Dr. Kerem Eksen
ITU
PHILO + SOPHIA  love of wisdom
The study of the nature of reality, existence, being, nature,
values, mind, language…
Historically, there were not any clear-cut boundaries
between philosophy and science
until 18th century.
Archaic Greece
(8th – 6th centuries B.C.)
Three main figures (“masters of truth”)
The “prophet”
The “poet” (ex.: Homer, Hesiod)
The “king of justice”
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Exceptional people who make extensive use of magical – religious speech
• No argumentation, no proof…
The effective power of language –rather than the semantic content that it
conveys- is the central element.
• Recourse to mythology
First philosophers (6th – 5th centuries B.C.)
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They did not name themselves as “philosophers”. Their followers (such as
Aristotle) would name them thus.
They are usually known as “philosophers of nature”.
No direct reference to myths. Occasional references to gods.
They made use of observation and reasoning.
No original work from them survived.
Thales
Anaximander
Anaximenes
Pythagoras
Xenophanes
Heraclitus
Parmenides
Zeno
Empedocles
Anaxagoras
Democritus
Many of these pre-Socratic philosophers speculated on
the basic principles of nature. Especially on what
“primary matter” is.
Thales  water
Anaximenes  air
Some others speculated on natural phenomena such as
change.
Heraclitus
“It is not possible to step twice into the same river.”
“All things come to be [or, ‘happen’] in accordance with
logos [universal reason]”
…and some others speculated on the nature of being and
truth
Parmenides
• “Way of Truth” vs. “Way of Opinion”
• Way of truth: that which “is” ( that which does not
change)
• Way of opinion: that which “is not” ( that which is
open to change) -- ex.: physical phenomena etc…
 hiercarchy between unchanging objects of reason and
the changing objects of empirical research.
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The one who gave the term “philosophy” a new,
substantial definition. He started a new tradition of
philosophy.
An Athenian citizen
Blamed for “corrupting the young” and “believing in
gods other than those of the city”…
…and executed following his trial (399 B.C.).
Plato’s teacher
No written work
The main protagonist of many of Plato’s dialogues
… and of “The Apology of Socrates”
The founding text of the tradition of Western philosophy
Two central themes:
1. Definition of philosophy
Philosophy ≠ wisdom
“I’m not wise, I’m ignorant” (Apology, 21b5).
Chairephon’s story (21a)
Chairephon: Is there anyone wiser than Socrates?
Apollo: No.
Socrates: I’m not wise. I will show Apollo that there are people
who are wiser than me.
Politicians?
Poets?
Craftsmen?
Socrates: Maybe what Apollo means is this: The wisest man is
the one who is aware that his wisdom is worthless. Man
cannot be wise. Only gods can.
Philosophy: The search for wisdom.
The search is valuable in itself.
2. Philosophy and the good life
Philosophy makes you a better and happier person. It
makes your life worth living.
“The unexamined life is not worth living” (38a)
“You should care for your selves.” (29d)
 Philosophy as an art of living