Questions tagged [ancient-philosophy]
Ancient philosophy consists, at least in the west, of the work by philosophers before around ~480 CE.
117
questions
1
vote
1
answer
64
views
Where can I learn more about Ancient Egyptian philosophy?
So far, I've read the Ancient Egyptian philosophy article on wiki. Are there other sources where I can learn about this arcane and hazy subject?
3
votes
5
answers
231
views
Does a philosophy scholar in the modern world need to study ancient philosophy?
I am a philosophy enthusiast and I study philosophy on my own. I wanted to know whether a philosophy scholar in the modern world needs to study the ancient philosophical ideas, such as those by ...
1
vote
1
answer
35
views
Can anyone find this Menander fragment in the original Greek?
I remember when studying ancient Greek many years ago, I was memorizing Menander monostichoi, and there was one that I now want to make a little postcard of, but can't remember exactly what the ...
1
vote
0
answers
57
views
What did the ancient philosophers think of crystals? [closed]
Does anyone have any quotes by ancient philosophers on what they thought crystals were made of?
0
votes
1
answer
155
views
Are there visual symbols from ancient Greece that symbolize infinity?
I thought meander ornaments symbolize infinity, but I can't find any citable evidence of this. Are there any other visual symbols that are originally from ancient Greece?
0
votes
0
answers
41
views
What do Ancient philosophers mean by matter?
For example Stoics thought that Pneuma pervades all matter.
There are several definitions of matter but I think the most reasonable is the one based on Elementary fermions.
But in the ancient times ...
0
votes
0
answers
37
views
Hakha-Manners (Philosophy of Ancient Iranians)
What was philosophy of ancient Iranians known as Hakha-Manners? Which is mispronounced in Greek to Achaemenid, In fact, this is the full and correct meaning of Achaemenid empire: the empire of the ...
0
votes
1
answer
53
views
How do we know which dialogues Plato didn't write?
I understand that there are dialogues of Plato for which the authorship is contested, with some more than others.
How are the dialogues determined to be spurious? Is it a different process for ...
0
votes
0
answers
30
views
Socrates' absence in Plato's Laws
Is there any significance in Socrates not being present in Laws; the only dialogue of undisputed authenticity to not feature him?
It is my understanding that Plato's early dialogues depict a more ...
1
vote
2
answers
97
views
No treatise by Plato exists or ever existed
In Plato's second epistle appears the following line:
For this reason I myself have never yet written anything on these subjects, and no treatise by Plato exists or will exist, but those which now ...
1
vote
0
answers
87
views
According to Aristotle, how many unmoved movers are there in the universe?
In On The Heavens, Aristotle described there are multiple unmoved movers in different celestial spheres as the final causes of celestial movements, however, in the Physics, Aristotle concluded there ...
-1
votes
1
answer
55
views
Did alchemy originate from the ancient Greeks?
Did alchemy originate from the ancient Greeks? I heard alchemy is based on ancient Greek philosophy. Is this true?
0
votes
0
answers
47
views
Is Thales's claim that everything starts with water/wetness, in ontological meaning, in agreement with his claim that: "Everything is full of gods"?
Thales claimed water as his arche, but Aristotle says that he also said that "Everything is full of gods". Are those two claims in agreement?
1
vote
1
answer
55
views
Who first said that he who cannot govern himself cannot govern others?
What philosopher said that he who cannot govern himself cannot govern others?
I heard that Foucault said something similar, but surely Aristotle or even King Solomon may have said something similar.
1
vote
1
answer
346
views
I am looking for a parable that tells about a tyrant and an honest poor man
Brief paraphrase: In a certain city there lived a tyrant and a poor man, the tyrant did not know about his tyranny and believed that he was doing the right thing, the poor man saw the tyrant's ...
1
vote
1
answer
82
views
What is known of Anaximander's reasoning behind his belief that the Earth floated?
Anaximander was the first philosopher (at least that I know of) to argue that the Earth floated in space without support and without being enveloped by the cosmic ocean. I have heard his reasoning for ...
5
votes
1
answer
447
views
Does the Platonic triad originate with Plato?
A Platonic triad of Good, True, and Beautiful is something I run into online and in popular philosophy books. For example: https://catholicgnosis.wordpress.com/2014/11/10/the-platonic-triad/
It's been ...
