MAJOR PRE-SOCRATIC PHILOSOPHERS Thales Anaximander Anaximenes Xenophanes Pythagoras Heraclitus Parmenides Democritus Early 6th Century BCE Early to Mid 6th Century BCE Mid 6th Century BCE Mid to Late 6th Century BCE Late 6th Century Turn of 6th to 5th Century BCE Turn of 6th to 5th Century BCE Late 5th into Early 4th Century BCE ‘Empiricist’ ‘Rationalist’ ‘Empiricist’ ‘Rationalist’ ‘Rationalist’ Perspectivalist / ‘Empiricist’ ‘HyperRationalist’ ‘Rationalist’ Compositional, Material, & Source Monist: WATER Source Monist: TO APEIRON Compositional, Material, & Source Monist: AIR Source Monist: GOD Compositional & Source Monist: NUMBER Denies Monism: DOCTRINE OF FLUX Eleatic Monist: ALL IS ONE Atomist Materialist / Physicalist NonPhysicalist Materialist / Physicalist NonPhysicalist NonPhysicalist Materialist / Physicalist NonPhysicalist? Materialist / Physicalist Reductive Non-reductive First empiricist and natural philosopher. First rationalist, relying heavily on ‘a priori’ reasoning Pioneered the use of measurement in astronomy First to use the Principle of Sufficient Reason First to posit that celestial objects lie behind each other Reductive Marks a middle way between Thales & Anaximander Provides a mechanism of change Reductive? Reductive Reductive Radical Monist Reductive First serious epistemologist and first explicit monotheist Begins a long tradition of viewing mathematics as nature’s true language Two interpretations of Heraclitus: Traditionally, Eleatic Monism is understood as Numerical Monism. But we might understand Parmenides differently— perhaps as holding that anything thing that is, is one, rather than that this is only one thing, what is. Introduced the distinction between primary and secondary qualities Begins explicitly criticizing tradition & religion Notices numerical ratio in musical scale Posits the transmigration of the soul Emphasizes harmony (1) Heraclitus offers a broadly Milesian Account, according to which the first principle is fire. (2) Heraclitus eliminates Being and emphasizing becoming. Presents a mechanistic model of the universe. Perhaps unifies the insights of Heraclitus on Becoming and Parmenides on Being.

Major Pre-Socratic Philosophers

Related Documents

Recommended Documents

Description

Related Documents

Want to Download This Document?

Free up your schedule!

Take 5 seconds to unlock