Part 1: The Little Three

M. C. Escher

There are only two places for things to exist… In our minds Or Outside our minds

METAPHYSICS the branch of philosophy that addresses what is real ontology: what is cosmology: how it came into being

The Pre-Socratic Materialists… Their primary questions were: What is the world made of? What does it mean for something to exist? What happens to things when they change?

What came first? Prior to philosophy all phenomena were explained by myths Philosophy developed in the Greek colony of Miletus (present day Turkey) Philosophy was an attempt to explain the world using reason

Why did philosophy start in Miletus? Miletus was a trading center and open to many ideas and influences Basic Geometry came from the Egyptians Star Lore and Calendar skills came from Asia Exposed to many religious myths

Why did philosophy start in Miletus? Greeks were developing the idea of democracy Greeks valued imagination and attention to detail in literature Greeks believed nature was consistent and could be understood through close examination Greek poets, Homer and Hesiod, suggested that complex matter had developed from a primitive state of water, air, fire and earth

Was something in the air? Between 800 B.C. and 200 B.C. philosophy started Confucius and Lao-Tse in China Hindu Upanishads and Buddha in India Zoroaster in Persia Hebrew Prophets in Israel Homer and the birth of drama in Greece

Thales Born around 640 B.C. in Miletus Attempted to use logic and observation to answer questions about the nature of the universe (logos) Considered the 1 st philosopher Used scientific knowledge borrowed from the Babylonians to predict a solar eclipse Converted Egyptian geometry from engineering to math 1 st to study magnetism

Thales Worked as an engineer Active in politics Became impoverished due to his study of philosophy, but used astrology to make a fortune

Thales’ Nature of the Universe Thales abandoned the myth that everything was made up of earth, air, fire and water He believed everything was made of water since water could be observed in 3 state (solid, liquid and gas) Believed that humans were also made up of water and returned back after death This meant that nature was supreme and mankind was a mere part of the universe

Importance of Thales Thales used reason to reach his conclusion His theory that there is “stuff” behind appearances that explains change while remaining unchanged is correct (atoms and energy)

Anaximander Born in 610 B.C. in Miletus Considered the successor to Thales He disagreed with Thales philosophy, but continued his science Made the 1 st star map, sun dial and model of the universe

Anaximander’s Nature of the Universe Believed that everything in the Universe came from apeiron (the infinite) Orginially the infinite was whole, but motion with in it caused it to break into the four elements Eventually the elements would fit back together and the inifinite would be whole again.

Anaximander’s Nature of the Universe Believed natural laws of the universe kept everything in balance His idea of an invisible infinite underlying the visible world may have influenced Plato His ideas of mass and an invisible force were similar to gravity Believed that man evolved from fish Believed that man was a part of nature

Anaximines Died around 528 B.C. 1 st to distinguish between planets and stars Believed that rainbows were a natural phenomenon not a goddess

Anaximines’ Nature of the Universe Did not believe in apeiron, because something that was not specific could not create specific elements Believed that everything was made of air because air was essential to life Hard objects were simply more air crammed into smaller spaces (states of matter)

Anaximines’ Nature of the Universe Believed that the soul was made of extremely thin pure air The soul held the body together When humans died their soul disintegrated