Philosophy - The Early Philosophers

Milesian philosophers or Ionian Physicists (Thales 624 BC; Anaximander 610-545 BC; Anaximenes 585-528 BC) concerned themselves with cosmology (branch of metaphysics which deals with the nature or essence of the orderly universe).

hylozoism - matter possesses life or sensation

Apeiron - ultimate cosmic matter, Boundless, Infinite.

metaphysics - unveiling the mysteries of ultimate reality.

metaphysical monism - ultimate cosmic stuff is only one basic substance

Eleatic school - Xenophanes

- the problem of Being and Becoming; and that of rest and motion.

Heraclitus of Ephesus (544-484 BC) - the entire substance of the world is in a ceaseless process of change (“flux”)

Parmenides (540-470 BC) ultimate substance (Being) is unchanging and unchangeable, permanent.

Empedocles (495-435 BC) - postulated a definite number of ultimate elements and noted their combinations on fixed mathematical proportions (founder of the science of chemistry).

Leucippus coined the term atom (indivisible, inert dense bodies, ultimate reality)

Democritus (460-370 BC) - father of Materialism.  Reduced all phenomena to atomic substances mechanistically governed.

Phenomena- that which can be observed by the senses.

Skepticism- knowledge is unattainable, nothing is known or can be known.

Phenomenal reality: refers to our knowledge of appearances

Metaphysical reality: refers to our knowledge of real objects

Pythagoras (580-497 BC) founded a religion which taught the transmigration of the soul.

Philolaus - set out to prove that the phenomenal world of physical nature is grounded on mathematical principles.

The Sophists (Greek Enlightenment 5th Century BC) turned the course of philosophy away from cosmology toward the problem of man, civilisation and ethics.

Protagoras (481-411 BC) founded the science of grammar

Epistemology - the study of what knowledge is and how it is obtained.

The Sophists based their philosophy on the doctrine of the relativity of truth (ie. no Being, always Becoming) and so concentrated on debate to convert opponents.

The Eleatic concept of changeless Being and the dialectical paradoxes of Zeno impelled Giorgias (483-375 BC) to formulate a philosophy of Skepticism.

- absolute truth cannot be shown to exist, all that remains are ideas in the form of words.

- doctrine that “might makes right”: person(s) endowed by nature with superior strength has the moral right to impose his will on weaker individuals [Nietzsche adopted it].