INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON

Guide Questions:
1. Imagine a world without these philosophers. What do you think might have happened if
Thales
failed to go against the mythological tradition of ancient Greece?
2. To what extent is philosophy helpful in your quest for ‘knowledge’ for its own sake?
3. As a student, do you think it is possible to merge the practice of both Eastern and Western
Philosophy? Why? Explain your answer.

LESSON 2: THE BEGINNINGS OF DOING PHILOSOPHY

Pre-Socratic Period:
1. The Milesians
 First group of thinkers who gave us a non-mythological account of the nature of
reality and the universe without the aid of instruments, by merely using their rational
faculty together with their ability not only to observe but speculate.
 They were considered as Hylozoists - Everything in this universe is alive or animate
and material.

A. Thales of Miletus
 Father of Modern Science
 Considered as the Father of Philosophy
 Used Science and Logic.
 First known Philosopher in Greece.
 Also an expert in Mathematics.
 Used geometry to measure the height Of a Pyramid and the distance between
ships in the shore.
 The underlying substance in this world is water.

B. Anaximander of Miletus

 A student of Thales who latter succeeded him.

 Also, an Astronomer, Mathematician and Scientist.
 Inferred that the universe is also composed of laws like human societies. Once
it is disturbed, there will be turmoil.
 Created a map.
 The fundamental substance of reality is the infinite or the apeiron.

C. Anaximenes of Miletus

 Concluded that the fundamental must be air.

 Air holds our souls together; it encompasses the whole world.
 He concurred that the earth and other heavenly bodies are like floating saucers
in the air.
  The earth is Flat and Round.

2. Pythagoras

 Great Contributions to Math

 Pythagorean Theorem
 Had an idea that the world is round
 Idea of a square.
 Leader of a religious cult known as the Pythagoreans.
 He treated philosophy as a religion, for him it was a way of life.
 Considered Philosophy and Math as a purification of the soul.
 Gave importance to Contemplation
 Primary constituent of reality is numbers. Everything can be explained through
numbers.

3. Heraclitus of Ephesus

 Everything is constantly changing. “You cannot step and the same river twice”
 Believed in Libertinism.
 Everyone is free to make their own choice and everyone has a free will.
 Everything is made out of fire.

4. Parminedes of Elea

 Things don’t change - the past and the present are set.
 Time, freewill and change are just illusions.
 The only permanent thing in this world is Being.
 Fatalism – We have a fate and we are stuck to it.
 Determinism – Everything in this world was already determined by someone before
us.
5. Anaxagoras

 There is not just one element reality is made out of.

 There are many seeds or elements as there are kinds of things. All things have a
portion of everything
 The idea of nous or the mind – conceived as external but is infinite and is self – ruled.
 It has the greatest strength and power over all things.

6. Zeno of Elea

 A loyal follower of Parmenides. Supported his idea that reality is being and that we
are all interconnected with one another.
 Created a lot of Paradoxes - a statement that, despite apparently sound reasoning from
true premises, leads to an apparently self-contradictory or logically unacceptable
conclusion.
ENRICHMENT:

Write your answers on the blanks provided before each number by choosing from the
choices given below.

Anaxagoras Anaximander Anaximenes

Empedocles Milesians Heraclitus
Zeno Pythagoras Parmenides
Metaphysical Waismann Thales
Leucippus and Democritus Analytic Hylozoists

_________________ 1. According to him, reality is water.

_________________ 2. He claimed that reality is the infinite or the apeiron.
_________________ 3. They believed that the primary constituents of reality are atoms.
_________________ 4. He believed that the primary constituent of reality is consist of numbers.
_________________ 5. He believes that there are as many seeds or elements as there are kinds
of
things.
_________________ 6. The history of Western Philosophy started with this group of
philosophers
from Miletus.
________________ 7. Proponent of the notion that reality is made up of four elements, namely,
earth, air, fire, and water.
________________ 8. According to him, “Just as our soul being air holds us together, so do
breathe and air encompass the whole world.”
________________ 9. He founded the Eleatic School and he believed that we are all
interconnected because reality is made up of Being
________________ 10. He was known to have said that, “You cannot step twice into the same
rivers, for fresh waters are ever flowing in upon you. We step and do
not
step into the same rivers, we are and we are not.”