Ancient Philosophers and Their Ideas

Study Notes

Socrates emphasized knowing oneself, stating "An unexamined life is not worth living."
The Socratic Method encourages understanding through questioning.
Socrates believed in the dualism of reality, with an imperfect, changeable body and a perfect, unchanging soul.
Plato supported Socrates' ideas but expanded upon the soul, describing three parts: the appetitive soul, the spirited soul, and the mind (nuos).
- The appetitive soul governs desires, pleasure, and basic needs.
- The spirited soul manages emotions like love, anger, and ambition.
- The mind, as the superior component, controls the self and fosters justice and virtue.
St. Augustine adapted both Socrates and Plato's dualism, aligning it with Christian belief.
- The physical realm, represented by our body, is imperfect.
- The ideal realm is achieved through faith and reason, with the physical world serving as a proving ground for eternal destinies.
- Self-development involves self-presentation and self-realization.

Rene Descartes is the father of modern philosophy, proposing the idea of "Cogito, ergo sum," meaning "I think, therefore I am." This signified that self-awareness is fundamental to existence.
John Locke argued that the mind at birth is a "tabula rasa," a blank slate. He believed experience shapes our thoughts and self-identity.
David Hume challenged the notion of a fixed self, suggesting it's a bundle of perceptions, constantly changing and lacking a stable core.
Immanuel Kant reconciled rationalism and empiricism, asserting that reason and experience contribute to human understanding. He proposed the categorical imperative as a universal moral principle, guiding ethical behavior.