Journey Through Philosophy: From Myth to Modern Thought

Posted on Dec 3, 2024 in Philosophy and ethics

Origin of Philosophy

Philosophy emerged in sixth-century Greece, transitioning from a mythical understanding of the world, based on stories and legends, to a more rational approach. All cultures have myths.

Myths

The term “myth” comes from the Greek mythos (discourse, narrative). It refers to collections of stories like Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad. Myths are characterized by:

1. Themes of life, death, love, hate, rain, war, etc.
2. World events dependent on the capricious will of the gods.
3. Objects possessing properties that often defy logic.

Logos

Logos represents knowledge acquired through reason, not beliefs or myths. A comparison:

Historical Origin

Philosophy originated in Greece in the sixth century BC with Thales of Miletus. Confucius was also an early philosopher. The emergence of philosophy in Greece was influenced by:

1. The shift from mythical thinking to reason, with thinkers using existing terms from myths (like justice and law) but applying them to nature instead of gods.
2. Political, economic, and sociocultural factors that favored rational thought.

Psychological Origin

The psychological origin of philosophy lies in our innate capacity for wonder and awe in the face of the unknown. Plato and Aristotle emphasized the importance of wonder as an awakening of consciousness and a drive to understand oneself and reality. This involves using our intellectual abilities to question why and how.

Philosophical and Other Knowledge

Philosophical knowledge is second-degree knowledge, requiring a certain level of political, economic, and cultural development. It builds upon prior “first-degree” knowledge, such as technical, mathematical, and political knowledge.

Types of Knowledge

1. Vulgar or common sense: Teaches us how things appear (e.g., fire burns, water is wet).
2. Scientific knowledge: Explains the immediate causes of observable and experimental phenomena (e.g., water is composed of two hydrogen molecules and one oxygen molecule).
3. Philosophical knowledge: Seeks the ultimate causes of reality (e.g., the underlying substance and accidents of fire and water).

Characteristics of Philosophical Knowledge

1. Reflexive: Uses reason to arrive at truth.
2. Open: Acknowledges that there is no ultimate truth.
3. Rational: Seeks answers through reason.
4. Global: Attempts to explain the whole.
5. Radical: Tries to approach the most difficult truths.
6. Practical: Aims to guide human action.
7. Systematic: Attempts to order reality.
8. Critical: Analyzes the mentality of the time.

The Role and Necessity of Philosophy

Function

• A school of freedom.
• Provides minimal moral and philosophical explanations.
• A school of human solidarity.
• Addresses universal problems.
• Teaches people to think for themselves.
• Promotes peace.
• Contributes to the formation of citizens.

Need

We have primary needs (e.g., eating, drinking) for survival and secondary needs (e.g., fashion, technology) related to our social existence. Philosophy analyzes the meaning of our existence and the world we inhabit.

Philosophy and Citizenship

From its earliest thinkers (Plato, Aristotle) to later figures like Thomas Aquinas, philosophy has sought to educate the public, connecting politics and ethics.

• Middle Ages: Close relationship between politics and ethics.
• Renaissance: Machiavelli argued that politics transcends ethics.
• Modern Age: Kant emphasized the connection between politics and ethics.
• Contemporary Age: The relationship between ethics and democracy is highlighted by thinkers like Bobbio.

Intercultural Philosophy

Globalization has led to the development of a new philosophy that considers all cultures and aims to create a more just world.

Philosophy and Its History

Philosophy encompasses:

• Metaphysics: Studies the properties of reality and existence.
• Logic: Deals with reasoning.
• Epistemology: Reflects on the origins and limits of knowledge.
• Anthropology: Analyzes human beings.
• Ethics: Studies morals and values.
• Aesthetics: Analyzes beauty.
• Politics: Deals with the communicative aspects of human beings.

The history of philosophy reflects the history of human life and individual thought over time.

Ancient Times

Key philosophers include Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle.

• Cosmological Period: Focus on the origin of nature (Thales, Anaximander, Pythagoras).
• Anthropological Period: Concern for human life and the world (Socrates).
• Period of Large Systems: Idealism (Plato) vs. Realism (Aristotle).
• Hellenistic Period: Focus on ethics, Epicureanism, and Stoicism.
• Religious Period: Strong religious influence (Plotinus).

Middle Ages

Christianity and Judaism played significant roles.

• Patristica (1st-5th centuries): Explaining Christianity through philosophy (Augustine of Hippo).
• Scholastica (11th-14th centuries): Three periods:
  1. Early Scholasticism: Agreement between faith and reason (Anselm of Canterbury).
  2. High Scholasticism: Partial agreement between faith and reason (Thomas Aquinas).
  3. Crisis of Scholasticism: Separation between faith and reason (William of Ockham).

Modern Times

Human knowledge takes center stage.

1. Rationalism (Descartes): Deduces truths from evident principles.
2. Empiricism (Locke, Hobbes): Focuses on sensory experience.
3. Criticism (Kant): Investigates the nature and limits of human knowledge.
4. German Idealism (Hegel, Fichte): Emphasizes the state over society.

Contemporary Period

• Positivism (Auguste Comte): Rejects metaphysics, focuses on positive knowledge.
• Marxism (Marx, Engels): Materialist philosophy focused on transforming society.
• Vitalism (Nietzsche): Defends life and the importance of the irrational.
• Existentialism (Sartre, Heidegger): Emphasizes individual existence and freedom.
• Analytic Philosophy (Russell, Moore): Focuses on language and logic.
• Neopositivism (Rudolf Carnap): Rejects metaphysics, emphasizes empirical science.
• Postmodernism (Vattino): Expands philosophy to multiple cultural spaces.