Sophies world philosophers
Aquinas
Aristotle(universe has always existed) + Bible(Universe has not always existed) = world did not have a beginning, but God could have created it so that it exists eternally
Romanticism
group/ time period: REASON! artists create their own reality- are the 'gods' of their own art.Also connected strongly with nature
Schelling
thought of absolute idealism: thought of nature as ongoing, driven by spirit mind. matter is one continuous process.
Anaximenes
thought source of all things must be air or vapor, taught Pythagoras
Satre
we make something for a purpose: there is no God, therefore we are not made by him. Our existence precedes our essence, we have to create purpose for ourselves.
Hobbes
(Renaissance philosopher) Man is a machine
Bacon
(Renaissance philosopher) knowledge=power
Renaissance
Age of rebirth and reason, science won over religion in this time period.
Empedocles
Agreed with both Parmenides & Heraclitus: Thought everything was made up of the four elements (earth, water, fire, air)
Berkely
All knowledge comes from perception: A thing only exists as it is perceived. (The world only consists of ideas)
Hellenism
Borders between cultures are being erased, ideas are coming together as one.
Hume
Custom is the great guide of human life: dont draw conclusions from is statements to ought statements. (sun rising every morning= not a truth)
Neoplatonism
Plotinus is the main philosopher: world a span between two poles: At one end God and at the other absolute darkness; mysticism=being at one with God
Spinoza
Everything is God(nature), we exit within him. controls the universes 1.shape 2.matter 3.purpose 4. process of formation
Thales
Figured out weather conditions, not appeals to the gods, led to good harvests. Thought source of everything of water.
Socrates
Founder of western philosophy, who wrote nothing down. Thought the examination of life was the first task of philosophy, only life worth living ->good life, which could only be found using reasoning -> 'The life which is not examined is not worth living
Cynics
Group: Thought true happiness was not found in eternal advantages; it was found by not being dependent on these things. Once attained, true happiness cannot be lost.
Aristotle
Had a scientific background, thought there was no ideal form of things and everything relied on your senses; Things in this world are not imperfect copies but the actual thing; we find truth from evidence gained, and use our senses and reason to understand things
Descartes
I doubt therefore I am: thought an evil demon could be controlling his thoughts: but that evil demon could only control him because he exists-> therefore he exists. Also studied relationship between body and mind( being and reason)
Eleatics
Interested in the problem of change, one of he natural philosophers
Natural Philosophers
Mainly concerned about the natural world: Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes, Eleatics, Parmenides, Heraclitus, Empedocles, Anaxagoras
Democritus
Materialist-Created the atom theory (Legos): believed nothing could come from nothing
Anaxagoras
Natural Philosopher- thought nature was made up of of infinite particles; everything can be divided into smaller parts
Stoics
Natural law was based on timeless human and universal reason; nothing happens accidentally
Heraclitus
Opposed Parmenides- thought constant change was the most basic characteristic of nature- "Everything flows": First to introduce reason
Kirkegaard
Our choices/actions determine our life. We have absolute freedom of choice. anxiety=dizziness of freedom. Father of existentialism
Marx
People align into groups- often comparing/ contrasting with own socio-economic interests, 'lesser groups' own lesser property or business. 'ruling class' owns more property or business. Father of communism. history is a record of class struggles and displacements.
Locke
Rationalist: There is nothing in the mind that wasn't first in the senses; born with some ideas innate- but no truths found. No universal idea from all cultures at all times agreed upon. Everything we know is from experience: tabula rasa(mind a blank canvas)
Plato
Student of socrates(recorded what socrates read). Came up with idea of the cave. Thought the illusory world where we live contains imperfect copies of the ideal form in our minds; everything in this world is a shadow of it's ideal form in the world of ideas.
Baroque
Tensions between large and unsolvable contrast: Carpe diem:Concern with beauty of things: Materialism/idealism/ determinism
Darwin
Theory of evolution, survival of the fittest. Came from a scientist background
Hegel
Thought reality is a historical process: philosophy must begin by making no assumptions. Reason is dynamic and a process, human knowledge is constantly expanding and progressing. Thesis, antithesis, and synthesis.
Anaixmander
Thought world was only one of many other worlds that grow and dissolve, studied under thales
Kant
Thought...2 worlds: 1.Our body and its experiences 2.External world. sensibility= ability to sense things in the world. understanding=ability to think about things. We can only know how things appear to us.
Parmenides
Was an Eleatic- Thought no actual change, nature in flux: Believes sensory perceptions are unreliable
Epicureans
aim of life was to enjoy highest possible sensory enjoyment; short term must be weighed against long term: If we can overcome fear of death, we can be happy(It's nothing to be afraid of) YOLO!
Simone de Beauvoir
men have taken maleness as the standard against which they judge human nature: man is defined as a human being and woman as a female.
Enlightenment
opposition to authority, rationalism, cultural optimism, return to nature, natural religion, human rights
Heidegger
philosophy has always asked us questions about being...we need to analyze the problems more- the problems being ourselves
Nietzsche
pointed out that Christianity says that everything is less important than your afterlife. says we should turn away from what seems important in this life. By doing this, we are turning our back on life itself; we must surpass this limiting idea
Freud
psychologist, cultural philosopher. must understand subconscious to understand who we are, actions not always guided by reason. (can't control action in a dream)