History of Philosophy: From Myth to Rationality

The Philosophy and Its History

In the history of philosophy, a philosopher will always find a quarry of inspiration for new ideas, a fulcrum, or interesting reasoning to defend a thesis.

From Myth to Logos

This transition represents a change of mentality that seeks to replace the mythical tale with rational and critical knowledge.

Ancient Philosophy (6th Century BC – 4th Century AD)

The first philosophers (Presocratics) attempted to find a single principle (arche) to explain nature. Key thinkers include: Thales, Heraclitus, Parmenides, and Pythagoras.

Socrates was highly influential regarding moral questions, as was his pupil, Plato.

Medieval Philosophy (4th – 14th Century)

Developed in Europe, this philosophy was characterized by its subjection to theology. Religious faith became one of the central philosophical issues. Key thinkers: St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Thomas Aquinas.

Arabic philosophy and science also flourished, represented by Averroes, who preserved and translated Greek culture.

Modern Philosophy (17th – 18th Century)

• Rationalism: Believes that true knowledge is born from reason, with geometry as its model. Representatives: Descartes, Leibniz, Spinoza.
• Empiricism: Claims that knowledge arises from the senses and experience. Defenders: Locke, Hume.

Contemporary Philosophy (19th Century – Present)

Opposing currents appeared, such as idealism and positivism. In idealism, the mind and spirit play a fundamental role in the structure of the world (Friedrich Schelling, Georg W.F. Hegel).

Positivism holds that experience and sensory information are fundamental (Auguste Comte). Logical positivism suggests that non-empirical realities lack meaning. Other notable figures include: Karl Marx, Unamuno, Russell, Ortega y Gasset.

Rationality and Logic

Rationality: The use of reason to choose the best words or most appropriate actions.

• Theoretical Rationality: Using reason to choose the best justifications for why a statement is considered true.
• Practical Rationality: Using reason to choose the most appropriate means to achieve a particular objective.

Statements and Propositions

These are sentences that affirm or deny something and can be true or false.

• Analytical Propositions (Truths of Reason): Formal and abstract statements that do not refer directly to the world. They are truths that do not need to be contrasted with reality (e.g., definitions, mathematical axioms, logical truths).
• Synthetic Propositions (Truths of Fact): Concrete knowledge about the world that must be tested against reality.

Truth as Identity

In analytical propositions, it is not necessary to verify the truth by inspecting the world.

• Principle of Identity: When we say that something is itself, it is called a tautology.
• Principle of Non-Contradiction: One cannot claim that something is and is not at the same time, in the same respect.