Foundations of Western Philosophy: Myth, Reason, and Classical Thinkers

From Myth to Reason: Foundations of Western Philosophy

Mythical Thinking and Its Categories

Mythical thinking attempts to provide answers based on superstition, legend, magic, belief, and chance. We can categorize different types of mythology:

• Cosmogonic: Relates the origin of the universe and the world.
• Anthropogenic: Details the creation of humankind.
• Historical: Relates the origin of a culture or civilization.
• Eschatological: Tells what lies beyond death.

Rational Thought

Rational thought is based on logic. It replaced arbitrary mythological necessity with rational necessity based on laws. This is founded on the conviction that events are governed by natural laws, allowing everything to operate within a rational order.

The Socratic Era and Classical Philosophy

The Pre-Socratic Stage

This stage is characterized by the search for explanatory laws of reality, marking the beginning of the scientific attitude. The Pre-Socratics focused their interest primarily on the investigation of nature. The most prominent figures include Thales and Pythagoras.

The Socratic Stage in Athenian Democracy

During the era of Athenian democracy, substantial socio-political changes occurred. The focus shifted from investigating nature to reflecting on human affairs: moral, social, and political issues. This period also saw the establishment of equality before the law.

The Sophists: Relativism

The Sophists defended moral, political, and epistemological relativism. They argued that there are no absolute truths; everything is relative and depends on the point of view or the interest of each individual or collective group.

Socrates: Universal Truth and Dialogue

In opposition to the relativism of the Sophists, Socrates defended the validity of universal truth. He proposed dialogue (the Socratic method) as the essential means to accurately define concepts and values.

Plato: The Theory of Ideas

The essence of Plato's philosophy is the Theory of Ideas. Plato believed that absolute truths (Ideas) exist and serve as well-defined models for understanding reality. Ideas are generic models—the universal concepts that help us comprehend anything. They are characterized by perfection and unity, standing in contrast to the multiplicity and contingency of the material world.

Key Aspects of Plato's Theory of Ideas

• Soul-Body Dualism: The soul is a spiritual and immortal reality, and its primary function is to understand the Ideas.
• Epistemology: Emphasizes the importance of mathematics and dialectic as mechanisms for the knowledge of Ideas.
• Ethical Theory: Virtue perfects us as human beings and allows us to understand the Idea of Good.
• Education: Stresses the importance of education as a tool for developing human potential.
• Political Organization: Highlights the need for effective social and political organization. The state's function is to ensure the common good. In his book The Republic, Plato proposed an aristocratic government as the ideal model.

Aristotle: Orientation Towards the Material

Opposite the importance Plato gave to Ideas, Aristotle was oriented more towards the material world. Universal concepts cannot simply be explained by images of reality but must be specified in detail within things themselves.

Aristotle's Main Philosophical Topics

• Theory of Potency and Act.
• The Four Causes (Material, Formal, Efficient, and Final).
• Hylomorphic Theory: Everything is composed of matter and form.
• The importance of a good education system and government.