Questions tagged [ancient-philosophy]
Ancient philosophy consists, at least in the west, of the work by philosophers before around ~480 CE.
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Did the Persian's have their own schools of philosophy?
Given that around 2000 years ago there were numerous different schools philosophy in Rome, Greece, India and China were there comparable schools found in the Persian empire around the same time?.
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Cosmological views in the 2nd century
I wonder whether philosophers and educated people in the 2nd century actually had views on cosmology, which are closer to modern views than often assumed.
My analysis is mainly based on Plutarch's &...
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Does Aristotle distinguish philosophy as a discipline from the broader conception of intellectual inquiry?
I was reading a text about Aristotle that states: "Aristotle is the founder not only of philosophy as a discipline with distinct areas or branches, but, still more generally, of the conception of ...
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A question on Aristotle’s arguments contra Melissus and Parmenides in Physics
In Book I Part 3 of Aristotle’s Physics, he says in response to Melissus’ argument that being is one
”If, then, we approach the thesis in this way it seems impossible for all things to be one. ...
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Which ancient philosopher compared thoughts to birds?
I half remember a quote by some ancient Greek philosopher about thoughts being like birds and the art of thinking being having the right bird/thought come when you need/call it.
I can't find that ...
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For Neoplatonists is motion a process that can only take place in temporal settings?
In Proposition 2 of the Elements of Theology, Proclus writes that everything that participates in unity is simultaneously one and not-one. Further down, he claims that it has unity as an effect and ...
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The older, the smarter. Is the wisdom of time a scientifically proven fact or just human prejudices?
For example, physicists, engineers, computer scientists don't care much about ancient studies and don't mind throwing away older theories and research.
Yet, in philosophy and religious studies, we ...
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How should I pronounce words from Ancient Greek philosophy?
A somewhat unusual question here. Naturally, while reading through Ancient Greek philosophy, I've encountered many Ancient Greek words like παιδεία, οὐσία, as well as sentences like 'πάντες ἄνθρωποι ...
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Arguments for a Socratic Daimon and Embodiment: A Dialogue between an A-pneumatic and Pneumatic: Is this coherent? [closed]
Dear all, can you help me find any inconsistencies from theory of mind, philosophy of mind and phenomenology of percetion in this dialogue?
A conversation between an a-pneumatic and a pneumatic:
A-...
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What are the main elements of Stoicism? [duplicate]
My question is this: What are the main elements of Stoicism?
As a secondary question, it would also be nice to know how Epicureanism compares to or contrasts with Stoicism.
Primary source material ...
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Seeking Guidance for Reading Aristotle's Metaphysics
I've recently embarked on a journey to explore Aristotle's Metaphysics, but I must admit, I'm finding it quite challenging to grasp. As a newcomer to Aristotle's works, I wonder if there's a guide or ...
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Understanding Aristotle's argument of simultaneously and sequentially actualisable potential infinities in response to Atomism
I am reading a book about Aristotle. Aristotle lays out a potential argument against infinite divisibility by the Atomists, that infinite division would leave components of zero-magnitude which could ...
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Preferred Translation of Plato's *Laws*?
I have been delving deeper into Greek philosophy lately, and I must say, I am quite fond of C.D.C Reeve's translations. His interpretations of various philosophical texts have always resonated with me....
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How did ancient Greeks connect transcendence and rational approach to one gender(male)?
It seems to me as a modern human difficult to connect logic (may say rational approach), material world and something that stays beyond this reality (may say emotional or religious approach), ...
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Why did Pythagoras prohibit eating beans?
The legend says the Pythagoreans never ate beans because they contained the spirits of dead people. My maths teacher told me this was known because a bean and an embryo are about the same size and ...
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Euthyphro's Dilemma
I'm current reading one of the first of plato's dialogues, Euthyphro, concerning piety. At one point in their conversation, Euthyphro proposes to Socrates the following definition,
I) What all of the ...
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What does Plato mean by kingly arts?
In Euthydemus, Plato says that "the politician’s art and the kingly art
were the same" (ἔδοξε γὰρ δὴ ἡμῖν ἡ πολιτική καὶ ἡ βασιλική τέχνη ἡ
αὐτὴ εἶναι, 291 c 4–5).
I have difficulty ...
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Does the usage of the words "gnosis" and "episteme" evidentiate a change over time in Ancient Greek philosophy?
"Episteme" is the word of choice in Plato, generally (although there are a few instances of "Gnosis" here and there)
By contrast, "Gnosis" is far more frequent among ...
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What does Aristotle think about the relation between blindness, knowledge and memory?
I’m trying to understand Aristotle’s views on blindness, as given in these passages:
"just as the blind remember better, being released from having their
faculty of memory engaged with objects ...
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Does a philosophy scholar in the modern world need to study ancient philosophy?
I am a philosophy enthusiast and I study philosophy on my own. I wanted to know whether a philosophy scholar in the modern world needs to study the ancient philosophical ideas, such as those by ...
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What did the ancient philosophers think of crystals? [closed]
Does anyone have any quotes by ancient philosophers on what they thought crystals were made of?
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What do Ancient philosophers mean by matter?
For example Stoics thought that Pneuma pervades all matter.
There are several definitions of matter but I think the most reasonable is the one based on Elementary fermions.
But in the ancient times ...
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No treatise by Plato exists or ever existed
In Plato's second epistle appears the following line:
For this reason I myself have never yet written anything on these subjects, and no treatise by Plato exists or will exist, but those which now ...
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Did alchemy originate from the ancient Greeks?
Did alchemy originate from the ancient Greeks? I heard alchemy is based on ancient Greek philosophy. Is this true?
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Who first said that he who cannot govern himself cannot govern others?
What philosopher said that he who cannot govern himself cannot govern others?
I heard that Foucault said something similar, but surely Aristotle or even King Solomon may have said something similar.
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