Reviwer in Philosophy Plato (427 BCE to 347 BCE)
Philosophy- greek word “philos”-love &
“Sophia”-wisdom
-Love for Wisdom
-In the west, the 1st philosophical
schools emerged in ancient Greece
First Cause/Highest Principle- something
proceeds in any manner
Principle of Identity- whatever is is; whatever is
not is not.
Principle of non-contradiction- impossible for a
thing to be and not be at the same time and
respect.
Principle of excluded middle- there is no
middle ground between being true or being
false.
Principle of Sufficient reason- in the case of any
positive truth, there is some reason for it.
Socrates (469 B.C.E)
-Athens
- socratic method “question & answer”
-“True knowledge exist in knowing that you
know nothing”
-“an unexamined life is not worth living”
-foremost philosopher of ancient times
-did not claim to be “wise” but a “midwife” that
helped inquiring minds achieve wisdom.
-student of Socrates
-he wrote down his teacher’s writings (Socrates)
and incorporated some of his own ideas into
them.
-Foundation of Western Philosophy
-Theory of Forms and Idea (means everything
that exists is based on an idea or template that
can be perceived in the mind.
-Dialectic (method of inquiry where 2 opposing
ideas are discussed in an attempt to arrive at
new knowledge).
- Academy (institution of higher learning in the
West)
Aristotle (384 BCE to 322 BCE)
-student of Plato
-disagree with the Theory of Forms and Idea
-all ideas and views are based on perception
and our reality is based on what we can sense
and perceive.
-“The Master” ; “The Philosopher”
-Father of Logic
-The Golden Mean
-Lyceum (the name of a gymnasium, or athletic
training facility, near Athens where Aristotle
established his school which all published works
are from Alexander the Great)
-Deductive reasoning (the process by which
specific statements are analyzed to reach a
conclusion or generalization.
Pre Socratic Period -Second Theory: Postulation of Mind (Nous) as
the initiating and governing principle of the
Thales of Miletus
cosmos (system of thought).
-Father of Western Philosophy

-He believes water is everything ; everything is

made up of water

Anaximander

-student of Thales

-The main composition of earth is APEIRON

(infinite and boundless)

Anaximenes

-Source of all things is AIR

- student of Anaximander

Pythagoras

-everything is number

- first used word “Philosophy”

- called themselves “philosophos”- lovers of

wisdom

Heraclitus

-The Dark One

The Riddler

-claims to announce an everlasting Word

(Logos) according to which all things are one, in
some sense

- The world itself consists of a law-like

interchange of elements, symbolized by fire.

-“No man ever steps on the river twice”

Anaxagoras

-proposed 2 theories

-First Theory: in order for the food an animal

eats to turn into bone, hair, flesh, and so forth,
it must already contain all of those constituents
within it.