The Philosophy of Antiquity Plan: 1. The Conditions

The Philosophy of Antiquity

Plan: 1. The Conditions of Origin, Peculiarities and Stages of Development of Ancient Philosophy. 2. The Development of Ideas in “Physical” Schools in Pre-Socratic Philosophy. 3. Ideas and Thinkers in the Classic period. 4. The Hellenistic period of Antiquity.

List of Literature: Basic : Kadnikova L. V. Philosophy. Historical-Philosophical Introduction: the course of lectures. K.: NAU, 2004. Spirkin A. Fundamentals of Philosophy. – Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1990. The Blackwell Companion to Philosophy, Second Edition Edited by Nicholas Bunnin, E. P. Tsui-James Copyright © 1996, 2003 Blackwell Publishers Ltd B. Russel A History of Western Philosophy / B. Russel. – London : George Allen & Unviwn LTD, 2002. — 923 p. Supplementary: J.L. Acrill. Essays on Plato and Aristotle / J.L. Acrill. – New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. — 251 p. John Burnet. Early Greek Philosophy / John Burnet. – [4 ed.] – London: A. & C. Black, 1952. — 375 p. Roy Burrel. The Greeks / Roy Burrel. – Oxford : Oxford University Press, 1989. — 243 p. Plato. Collected dialogues / Plato : [transl. by Lane Cooper and others]. – Princeton : Princeton University Press, 1961. — 1743 p. Primary sources: Aristotle. Metaphysics / Aristotle : [transl. by W. D. Ross]. — Electronic resource : http://plato-dialogues.org/ Plato. Republic / Plato : [transl. by G.M.A. Gruber]. — Indianapolis : Hackett Publishing, 1992. — 300 p.

Classical Antiquity Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. It is conventionally taken to begin with the earliest-recorded Greek poetry of Homer (8-7th century BC), and continues through the rise of Christianity and the decline of the Roman Empire (5th century). It ends with the dissolution of classical culture at the close of Late Antiquity (AD 300-600), blending into the Early Middle Ages (AD 500-1000).

Sarcophagus with philosopher, Rome, Italy, ca 270 THE PHILOSOPHY OF ANTIQUITY Antique Philosophy was trying to overcome the mythology of feelings with the mythology of reason. This conflict between sensitive-intuitive and rational was intrinsic for all Antique Philosophy and further all European philosophy as well. The most important feature of antique worldview was cosmologism; in particular they laid earthly relations on the world of nature. They considered cosmos the bound of the extreme beauty and truth.

Main peculiarities of Antique Philosophy It was dynamic, rational and critical in its character. It was based on cosmologism as the key principle. It was universal, syncretical in its nature that is all problems were solved in their principal unity, indivisibly. Ethical categories were expanded to the whole Universe. Concepts were created and involved into philosophy (Plato’s “ideas”, Aristotle’s “forms”, Stoics’ notion of “sense”, “purport”), at the same time Greeks almost did not know laws of science. The Ethics of Antiquity was mostly ethics of virtues, but not of duties and values as it is now. Philosophy of Antiquity was really practical, guiding people in their behavior and conduct.

І – Pre-Socratic - natural philosophy (VІ – 1st half of V с. BC), ІІ – Classic - classical philosophy (2nd half of V – ІV с. BC), ІІІ – Hellenistic - late antique philosophy (end of ІV с. BC – V с. AD). Stages of the development of ancient Greek philosophy

Pre-Socratic (natural philosophy) Sarcophagus of a philosopher, A.D. 270-280 Vatican Museums, Rome This stage was characterized by the entire interest to nature, with seeking for the initial stuff of the Universe The central problem was to find the underlying basis of the world. These provided something of an intellectual religion for the Greeks and Romans. THE PHILOSOPHY OF ANTIQUITY The Representatives are: -Thales (about 580 BC) -Anaximander (c. 610 BC–c. 546 BC) -Anaximenes (about 545 BC) -Pythagoras (570-490 BC) ) -Heraclitus (c. 535–c. 475 BC) - Democritus (c. 460–c. 370 BC)

