Ch. 2 Philosophy before Socrates
Thales
"Father of Western Philosophy". Greek philosopher who taught that the universe had originated from water.
Xenophanes
6th century B.C. Greek thinker who cited the amorality and anthropomorphism of Greek Gods as evidence against their existence
Parmenides
A pre-socratic Greek philosopher born in Italy. Denied the existence of time, plurality, and motion. NO Change. Founder of Metaphysics.
Heraclitus
A presocratic Greek philosopher who said that fire is the origin of all things and that permanence is an illusion as all things are in perpetual flux (circa 500 BC)
Atoms and the void
A quote by Democritus.
Logos
An appeal based on logic or reason
Seeking
An attempt to acquire or gain something
Epistemology
BRANCH OF PHILOSOPHY THAT EXAMINES THE NATURE OF KNOWLEDGE
Not-being
In philosophy, being means the existence of a thing. Anything that exists has being. Ontology is the branch of philosophy that studies being
One God
Monotheistic
Convention
Practice widely observed in a group; custom; accepted technique or device
Vortex motion
The circular motion of the Boundless that individuates and sorts things according to their kind.
the One
The conclusion that there is no "many" and only the "one" exists.
Soul
The spiritual life principle of human beings that survives after death.
Reality/Apperance
The way things or situations really are. The way that someone or something looks
Democritus
(460-370 BCE) A Greek philosopher who theorized that all matter could be reduced to particles that could not be divided, which he described as "atomos."
reductio ad absurdum
the Latin for "to reduce to the absurd." This is a technique useful in creating a comic effect and is also an argumentative technique. It is considered a rhetorical fallacy because it reduces an argument to an either/or choice
Opposition
a resistance; a disagreement
Flux
a state of continual change or movement
Truth
candor/candid, fealty, frankness, indisputable, indubitable, legitimate, probity, sincere, veracious, verity
Zeno
Greek philosopher who founded the school of philosophy called Stoicism
non-action
Giving up control, letting the Tao bring forth actions, flowing along in "the way."
Rationalism
A belief or theory that opinions and actions should be based on reason and knowledge rather than on religious belief or emotional response
Argument
A statement of the meaning or main point of a literary work
Paradox
A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.
Atomism
A theoretical approach that regards something as interpretable through analysis into distinct, separable, and independent elementary components.
The Boundless
According to Aristotle and Theophrastus, the first Greek philosophers were looking for the "origin" or "principle" of all things. Anaximander is said to have identified it with "the Boundless" or "the Unlimited"
Anaximander
Early Greek naturalist who advocated spontaneous generation as the origin of life.
Wisdom
Expert knowledge about the practical aspects of life
Valid
Well-founded on evidence and corresponds accurately to the real world.
Change
to make or become different
Tao
way or path