Notes for logic reasoning with critical thinking, which covers the origins of philosophy, timeline of philosophers (Thales, Anaximander, etc.), operational definition of philosophy, branches of philosophy, etc.
1. Introduction to Philosophy
Wednesday, 17 August 2022 3:36 pm
Why study philosophy?
1. It encourages us to explore and ask questions
➢ Philosophy is always curious about everything
2. It provide answers
➢ We can find this answers in our lifetime or not
3. It gives us food for thought
4. To explain things around us
Or in conclusion: To find the TRUTH; this is the ultimate reason why we study
philosophy; so we can filter what is truth and what is faulty
"Wonder is the only beginning of philosophy."
A true philosopher is always CURIOUS and WONDER
Origin of Philosophy
• Started with the questioning of things
• Ancient philosopher's questions:
➢ What is the ultimate material of the universe?
➢ How can we explain the process of change in things?
• Curiosity - tool of philosopher; sense of wonder in the world; main tool of
philosophy
• Tales - first recorded Western philosophy, which was born in Miletus
➢ Eastern philosophy - included sort of spirituality in search for the answer and
truth; started a century before the Western philosophy
Western philosophy - focused on rationality
Seaport Town of Miletus
• A meeting place to discuss discourse
• Center for commerce and trade (place where they barter goods and people
came from different places)
• Deployment of reason for naturalistic explanations of observable phenomena
• They answer in rationality way and through observation
• Philosophy started in Seaport Town of Miletus; birthplace of philosophy
• Miletus - one of the polis (Greek state of Greece); Greek was separated by polis
(city-state)
• Examples of polis:
➢ Sparta
➢ Athens
• Slaver's bay - place where they sell slaves
Greece - does not have censorship that was present with other old civilizations
that was growing alongside Greece (civilizations such as Egypt and
Mesopotamia)
➢ There was no priestly censorship
➢ Priests - talks about Gods and Goddesses
➢ In other areas, priests hold so much power, whatever thoughts or ideas that you
have that goes against the ideas' of priests, and if you think outside of what
they teach to you, you will be considered as Heretic
➢ Heretic - may cause your life
➢ In Greece, even they have Gods Goddesses, they treated everybody there as
humans; since there are no censorship in Greece their minds are wild
I think therefore I am?
Module 1 Page 1
, I think therefore I am?
What is reality?
"The more I wonder… the more I love." - Alice Walker
Timeline (Answers to "What is the composition of the universe?"):
• Tries to answer questions "What is the composition of the universe?", "What
makes up the universe?", and "What causes the changes?"
• Pre-Socratic philosophers - philosophers that focuses on the question of "What
is the composition of the universe?"
❖ Thales of Miletus
➢ 625-545BC
➢ Father of Philosophy (however there is no official "Father of Philosophy")
➢ Earliest philosopher to shift from traditional mythopoeic / theopoetic perspective
on the universe
➢ mythopoeic - the composition of the universe is shrouded in mystery, or in
some cases because Gods and Goddesses; or also explained by the poets
(which had a strong influence that time)
→ Homer - Iliad and Odyssey; according to him, the world was shift by human
action like love, revenge, power, and glory; the universe was made possible
because Gods and Goddesses possesses this motivations of emotions too
➢ He presented different way of explaining things, he offered rational explanation
in origin and evolution of the physical world (biggest contribution of ancient
philosophers)
➢ His answer to "What is the composition of the universe?" is that it was WATER,
this is the ultimate material of the universe
➢ He stated that everything is water, except others are in different forms and
states
➢ Water - basic element of anything or any of its different states
➢ His view of water as an underlying principle of the world stems from his
observation that moisture was present in all animal and plant life. In fact, we
need water in order to survive
➢ He had this conclusion while he was resting and observing a cow eating
grass, and a man milked the cow. He began to wonder: "Where the milk came
from where this only eats grasses?"
→ He then experimented with a glass of milk, he put it beside him and under the
sun the whole day. He was surprised that only half of it is left in the afternoon,
which then made him to conclude that everything is water
➢ In ancient times, there was a man and called him "Tales". He was not wealthy
but his wisdom had won him the respect of other citizens
→ People would gather to hear him speak and were struck by truth of his words
→ However there was someone who could not see beyond his worn clothes and
humble circumstances; "You look ordinary Tales! We are not impressed by
you." These people cannot realize the amazing skill this man had.
→ The other people said that he was only "bitter" and "sour graping" or having a
negative attitude because he cannot be rich on his own (like Fox and the fable)
→ He became prominent olive presser (for making oil or wine), he had the control
for the presses; by his knowledge of stars he know the time when is olive will be
fruitful
→ "Somehow, through observation of the heavenly bodies, Thales concluded that
there would be a bumper crop of olives. He raised the money to put a deposit
Module 1 Page 2
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