2
votes
0
answers
42
views
Number of causes in Porphyry
Aristotle proposed a well known and much studied doctrine of Four causes. Seneca the Younger in the first years of the new era wrote that his quintam Plato adicit exemplar, quam ipse idean vocat (as ...
2
votes
1
answer
50
views
Where in Aristotle's Topics did he say there's no exact/clear way to distinguish two concepts?
I've heard that Aristotle supposed in his Topics that there's no exact/clear way to distinguish two concepts. What exactly did he say?
4
votes
2
answers
309
views
Why did Aristotle claim we can't wish our friends be gods?
Aristotle asks at the close of Book VIII, Chapter 7 of the Nicomachean Ethics: Can one wish their friend the highest good, namely, to be a god? He seems to provide several reasons to think not.
...
1
vote
1
answer
222
views
Academic consensus on Egypt as origins/impetus of Ancient Greek philosophy
My question concerns the thesis about the controversial thesis about Ancient Egypt being the origins or the cause of Ancient Greek philosophy.
I understand that the pendulum has swung on this issue ...
3
votes
1
answer
90
views
Plato Symposium - Is Socrates's Response to Agathon Warranted?
I'm reading Plato's symposium and I had a question about the section 199b - 201c where Socrates responds to Agathon. This comes after Agathon's speech, but before Socrates tells the tale of Diotima.
...
0
votes
0
answers
31
views
Original Text Sources for 2 Aristotle ideas - 1/ nous on nous , 2/ sprial of knowledge - which texts did Aristotle first mention these in?
I am trying to track down the first mention original sources of some ideas of Aristotle in philosophy that some philosophy professors made in some university lectures.
The first idea is
1/ Nous on ...
0
votes
1
answer
64
views
What is the most internally-consistent theory of forms?
I'm trying to construct a fictional reality out of the Socratic-era (ideally) theories of Forms, but every philosopher's attempt seems to have at least one fatal flaw (and most of them several big ...
1
vote
0
answers
43
views
According to Plato, can there be forms for a certain class of particulars?
In the beginning of Parmenides, Plato seems to think that most, or possibly all, particulars do not have corresponding forms; but he is not very explicit about why. My question is, does it not make ...
2
votes
0
answers
25
views
Apart from Religious content, what philosophical doctrines can be found in the Bible?
today i read the Eclesiastes, and found it quite alike of Stoicism, so i wondered, since the bible is just a compilation of books that are not necessarily related, i wanted to know what other ...
2
votes
1
answer
197
views
The concept of nature in the Greek philosophy
My question is: Is it possible to point to a development in the concept of "nature" in the period between pre-Socratic philosophers and Aristotle (inclusive)?
Thank you very much.
3
votes
1
answer
147
views
What percentage of extant Greek texts from Antiquity constitute philosophy?
I recently asked on Literature Stack Exchange, What percentage of clay tablets found in Mesopotamia contain literature?
and was only able to define an upper limit 4% literature in the overall corpus ...
5
votes
3
answers
672
views
"Corresponding behaviour" in text on Socrates' philosophy
I don't know if this is the right place to post this question, but as I was reading Diogenes Laertius' 'The Life of Socrates', I came upon the following line:
"He recommended to the young the ...
10
votes
3
answers
4k
views
"There is no difference, if no difference can be detected"
As far as I remember there was an ancient philosopher who said something like "there is no difference (between two objects) if no difference can be detected", but I don't remember who was that and how ...
0
votes
1
answer
148
views
I'm trying to identify a rhetorical device
I already asked this question on the writing forum, but I suppose the subject matter is better suited here.
Once again, I am writing a commentary on the book of Galatians, while employing a socio-...
0
votes
1
answer
47
views
Are there any Good Compilations of Socrates?
Fellow Thinkers, does anyone know of a book that has compiled all the main sources that we know Socrates from (Plato, Xenophon, Aristophanes, ...)?
Thank you for your time. - SDH
1
vote
1
answer
137
views
What are some arguments against the third man argument?
I'm working on a paper concerning the third argument. I have my own solution in mind but I need other arguments to refute so that I can then move onto my argument. I found another thread on this topic ...
3
votes
1
answer
778
views
What are the important questions about pre-socratic philosophy?
I am self-studying pre-socratic philosophy. I want to know what are the relevant questions that I need to ask to myself. The idea is to ensure that I understood the important parts of this period in ...
