Karl Hadrian Manuel

G12 Jacinth
PHILOSOPHY: WEST AND EAST

WEST

Thales of Miletus (c. 624 BCE – c. 546 BCE) was an ancient (pre-Soctratic) Greek philosopher
who is often considered the first philosopher and the father of Western philosophy. Thales of
Miletus is also the first to define general principles and develop hypotheses. In his
“Metaphysics”, Aristotle tells us that Thales believed that everything comes out of water and that
the earth floats on water. And according to Seneca, the philosopher used the floating earth
theory to explain earthquakes. This means that Thales of Miletus rejected the supernatural and
mystical theories that were used to explain various phenomena by his predecessors which
justify his fame as the first philosopher. He is the first known thinker to abandon the
supernatural agenda but he is also the first known thinker to try to explain the world by a
unifying hypothesis. Although Thales of Miletus is best known as the first Western philosopher,
he actually became famous for predicting a solar eclipse. In addition to being hailed as the first
philosopher, Thales of Miletus is sometimes also hailed as the first mathematician; most notably
that the circle is bisected by its diameter and that a triangle inscribed in a semi-circle is always a
right triangle (Thales’ theorem).

Plato (c. 428-427 BC ?€? 348-347 BC) is widely considered as one of the greatest thinkers of
all times and is along his mentor Socrates and his student Aristotle regarded as one of the
founders of Western science and philosophy. His thought is preserved in 26 dialogues which
profoundly influenced the Western view of the world. Plato is also renowned as the founder of
the Academy in Athens, the first higher education institution in the Western world. As a member
of aristocracy, Plato was educated by the best teachers in Athens. At the age of 40 he founded
an Academy, the first known higher education institution in the Western world. Plato’s Academy
operated until 84 BC when it was destroyed by Roman general and later dictator Lucius
Cornelius Sulla. Plato was the innovator of the written dialogue and dialectic forms in
philosophy. Plato appears to have been the founder of Western political philosophy, with
his Republic, and Laws among other dialogues, providing some of the earliest extant treatments
of political questions from a philosophical perspective. Plato's own most decisive philosophical
influences are usually thought to have been Socrates, Parmenides, Heraclitus and Pythagoras,
although few of his predecessors' works remain extant and much of what we know about these
figures today derives from Plato himself.
Pythagoras of Samos (570-495 BC) was an Ionian Greek philosopher, mathematician, and
putative founder of the Pythagoreanism movement. He is often revered as a
great mathematician and scientist and is best known for the Pythagorean Theorem which bears
his name. Legend and obfuscation cloud his work, so it is uncertain whether he truly contributed
much to mathematics or natural philosophy. Many of the accomplishments credited to
Pythagoras may actually have been accomplishments of his colleagues or successors, or
originated earlier. Some accounts mention that the philosophy associated with Pythagoras was
related to mathematics and that numbers were important. It was said that he was the first man
to call himself a philosopher, or lover of wisdom,[5] and Pythagorean ideas exercised a marked
influence on Plato, and through him, all of Western philosophy. The Pythagorean theorem, a
theorem in geometry that states that in a right-angled triangle the area of the square on the
hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is equal to the sum of the areas of the squares of
the other two sides 𝑎2 + 𝑏 2 = 𝑐 2 .

EAST

Mencius was a Chinese philosopher who is the most

famous Confucian after Confucius himself, Mencius, also known by his birth name Meng

Ke or Meng Ko (孟轲), was born in the State of Zou, He was an itinerant Chinese

philosopher and sage, and one of the principal interpreters of Confucianism. Supposedly, he
was a pupil of Confucius' grandson, Zisi. Like Confucius, according to legend, he travelled
throughout China for forty years to offer advice to rulers for reform.[7] During the Warring States
period (403–221 BC), Mencius served as an official and scholar at the Jixia Academy in
the State of Qi (1046 BC to 221 BC) from 319 to 312 BC. He expressed his filial devotion when
he took three years leave of absence from his official duties for Qi to mourn his mother's death.
Disappointed at his failure to effect changes in his contemporary world, he retired from public
life. Mencius's interpretation of Confucianism has generally been considered the orthodox
version by subsequent Chinese philosophers, especially by the Neo-Confucians of the Song
dynasty. Mencius's disciples included a large number of feudal lords, and he was actually more
influential than Confucius had been.[31] The Mencius (also spelled Mengzi or Meng-tzu), a book
of his conversations with kings of the time, is one of the Four Books that Zhu Xi grouped as the
core of orthodox Neo-Confucian thought. In contrast to the sayings of Confucius, which are
short and self-contained, the Mencius consists of long dialogues, including arguments, with
extensive prose.
Lao Tzu (老子 Lǎo zi, 6th century BC) was one of the most famous Chinese philosophers. Not
much is known of the details of his life, and some have thought he was not a real person. He
was the author of a book called Tao Te Ching, The Way of Life, a work of about 81 stories with
a consistent theme or moral.

According to this book, Tao ("the Way") does not change and it is the universal truth.
His Taoism has been enormously influential in China. Lao Tzu is also known as the main source
of Taoism (or Daoism). His name translates as "Old Master" in English.

 Existence is beyond the power of words to define.

 The way to do is to be.
 A leader is best when people barely know that he exists... when his work is done they will say,
"we did it all by ourselves".
 Handle a large kingdom with as gentle a touch as if you were cooking small fish.
 The biggest problem in the world could have been solved when it was small.

Confucius (551/552-479 BC) was a Chinese teacher, philosopher and politician during the so-
called Hundred Schools of Thought era. He was the founder of Confucianism, ethical and
philosophical system that still has many followers in China. The philosopher is thought to write
or edit many Chinese classic texts but modern scholars have expressed doubt that he is really
the author/editor of all the works that are traditionally attributed to him. But there is no doubt that
Confucius’ philosophical system dominated the Chinese thought for many centuries. It remains
uncertain how many and if any works that are attributed to Confucius were written by him. The
account of his life and work is mostly based on the Analects, a collection of the philosopher’s
conversations with his students and a few rulers. The Analects were compiled by Confucius’
followers shortly after his death and offer a valuable insight into his thought. Confucius’
philosophical system reveals the influence of the Chinese tradition such ancestor worship,
loyalty to the family, respect of the elders, etc.. It was Confucius who introduced the concepts of
benevolence (jen), ritual (li) and proprietary (yi). He is also remembered for the so-called
Golden Rule that is based on the principle “Do not do to others what you do not want done to
yourself”. The philosopher’s political thought was centred around a strong central government
and the Mandate of Heaven which, however, also included his moral concepts. According to
Confucius, the principle of succession should not be based on blood line but on moral merits
instead. He argued that the society can progress only if it is led by virtue and as a result, the
rulers should be an example of virtue to their people.