Ancient Philosophy: Pythagoras to Plato

Ancient Philosophy: Beginnings (Pythagoras to Plato)

• Philosophy's roots predate Aristotle, who documented earlier thinkers like Pythagoras and Thales.
• Aristotle classified early Greek philosophers based on their investigation of four causes: material, efficient, formal, and final.
• Thales (c. 625-545 BCE) and his Milesian school focused on the material cause, questioning the fundamental elements of the universe (e.g., water).
  • Thales also made contributions to geometry, astronomy, and meteorology.
  • A notable figure, he's recognized for predicting eclipses and practical applications of geometry.
• Anaximander (d. c. 547 BCE) expanded on Thales' ideas, proposing boundless matter (apeiron) as the fundamental principle.
  • Anaximander developed a cosmology explaining the earth's structure and the origin of the universe.
  • Noted for developing early maps and astronomical charts.
• Anaximenes (c. 546-525 BCE) proposed air as the fundamental element, detailing rarefaction and condensation processes creating the other elements.
  • Anaximenes employed observation and experimentation, demonstrating a nascent interest in scientific methods.
• Pythagoras (c. 570 BCE) founded a semi-religious community in Croton, Italy, focusing on the study of mathematics and mysticism.
  • Pythagoreans linked numerical ratios to various aspects in the universe.
  • The group emphasized a communal lifestyle and ascetic practices.
• Xenophanes (c. 570-c. 470 BCE) proposed a naturalistic cosmology that challenged popular beliefs, like the rainbow being a god.
  • Xenophanes explored the idea of many suns and an Earth stretching to infinity.
  • He also observed the geological record (fossils).
• Heraclitus (c. 535-475 BCE) emphasized constant change and flux, describing the world as an ever-living fire.
  • Heraclitus introduced the concept of Logos, often translated as "Reason" or a cosmic principle.
  • He critiqued popular religion and beliefs about the divine.
• Parmenides (early 5th century BCE) established a school in Elea, emphasizing stasis and the idea of a single, unchanging reality.
  • Parmenides' philosophy presented a profound concept challenge to the notion that change and motion are fundamental to being.

Topic: The Ways of Inquiry

• The earliest Greek thinkers used a combination of religious, scientific, and philosophical methods of inquiry, a synthesis that's less distinct than it later became.
• These early investigators linked their inquiries with explanations of how the universe came to be, and with what governed its workings.
• Later figures like Aristotle would attempt to clarify the ways of separating these approaches.