Theme.The philosophy of antiquity

1. Main features of philosophy of antiquity.

2. Pre-socratic philosophy period.

3. Ideas and thinkers in the classical ( Socratic) period.

4. The Hellenistic period of Antiquity.

1.The are 3 periods in the history of philosophy in ancient Greece ( philosophy of Antiquity) :

• Pre-socratic period;

• Classical ( Socatic ) period;

• Hellenistic period.

Main features of philosophy of Antiquity:

• The most important features of antique worldview was Cosmologism;

• Antiquity philosophy separated itself from mythology attempting to give it rational explanation;

• Antiquity philosophy found the underlying basics of the world.

In the first period of Antiquity philosophy (pre-soctaric) philosophy found somepermeable substance out of it the world had been formed

2.Pre-socrticPeriod ( 7^th-6^tha BC).

It was represented by Thales, Anaximander, Amaximenes, Pythagoras, Heraclitus, Parmenides, and Democritus.

Thaleslived in 6^th century BC, thought that everything was composed of water and that , the earth if floated on water.

Anaximanderthought the permeable substance was opeiron(means endless, limittess and unbounded ). For Anaximenes , the permeable substance was ‘’air’’. Anaximander and Amaximenes lived in the 5^th century BC.

Pythagoras lived in the 6^th century BC and thought that the universe itself was seenan a huge Mathematical and musical harmony. He proposed the model of numbers a forming the basis of things.

Heraclitus lived in the 5^th century BC. He considered the stuff of the cosmos to be fire in varying forms. He said, all things regularly change. Ed. ‘’ you cannot step into the same river twice’’.

The main principle of the world is ‘’logos’’ .in Greek means reason, definition or world.

Parmenides lived in the 5^th century BC. He held that change is an illusion and that the universe in reality is a frozen unchanging object and that change cannot exist.

Democritus lived in the 4^th century BC. He proposed the atomic theory. He thought that, the universe is composed of an infinitive number of atomic.

The first philosophy of the pro-socratic period:

• Protagoras : He was first who considered , that men in the measure of the things and his idea was supported by socrates.

3.Classical period (5^th-4^thcenruty BC)

Socrates : 5^th century BC.

• He started the epoch of classical philosophy;

• He was greatly impressed sophist’s regarding men the measure of all things. He followed the tradition and put into the centre of his philosophy.

• He considered reason to be the basics of all perceived things;

• The main principle of his philosophy it to be aware by yourself;

• He combined a ontological problem with moral problems;

• He philosophized in a dialogical mainnel (asking questions);

• This peculiarly was his irony. His famous aphorism was ‘’ I know that, I don’t know anything’’;

• He contributed greatly into the development of the truth as a concept both as being and cognition.

Later Plato manifested his own theory on the Socrates ideas.

Plato:he lived in the 4^th century BC.

• 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 on his conception of true reality as a world of ideas.

• These ideas or forms are universal essence that contain the true and ultimate being of things.

• The cognition of ideas or of the universal forms enables man to perfect himself and to act with wisdom.

• His method – is best defined as dialectic In that, he demonstrated his arguments by opposition.

• The human soul according to highest is the logistical or rational aspect. Next, there that aspect which is full of spirit, it can be called courageous aspects. Lowest, aspects which is the appetitive (self-control).

Aristotle : lived in the 4^th century BC.

• He possessed one of the few truly encyclopedic minds in the history of western men.

• He divided science (a) theoretical (aim of was objective knowledge. (b) practical science (aim of it was guidance conduct. (c) productive science (aim was guidance of arts)

• He put abode before these 3 divisions, the science and art of logic called by him analytics.

• At the heart of his complex philosophy is his concept ‘’dualism‘’ everything is made of a union matter and form. The matter of an object is what make it an object and a form is what make It an object the particular thing it is.

• He developed a corresponding dualistic of potentiality and actuality.

• Matter is a potentiality of any object while form is that which gives the object its actuality. He called the process ‘’entelechy’’.

• Men’s reason is the highest of the form and is what gives him the actuality as man and defines him.

• He is still a force in the modern thought a very large part of our technical vocabulary both in science and philosophy is rooted in terms Aristotle used and defined.

4.Hellenistic period (end of 4^th BC- 4^th AD)

The main peculiarities of Hellenistic philosophy:

1. The key problem was man’s being in the Universe (ontological aspects, the problem of man’s existence).

2. Irrationalism: the prevailing of will contemplation and intuition over reason. The picture of the world became more figurative ; mythological mystic.

3. Being was regarded as a unity of difference sphere which were transformed in their approach to divine being.

The are 3 main philosophical teaching of Hellenist, namely:

1. Skepticism

2. Stoicism

3. Epicureanism

Skepticism: was founded be Pyrrho(Пірон) of Elis in 4^th century BC. The main ideas of Skepticism are:

• The Skeptic did not suppose that, main man and the world were know-able.

