Doing Philosophy Flashcards
Comes from the Greek word “philos” or “love”, and “sophia” or “wisdom”; were used by Ancient Greeks to refer to “love of wisdom”.
Philosophy
Soon applied to the study or discipline that uses human reason to investigate the ultimate, causes, reasons, and principles which govern all things.
Philosophy
People who engage in philosophy are called “lovers of wisdom” or “_____”.
Philosophers
Birthplace of philosophy in the West.
Greece
To be more precise, it is the ancient Greek city of “_____” in the Western coast of what is now “_____” that gave birth to philosophy.
Miletus, Turkey
It’s in the city where the first philosopher in the West, “______”, lived.
Thales
The “Father of Philosophy in the Western Civilization”.
Thales
A philosopher whose desire is to know the ultimate stuff that makes up the different things we perceived.
Thales
He believed that there is one underlying stuff or substance in which everything is composed.
Thales
“One in the many,” he reduces the multiplicity into a unity.
Thales
Primarily concerned with uncovering the truth through systematic argumentation and theory.
Western Philosophy
There is greater emphasis on the use of reason rather than faith, and an individual increased focus on man as an individual.
Western Philosophy
In a more scientific way, theory-based approach is a more individualistic, self-oriented approach.
Western Philosophy
-An important group that emerged and influenced learning in Ancient Greece.
-They are teachers who traveled throughout Greece and taught people who wished to learn.
-They do so through discussion and argument, and the sophists are excellent public speakers.
-They met resistance from another group of thinkers.
Sophists
-According to them, arguments and discussions must be based on sound reasoning.
-Their central belief is that man need not know all things in the world, but one must continue to inquire and seek to understand and learn about the human condition.
-The philosophers became pioneers in various fields of knowledge such as history, biology, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, and even physics.
Philosophos
A mathematician and scientist, credited with formulating the “Pythagorean Theorem”. He established a community of learners devoted to the study of religion and philosophy.
Pythagoras (570BCE – 495BCE)
He proposed that everything that exists is based on a higher order or plan, which he called “logos”. He says that change is a permanent aspect of the human condition.
Heraclitus (535BCE – 475BCE)
He devoted himself to studying the causes of natural phenomena. He was among the first to propose that matter is composed of tiny particles called “atoms”.
Democritus (460BCE – 370BCE)
A known advocate of living a simple and virtuous life. His emphasis on austerity and simplicity often went to the extreme and was said to have lived like a beggar.
Diogenes of Sinope (412BCE – 323BCE)
He believed that philosophy could enable man to live a life of happiness. His views gave rise to “Epicureanism”, a school of philosophy that believes that wisdom and simple living will result in a life free of fear and pain.
Epicurus (341BCE – 270BCE)
He was considered the foremost philosopher of ancient times. He didn’t claim to be wise and merely considered himself a midwife that helped in inquiring minds achieve wisdom. He believed that philosophy could enable man to live a life of virtue. He formulated the “Socratic Method”, a form of an argumentative dialogue between individuals, based on asking and answering questions.
Socrates (470BCE – 399BCE)
A student of Socrates, he wrote down his mentor’s teachings and incorporated some of his ideas. His teachings and writings were considered the foundation of Western philosophy. He formulated the “dialectic”, a method of inquiry where two opposing ideas are discussed in an attempt to arrive at new knowledge, and the “Theory of Forms”, which can only be perceived in the mind. He founded the “Platonic Academy”, an institution of higher learning.
Plato (427BCE – 347BCE)
He attended the academy Plato founded and was a prominent student of him as well. All ideas and views are based on perception and our reality is based on what we can sense and perceive. He studied logic that led to the formulation of a formal process of analyzing reasoning, which gave rise to “deductive reasoning”, the process by which specific statements are analyzed to reach a conclusion or generalization.
Aristotle (384BCE – 322BCE)
-Consists of schools of thought which are often closely tied with religious beliefs.
Eastern Philosophy
