The Pre-Socratic Philosophers

Dr. Lionel E. Buenaflor

Head—Batangas Heritage Center
University of Batangas
 They busied themselves with
answering the question about man
while the others were busy answering
cosmological and metaphysical
problems.

The Pre-Socratic Philosophers:

SOPHISTS
Because previous philosophers
failed to arrive at a uniform
answer about the beginning of
everything, the sophists just
focused on the question about
the human person.
 Known primarily for 3 claims:
1. That man is the measure of all
things, of the things that are that
they are, and of the things that are
not that they are not;

Protagoras of Abdera
(490-420 BCE)
2. That he could make the
worse argument appear
better or the weaker
3. That one could not tell
argument appear to be the
if the gods existed or
stronger; and
not.
 Knowledge is limited to the person’s
various perceptions.

Protagoras of Abdera
(490-420 BCE)

There is no standard for Everything is true insofar

testing whether one as somebody else is
person’s perception is right accepting a fact as true.
and another person’s In other words,
perception is wrong. knowledge is relative to
each person.
 His position can be
summed up in three All things that exist must
propositions: go out of existence.
1. Nothing exists; Hence, before a tree
comes into existence, it
must not exist first.
2. If anything existed, it
could not be known;

Gorgias of Leontini To understand things, we

must begin and end with
3. If anything did exist, (483-375 BCE)
the contention that
and could be known, it The Epistemological Nihilist SOMETHING IS NOT.
could not be
communicated.

However, it is impossible to
conceptualize anything that
does not exist.
 Gorgias of Leontini
(483-375 BCE)
The Epistemological Nihilist

If anything is, it must

Everything is self-
have had a beginning.
contradictory. Hence,
But nothing exists out
nothing exists.
of nothing.
 Injustice should be
Justice is whatever suits
preferred to the life of
the strongest.
justice.

Thrasymachus of Chalcedon
(459-400 BCE)
The Epistemological Authoritarian Justice is pursued by
Injustice should not the simpletons and
be taken as a defect such justice leads to
of character. weakness.
Injustice is a virtue. The unjust person is more
superior in character and
intelligence than the just person.
 People should be
aggressive in pursuing
their own interests in MIGHT IS RIGHT.
virtually unlimited form
of self-assertion.

Thrasymachus of Chalcedon
(459-400 BCE)
The Epistemological Authoritarian Morality is reduced
Justice is at the into power, leading
mercy of injustice. truth and ethics into
Laws are made by the a nihilistic attitude.
ruling party for its own
interest.