6
votes
1
answer
188
views
Are there any ancient Greek philosophers with a 'complete' philosophy that never made it to prime time?
There are at least a couple-dozen Greek Philosophers (in my estimation) whose ideas were both popular and comprehensive enough that they were taught throughout antiquity. Pythagoras, Democritus, Plato,...
2
votes
1
answer
155
views
Where can I access or purchase Aristotelis Opera (edited by Immanuel Bekker)?
I have been trying to find the following as I am very interested in reading Aristotle in the original Greek:
Aristotle. Aristotelis opera. Edited by Immanuel Bekker, Christian August Brandis, and ...
1
vote
1
answer
173
views
For Aristotle, how and why does friction generate heat?
I'm still a bit new to Aristotle, so this question may be imperfect:
In Meteorology, Aristotle uses friction to explain how the sun generates heat. Although it's composed of aether, and not fire, ...
2
votes
0
answers
133
views
Is there any evidence that Nietzsche read anything by Zarathustra?
Here are two verses of Zarathustra from his Gathas published in the The Hymns of Zoroaster: A New Translation of the Most Ancient Sacred Texts of Iran by M. L. West:
40.10
And that reward, Mindful ...
3
votes
1
answer
131
views
Random Emergence
In De Caelo 300b, Aristotle introduces the idea of the random emergence of the natural:
"it is possible that with this disorderly motion some of the elements might have unified in those combinations ...
4
votes
2
answers
790
views
Allegory of the cave and Forms?
In my philosophy class, the professor told us about the allegory of the cave and how it relates to the Forms. From what I understood, regular people only see shadows of the Forms; but by doing ...
2
votes
1
answer
88
views
What sort of philosophy does this come into?
Okay so I'm going to have a very hard time trying to convey what I want to because I myself am unsure on how to frame this question.
Is there any philosophical branch that deals with 'binarial' ...
2
votes
0
answers
55
views
Does the concept of Axis Mundi imply the idea of a symmetric universe?
In the mythologies of many cultures the universe is thought to have a center ( i do not mean the geographical concretisations which are obviously not accurate, i mean the philosophical conception ) ...
3
votes
3
answers
635
views
Did Ancient Greeks believed that only God can give Agape Love, the unconditional love for everyone?
Ancient Greeks defined love as 6 different types.
Eros, Philia, Ludus, Agape, Pragma, Philautia.
Agape love is Unconditional Love.
Can God only give Agape Love, the unconditional love for everyone?
...
0
votes
1
answer
132
views
How similar were Epicureans and Stoics to Buddhism on suffering?
One of the main goals of the Buddhist philosophy/religion is to be free of suffering.
Buddhism identifies ego, desire, non acceptance of impermanence, ignorance and all negative emotions(because the ...
4
votes
1
answer
80
views
Which ancient Greeks are known to have commentated on Zeno's Paradoxes?
The Stanford Encycl. of Philosophy mentions that we know of Zeno's work only through various secondary sources, "principally through Aristotle and his commentators."
I was wondering, which other ...
3
votes
1
answer
80
views
Which works of Plato and Aristotle (Ancient Greek if there is more worth it) should I read to get a context to study Continental Rationalism?
I'm trying to get a better ground to get into Continental Rationalism between Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, etc. I read on the Plato Encyclopedia of Philosophy that Plato and Aristotle influenced them, ...
1
vote
0
answers
86
views
How does one understand the second and third triad in Hegels Logic?
The first dialectical triad in Hegels Logic and put in a mathematical form is
Being + Nothing = Becoming
Although a strange sum, I find this understandable. His second dialectical triad takes the ...
4
votes
3
answers
157
views
Do wholes tell us what the parts are?
According to one reading of the atomic hypothesis it is parts that are fundamental and they tell us what wholes are, and in fact, what wholes are possible. For example:
A tree is made up of roots, ...
5
votes
4
answers
455
views
Dasein and know thyself
Socrates famously asked the question 'know thyself'.
When I first read of this it impressed me. It seemed like an important question. What could be more important than knowing your own self? It seems ...
1
vote
1
answer
283
views
Is there an ur-philosophy behind the philosophy of Pythagoras and Lao Tze Tung?
Chapter forty-two of the Dao De Jing has the following:
The Dao engenders One
One engenders Two
Two engenders Three
And Three engenders the many myriad things
This looks rather like how ...