Philosophy lecture 3 Flashcards
- Brief History of Western Philosophy Period is divided into three;
- Ancient (500 BC - 500 BC)
- Medieval (between 500-1500 BC)
- Modern (after 1600 BC)
What is the sophist group
Early philosophers from Ionia focused on nature and the principles of the universe.
Key Philosophers & Their Ideas:
* Anaximander (611–547 BC) ?
Reality is composed of unlimited, undefined substances.
Key Philosophers & Their Ideas:
Thales?
“Water is the basis of everything.”
Key Philosophers & Their Ideas:
* Heraclitus (535–475 BC) ?
“Everything is in a constant state of change.”
Key Philosophers & Their Ideas:
* Pythagoras (582–504 BC) ?
Mathematics and harmony govern the universe.
Key Philosophers & Their Ideas:
* Xenophanes (570 BC) ?
Introduced pantheism (God and the universe are one).
Key Philosophers & Their Ideas:
* Parmenides (511 BC) ?
“Reality is unchanging and eternal.”
Key Philosophers & Their Ideas:
* Empedocles (492 BC) ?
Four elements (earth, water, fire, air) form the universe.
Elaborate about socrates
- Focused on ethics and how to live a moral life.
- Used the Socratic Method (questioning to gain knowledge).
- Executed for “corrupting the youth” and “disrespecting the gods” in Athens.
Elaborate about plato
- Student of Socrates, teacher of Aristotle.
- Founded The Academy (first higher learning institution).
yap about aristotle
- Student of Plato, teacher of Alexander the Great.
- Focused on empirical observation and logic.
Under aristotle… there are three contributions. WHAT ARE THEY
- Metaphysics – Study of reality and existence.
- Ethics – Concept of virtue and the “Golden Mean.”
- Politics – Idea of a mixed government system.
yap about iv. Hellenistic Philosophy (After Aristotle). Whats it about
Post-Athens, with the rise of Macedonian Empire under Philip and Alexander.
Philosophers focused on individual lives, not speculative ideas about the state.
The political environment shifted, but the Hellenistic culture remained.
Main Characteristics:
Practical focus on achieving happiness in current political realities.
Less radical solutions than earlier Athens philosophies.
Philosophers worked to show how to live well despite external challenges.
Name two major schools of thought
- Epicureanism – Seek pleasure, avoid pain.
- Stoicism – Control emotions, live by reason.
Elaborate about the early middle ages
Decline of the Roman Empire and rise of barbarian influence.
Constantinople (formerly Byzantium) became the Roman Empire’s capital.
Church Influence: The Church grew in power, and monks played a major role in education and literacy.
yap about Christianity became the dominant philosophy:
- The Catholic Church influenced politics and knowledge.
- Monasticism preserved learning through monasteries.
- Saint Augustine – Combined Christianity with Plato’s ideas.
yap about The Byzantine Empire & Islam
Constantinople became the new capital of the Roman Empire.
Talk about the Islamic Golden Age (700s-1200s AD)
- Muslim scholars translated and preserved Greek philosophy (Aristotle, Plato).
- Philosophers like Avicenna (Ibn Sina) and Averroes (Ibn Rushd) influenced later Western thought.
- Rationalism (Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz)
Elaborate
– Knowledge comes from reason.
- Empiricism (Hobbes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume)
– Knowledge comes from experience.
- Idealism (Hegel, Schopenhauer)
– Reality is shaped by the mind
- Criticism (Kant)
– Combined rationalism and empiricism
- Materialism (Marx)
– Society is shaped by material conditions.
- Existentialism (Kierkegaard, Nietzsche)
– Focused on human freedom and meaning.
yap about The Renaissance (1400s–1600s)
- Revival of Greek and Roman knowledge.
- Humanism: Shifted focus from God to human potential.
- Machiavelli: Politics is about power, not morality (The Prince).
yap about Enlightenment & Scientific Revolution
- Emphasis on reason, science, and democracy.
- Thinkers like Voltaire, Rousseau, and Kant questioned traditional beliefs.
- Led to modern political and social movements.