• The Skeptic reject rational ground for moral norms

• Relativism rejected the existence of good and evil, logics in the being of the Universe and Society.

• They consider the world unknowable.

• There are three truth to their opinion:

1. Nothing exists

2. If something exist it is unknowable

3. If something is knowable it inexpressible.

Stoicism:was founded be Zeno in a 3th century BC.

The main ideas of Stoicism are:

• There is no radicle human freedom

• Life should be lived in accord to nature

• The Stoicism considers four main virtues of wisdom, courage, self-control ad justice.

Epicureanism: was founded by Epicurus in 3^rd century BC.

The main ideas of Epicureanism:

• He thought that pleasure and happiness are natural end of life.

• His concept of nature followed the atomism of Democritus.

• He considers the cosmos as composed of atoms of various weight, form and size.

• Human Souls are composed of atoms too.

Philosophy of the Middle Ages ( 4^th-14^th AD)

1. The basic Philosophical ideas in the period of Patristics

2. Argumentation on the universals. The Nomanalists and Realists

3. Scholasticism: Thomas Aquinas

Medieval Philosophy

Philosophy of the middle ages can be divided into 3 stages:

• Patristics including apologetics in the 4^th-5^th AD. It was introduced by Tertullian and Augustine

• Early Scholasticism 5^th- 12^th AD. It was represented by Erigena

• Late Scholasticism 13^th-14^th AD. It was represented by Thomas Aquinas

Middle age philosophy was subordinated to theology. The philosophical paradigm was the prevailing of religion and primary of spiritual mans being in the world.

The philosophical paradigm was the religious, theological interpretation of mans activity the primacy of religious faith on our knowledge.

There are 4 main ideas of Christian worldview:

1. Idea of the unity of believing God is the creator, savior and holy spirit

2. Idea of free choice between good and evil

3. Idea of after death, recompense and divine mercy.

4. Idea of repentance is a thought of the breed between God and man

5. Idea of apocalypse of human history

Problems of Medieval Philosophy

• The nature of the universals (general concepts)

• Correlation of will and consciousness

• The problem of free will, the choice between good and evil

• Correlation between soul and body. Man is spirit which is given by god and directed to good and truth

• Soul is of dual nature, high and low

• Correlation of nature and blessing

• Correlation of faith, consciousness and will

Tertullian: defended the moral values of Christianity

Augustine: explained why evil appeared in the world

Normalists and Realists:

Normalists were represented by Duns Scot, William of Ockhaim and Roscelin

Realists were represented by Eriugene and Thomas Aquinas

The debate between noramlists and realists was concerned with the nature of universals or general concept.

The realists thought that the general concept exists only outside things.

The norminalists carried the idea of negation of the objective existence of the general, believing that the human mind in thought.

Thomas Aquinas gave five arguments for the existence of God

• The first of ways to existence of god has to do with motion or change

• The second begin from the notion of efficient cause

• The third: again unlike anything in our experience, god cannot cease to existing because his existence does not depend on anything else

• The fourth: the argument is from degree of perfection

• There are degree of goodness, beauty or truth, there must be supreme example

• God is supremely wise, intelligent in whom order of universe originates

The philosophy of renaissance (revival philosophy) 15^th-16^th

1. Characteristics features of Renaissance:

Humanism and Anthropocentrism

2. Natural Philosophy: Copernicus, Jordan, Bruno, Galileo

3. Social Theories of Renaissance: Nicola Machiavelli, Thomas More, Thomas Kampaneila

1a. Renaissance is the time in Europe the art literature and idea of ancient Greece were again rediscovered and developed. We see a transition from purely logical problem to nature scientific cognition of the world and man. The philosopher Renaissance had anti Scholastic and anti church character and the raised men believing into his physical and spiritual potential. There philosopher were optimistic and of life.

The Main peculiarities of Revival Philosophy

• Anthropocentrism and Humanism

• Opposition to Church and Scholasticism. They did not deny, God and religion but church as an organization which appeared to become an Intermediary between god and the believers

• An increasing interest in nature. A new materialistic conception of the world appeared

• Growing social and political incentive, the idea of social equality.

• The formation of cultural individualism

The main stream of renaissance philosophy

• The Philosophy of nature

• Social and political philosophy

Natural Philosophy

• Philosophy of nature was from 15^th-16^th AD in Europe

• It was mainly concerned with materialistic views

• The philosophy proved a new kind of worldview free of religion

• They proposed a new picture of the world in which god and nature and cosmos were a single whole. The earth was not in the center of the universe.

• They insisted the possibility of knowing the world by sensual perception and reasoning. The most famous representative of such trend were Jordan Bruno and Galileo, Nicolas Copernicus

Copernicus: His new system in as ast is heliacentic

Galieo: saw mathematics as a useful tool in astronomy and often science. His use of the telescope revealed the mountainous character of the moon. He stressed the importance of empirical observation.