Thales Thales of Miletus was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher from Miletus in Asia Minor, and one of the Seven Sages of Greece. Many, most notably Aristotle, regarded him as the first philosopher in the Greek tradition. Thales involved himself in many activities, taking the role of an innovator. He thought that everything was composed of water and that the earth itself floated on water (in its pure form). Some people say that he left no writings, others that he wrote some works but nothing survived. (624 BC–546 BC) "Western philosophy begins with Thales.“ Bertrand Russell

Anaximander Anaximander was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher who belonged to the Milesian school and learned the teachings of his master Thales. He succeeded him and became the second master of that school. He held a more dialectical view, seeing the four substances of hot, cold, dry and wet as being in polar interplay. He is considered the father of theory in the West, for his postulation of the imperceptible apeiron takes him beyond the manifest surface of things. Anaximander can be considered the first true scientist. He is known to have conducted the earliest recorded scientific experiments. (610 BC–546 BC)

Pythagoras Pythagoras of Samos was a Ionian Greek philosopher and founder of the religious movement that was called Pythagoreanism. He is often refered as a great mystic mathematician, and scientist. He is best known for the Pythagorean theorem, which bears his name and as “the father of numbers”. Pythagoras stated that the world is a self-sufficient entity. He made influential contributions to philosophy and religious teaching in the late 6th century BC. "Pythagoras is the most able philosopher among the Greeks". Herodotus (570BC - 495BC)

Heraclitus is famous for his doctrine of change being central to the universe, summarized in his famous quote, "You can not step twice into the same river." He believed in the unity of opposites, stating that "the path up and down is one and the same," existing things being characterized by pairs of contrary properties. His cryptic utterance that “all things come to be in accordance with this Logos”, (literally, “law” “word,” “reason,” or “account”) has been the subject of numerous interpretations. Heraclitus was the prime pioneer of naïve spontaneous dialectics. (c.535BC – c.475 BC) Heraclitus

Parmenides Parmenides of Elea in southern Italy (hence the name “Eleatic” to pinpoint his school) produced his own cosmology though there were some reminiscences of Heraclitus’s schema. The importance of Parmenides is that he posed the notion of being as the unity and integrity of all existing instead of initial element. This way he initiated ontology - the theory of being. Being does not appear or disappear but it is eternal and self-identical. His principle was –“nothing can come from nothing”. (bc. 515 BC)

Democritus was the most prolific, and ultimately the most influential, of the pre-Socratic philosophers; his atomic theory may be regarded as the culmination of early Greek thought. His hypothesis on atoms is remarkably similar to modern science, and avoided many of the errors found in his contemporaries. Many consider Democritus to be the "father of modern science". He initiated materialistic line in philosophy by explaining the world from itself. Democritus (c. 460BC – c.370BC)

The Classical period (Anthropological) Distribution of largess, detail of the north frieze of the arch of Constantine Rome, Italy, 312-315 A.D. THE PHILOSOPHY OF ANTIQUITY Classical stage of Antiquity is characterized by the shift of philosophical investigations towards man. Socrates, Plato and Aristotle helped to make Athens the philosophical centre of the Greek world. Plato and Aristotle, set up their schools in Athens: Platonic Academy and Aristotle’s Lyceum also known as Peripatetic School . Those philosophers developed a global philosophy which embraces ethics, politics, physics, metaphysics epistemology aesthetics and psychology.

Socrates Undoubtedly Socrates was the most influential teacher of philosophy in ancient Greece. He followed Sophists’ tradition and put man into the center of his philosophy. Thus he started the epoch of classical Antique Philosophy. He considered Reason to be the basics of all perceived things, Reason that controls and governs the universe. He meant not only the ultimate Reason or Mind, but man’s mind as well. He combined ontological problems with moral ones, with the problem of human ego. The potential of man’s soul is realized in his cognitive activity. (469BC-399BC)

Plato Plato acquired a broad knowledge of pre-Socratic philosophies and founded his own school in Athens in 387. His philosophy represents one of the great and lasting strains of thought in history, and still remains of major significance and influence. The entire construction of his thought is based upon his conception of true reality as a world of Ideas. Plato started the line of Idealism in philosophy. (427-347 BC)

