Unit 1 Philosophy

What were the Pre-Socratics interested in?

• Addressed the nature of “stuff” - essentially, what are things made of?

• Everything that exists has always existed

• Things are in a constant state of change/flux

• Believed that all things were made up of tiny building blocks

Who were the Pre-Socratics

• Parmenides

• Athens

• Heraclitus

• Democritus

What did the Parmenides believe

• everything made of water

• everything made of fire

• everything is ONE

• everything is made of building blocks

What did the Heraclitus believe

• everything made of water

• everything made of air

• everything is made of building blocks

• everything made of fire

What did the Democritus believe

• everything is made of building blocks

• everything is ONE

• everything made of fire

• everything made of water

Parmenides key concepts:

• -Everything that exists has always existed

  -Nothing can change

  – Reality is single and eternal (All is one)

  -Our senses deceive/mislead u

• -Things are in a constant state of change/flux

  -You cannot step twice into the same river

  –Isn’t fire a great symbol for movement/change?

Key concepts of Heraclitus:

• -Things are in a constant state of change/flux

  -You cannot step twice into the same river

  –Isn’t fire a great symbol for movement/change

• -everything that exists has always existed

  -Nothing can change

  – Reality is single and eternal (All is one)

  -Our senses deceive/mislead us

Who was Democritus?

• a big focus on the education of the citizen and the art of rhetoric (saying things in a convincing manner)

• Believed that all things were made up of tiny building blocks (atoms) that combined to make up everything in existence.

• A group of itinerant teachers and philosophers from the Greek colonies who flocked to Athens

• They were like the Pre-Socratics in that they were critical of traditional mythology

Who was The Sophists?

• A group of itinerant teachers and philosophers from the Greek colonies who flocked to Athens

• Founded “The Academy” in Athens

• Here, we only have approximate knowledge or incomplete knowledge formed by our five senses (touch, sight, taste, sound, smell)

• This world can’t be perceived with our senses, but the ideas (aka “FORMS”) are immutable and eternal

What did “Sophist” mean?

• "so feisty"

• "a know-it-all"

• "a true and honest person"

• “a wise and informed person”