Bertrand Russell ‘A History of Western Philosophy’ is not your typical light reading, carrying it around is a work out in itself. Unfortunately as a champion of slow reading, working through book one resulted in many late nights, and a few too many cups of coffee. Caffeine fuelled I managed to work my way through it, and just in the nick of time.
Part one concerns Pre-Socratic philosophers, based in the city of Miletus in the region of Ionia, who created a foundation of philosophy for Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. The first Pre-Socratic philosopher we encounter is Thales. As a Greek philosopher, scientist, and mathematician he theorised that everything in the universe is made up of water. What was also found to be shocking was that he made no accounts of ‘the Gods’, which at the time were central to civilisation. However his upmost achievement was the successful prediction of a solar eclipse in 585 BC.
Anaximander, who was thought to be the student of Thales, argued that ‘the boundless’ is the source of all things, and it is an accumulation of all the elements which makes up the universe, not just water. Anaximander was criticised by Aristotle for never giving an explanation of what he meant by ‘the boundless’.
Pythagoras is the next philosopher to cross our path, but unlike Thales and Anaximander he was more focused on the idea of form, rather than matter. He wanted to use mathematics and geometry to explain the universe and all that is contained within it. However I cannot deny that I am pleased that not all of his theories have made it through the generations, I don’t think I could survive as a student without Heinz baked beans. With Parmenides there is very little to say on him, other than he believed that everything comes from one substance.
It then leads us to Heraclitus, who is considered to be the most important of all the Pre-Socratic thinkers, and possesses a pessimistic view of human nature. Writing his doctrine ‘On Nature’ he stated that the world is made up of a conflict of opposites and is in a constant flux, coining the famous phrase ‘you can’t step into the same river twice’.
Part Two focuses upon Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. These familiar names were surprisingly reassuring, bringing back memories from A-level philosophy, a subject I felt so grateful to escape back in June.
Socrates was the teacher of Aristotle, and one of the most influential philosophers of all time, despite never actually writing anything down. As the years went on he became absorbed by philosophy, resulting in self-inflicted poverty. Unfortunately his life was cut short as he was accused of impiety, and had to end it himself by drinking hemlock.
Plato is a well-known student of Socrates, and most of what we know of Socrates has come from Plato’s writings. His most well renowned piece of work is ‘The Republic’, which seems to lay out his plans for a utopian society. He covers the concept of justice, politics, ethics, and what is knowledge?
Aristotle was a student of Plato, who argued about ethics, politics, physics and logic. Unlike Socrates and Plato, who believed that knowledge was innate, Aristotle argued that knowledge is gained empirically. Like Socrates he was charged with impiety, however unlike Socrates, he ran off and escaped his fate.
Part Three tells us about Stoicism. Their main belief is that only Zeus is granted with immortality, the other Gods were created at the beginning of the Cosmos, so are not as high in status. If you lived a ‘good’ and virtuous life you would be granted with immortality and a place among the Gods.
For the Epicureans, the soul and death affected their view of the afterlife. They stated that the fear of death is the main thing that plagues the human race, not death itself.
After the Hellenistic period, the population fell under the sway of Aristotelian teachings again, where no part of the human soul possesses immortality.
I feel it is safe to presume that you are damn right knackered from reading all of this, and I am shattered from writing it. I bid you adieu.
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