Aristotle Aristotle was a Greek philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. He wrote on many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology. He was the first to create a comprehensive system of Western philosophy, encompassing morality and aesthetics, logic and science, politics and metaphysics. Aristotle developed and modernized philosophy in: dividing the sciences into theoretical, practical and productive. creating the science and art of logic. originating the syllogism and deductive method pioneering dualism of matter and form and potentiality and actuality. creating the first form of determinism. (384 BC – 322 BC)

The Hellenistic period (Roman-Latin). The parting of Lot and Abraham, mosaic Rome, Italy, ca 432-440 THE PHILOSOPHY OF ANTIQUITY Hellenism (from Greek Hellas) the name of that ancient Greeks gave to their motherland. This period is characterized by threatening Greek culture to the Mediterranean areas. The Main peculiarities of Hellenism philosophy: The key problem was man’s being in the universe (ontological aspect, the problem of man’s existence) Irrationalism. The prevailing of will, contemplation and intuition over reason. Being was regarded as a unity of different spheres which were transformed in their approach to Devine being. Philosophy of that period remained anthropological in its nature, but the problem of the sense of life was set forth.

Philosophical teachings of Hellenism Scepticism Stoicism Epicureanism Neo-Platonism

Hellenistic (Roman-Latin). Christ as the Good Shepherd, mosaic, Rome, Italy, ca 425 THE PHILOSOPHY OF ANTIQUITY The Skepticism was founded by Pyrrho of Elis at the end of the 4th age BC. According to their opinion the world was flowable, changeable, relative and illusory. One can not have any account of it, as human perceptions of the world are wrong and human reason is contradictory. The skeptics did not suppose that man and the world were knowable, they rejected rational ground for moral norms. In their conceptions relativism reached its top. They rejected the existence of good and evil, logics in the being of the universe and society. They did not only consider the world unknowable, but even more they did not consider it to be worth being aware. There are three truths to their opinion: 1. Nothing exists. 2. If something exists it is unknowable. 3. If something is knowable it is inexpressible. So their aim was getting an irony as for the world, avoiding any stable judgments and this way achieving salvation

Stoicism was founded by Zeno of Citium in the 3rd century BC. Based on the ethical ideas of the Cynics, it taught that the goal of life was to live in accordance with Nature. It advocated the development of self-control and fortitude as a means of overcoming destructive emotions. It was the most successful school of philosophy until it died out in the 3rd century BC. Epicureanism was founded by Epicurus in the 3rd century BC. It viewed the universe as being ruled by chance, with no interference from gods. It regarded absence of pain as the greatest pleasure, and advocated a simple life. It was the main rival to Stoicism until both philosophies died out in the 3rd century BC.

Hellenistic (Roman-Latin) THE PHILOSOPHY OF ANTIQUITY The Main peculiarities of Neo-Platonism are: A clear delimitation of spiritual and material start points in the world with the primacy of spiritual. Universe is as emanation of Devine Principle into various kinds of being, but the Devine remains in otherworld. Awareness of the Devine and the world is possible by means of mystic contemplation.….. Neo-Platonism is a philosophical strain, which completed the philosophy of Antiquity and met Christianity. Its name is stipulated for all representing philosophers followed the ideas of Plato attempting to make a synthesis with Aristotelian philosophy and Christian worldview. The Miracle of the loaves and the fishes, mosaic, Rome, Italy, ca 504

Neo-Platonism was a school of religious and mystical philosophy founded by Plotinus in the 3rd century BC and based on the teachings of Plato and the other Platonists. The summit of existence was the One or the Good, the source of all things. In virtue and meditation the soul had the power to elevate itself to attain union with the One, the true function of human beings. It was the main rival to Christianity until dying out in the 6th century BC.

Questions for express-control 1. What is the key principle of Antique Philosophy? 2. Who said “Everything flows, everything changes”? 3. Whom does the dictum “I know that I know nothing” belong to? 4. Who is the author of the theory of ideas? 5. What Greek philosopher considered logic as the main instrument of cognition?