The Ancient Philosophy is the period of the emergence of Greek philosophy in the seventh century BC
It arises from the need to explain the world in a new way. Philosophers seek to find rational answers to the origin of things, the phenomena of nature, human existence and rationality.
The term philosophy is of Greek origin and means “love of knowledge”, that is, the search for wisdom.
In such a way that, during the transition from the mythical to the rational thought, the philosophers believed to be able to transmit the message of the gods. The gods and mythological entities served as inspiration for nascent philosophy.
For this reason, in the beginning, philosophy was closely related to religion: myths, beliefs, etc. Thus, mythical thinking gave way to rational thinking, or even, from myth to logos .
Historical Context of the Emergence of Philosophy
Ancient philosophy arose with the replacement of mythical knowledge with that of reason and this occurred with the appearance of the Greek polis (city-state).
This new Greek organization was fundamental for the demystification of the world through reason and, with that, the reflections of the philosophers.
Later, the discussions that took place in the public square together with the power of words and reason (logos) led to the creation of democracy .
Periods of Philosophy
Remember that philosophy is didactically divided into 4 periods:
- Ancient Philosophy
- Medieval Philosophy
- Modern Philosophy
- Contemporary Philosophy
Greek Philosophy
The Greek philosophy is divided into three periods:
- Pre-Socratic period (7th to 5th centuries BC): corresponds to the period of the first Greek philosophers who lived before Socrates. The themes are centered on nature , of which the Greek philosopher Tales de Mileto stands out.
- Socratic Period (5th to 4th century BC): also called the classical period, at that time democracy emerged in Ancient Greece. Its greatest representative was the Greek philosopher Socrates who begins to think about the human being . In addition to it, the following deserve mention: Aristotle and Plato.
- Hellenistic Period (centuries IV BC to VI AD): In addition to themes related to nature and man, in this phase studies are focused on human fulfillment through virtues and the pursuit of happiness.
Main Philosophical Schools of Ancient Philosophy
Now that you know the periods in which it is divided, see what are the main schools of thought in ancient philosophy:
- Ionian School : brought together the first philosophers in the Greek city of Miletus, located in the Ionian region, on the western coast of Asia Minor (present-day Turkey). In addition to Miletus, we have the city of Héfeso, with Heraclitus as its main representative and Samos, with Pythagoras. In the Greek city of Mileto stand out Tales of Mileto, Anaximandro and Anaxímenes.
- Italic School : it was developed in the current region of southern Italy (in the city of Elei) and Sicily (in the cities of Aeragas and Lentini). The philosophers Parmenides, Zeno, Empedocles and Gorgias stand out.
Major Philosophers of Antiquity
See below the main philosophers and the main philosophical problems reflected by them:
1. Tales of Miletus
Tales de Miletus (623-546 BC) was a pre-Socratic philosopher, considered the “Father of Philosophy”. He proposes that water is the primordial substance of life, called arché . For him ” Everything is water “.
2. Anaximander
Anaximander (610-547 BC) was a disciple of Tales of Miletus. The philosopher sought to seek the fundamental element of all things, calling it the apeiron (the infinite and the indeterminate), which would represent the generating mass of life and the universe.
3. Anaxímenes
Anaximenes (588-524 BC) was Anaximandro the pupil. For the philosopher, the primordial substance that originates all things is the element of air.
4. Pythagoras
According to Pythagoras of Samos (570-490 BC), the origin of all things was closely related to numbers. His ideas were essential for philosophy and mathematics (Pythagorean Theorem).
5. Heraclitus
Heraclitus of Ephesus (535-475 BC) was a pre-Socratic philosopher who contributed to the reflections of existence. According to him, everything is in a process of change and the constant flow of life is driven by the opposite forces. He chose fire as an essential element of nature.
6. Parmenides
Parmenides (510-470 BC), considered one of the main pre-Socratic philosophers, contributed to the studies of being (ontology), reason and logic. In his words: “ Being is and non-being is not ”.
7. Zeno of Eleia
Zeno de Eleia (488-430 BC) was a disciple of Parmenides. From his philosophical reflections, the “Zeno’s Paradox” stands out, in which he intended to demonstrate that the notion of movement was contradictory and unfeasible.
8. Empedocles
Through rational thinking, Empedocles (490-430 BC) defended the existence of the four natural elements (air, water, fire and earth), which would act in a cyclical manner based on two principles: love and hate.
9. Democritus
Abdera’s Democritus (460-370 BC) was the creator of the concept of Atomism. According to him, reality was formed by invisible and indivisible particles called atoms (matter). In the words of the philosopher “ Everything that exists in the universe is born out of chance or necessity ”.
10. Protagoras
Protagoras (480-410 BC) was a sophist and philosopher famous for his famous phrase ” Man is the measure of all things .” He contributed to the ideas associated with the subjectivism of beings.
11. Gorgias
Gorgias (487-380 BC) was one of the greatest speakers in ancient Greece. This philosopher followed the studies on the subjectivism of Protagoras, which led him to an absolute skepticism.
12. Socrates
Socrates (469-399) was one of the greatest philosophers in ancient Greece who contributed to the studies of being and its essence.
Socratic philosophy was based on self-knowledge (“know yourself”), developed through critical dialogues ( irony and maieutics ).
13. Plato
Plato (427-347 BC) was a disciple of Socrates and wrote about his master’s ideas. From his philosophical reflections, the “Theory of Ideas” stands out, the basis of Platonism , which would be the passage from the sensitive world (appearance) to the world of ideas (essence). The “ cave myth ” demonstrates this dichotomy between illusion and reality.
14. Aristotle
Aristotle (384-322 BC), alongside Socrates and Plato, was one of the most important philosophers of antiquity.
His ideas are considered the basis of logical and scientific thinking. He wrote several works on the essence of beings ( Metaphysics ), logic, politics, ethics, the arts, power, etc.
15. Epicurus
Epicurus (324-271 BC) was the founder of epicureanism and for the philosopher life should be based on pleasure.
However, unlike the hedonistic current , Epicurean pleasure would be rational and balanced. If it were not so, pleasure could result in pain and suffering.
16. Zeno of Cítio
Zenão de Cítio (336-263 BC) was the founder of stoicism . He defended the idea of a rational reality, which occurs through the duty of understanding.
Thus, through understanding, the reality that man and nature are part of leads to the path of happiness.
17. Pirro
Pyrrhus (365-275 BC) was the founder of Pyrrhonism. He defended the idea of uncertainty in everything that involves us, through a skeptical posture.
Thus, no knowledge is safe and the search for absolute truth is a useless posture.
18. Diogenes
Diogenes (413-327 BC) was a philosopher of the philosophical current of cynicism. He sought to defend an anti-materialist stance by moving away from all material goods and focusing on self-knowledge.