the Pyrrhonists saw Xenophanes as the founder of their doctrines.
