西方哲學史-01-前蘇格拉底哲學-01

1、Book 1Origins of Western Philosophic Thinking1Introduction1. What is philosophy2. Sources and Influences (1) Asian or Oriental (2) Biblical or Hebrew (3) Egyptian23. Cultural Foundations (1) Pursuit of Wisdom (2) History and Literature (3) Myths and Religions4. Other Conditions (1) Natural Condition

2、s (2) Social Conditions (3) Political Institutions3The Pre-Socratic Philosophers Texts: (1) Diels, H., Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker, 6th ed. revised by Walter Kranz, Weidmann: 1951. (2) Kirk, G. S., Raven, J. E., Schofield, M., The Presocratic Philosophers, 2nd ed. Cambridge, 1983.41. The Early I

3、onians 1. Thales (1) Thales Words: Others say that the earth rests on water. For this is the most ancient account we have received, which they say was given by Thales the Milesian, that it stays put through floating like a log or some other such thing. 5 (2) Aristotles interpretation A. Water is the

4、 principle of all things. B. Water is the best. C. All things are full of gods. (3) Current understanding Whatever is real is in some significant sense “alive”. (4) Why Thales is regarded as the first philosopher in Greece?62. Anaximander (1) The apeiron as the principle The apeiron, an eternal subs

5、tance, boundlessly large and without any definite characteristics: neither hot nor cold, neither wet nor dry, neither white, black, nor any other color. (2) Other understanding of apeiron A. Aristotle: the intermediate B. Simplicius: the mixed7 (3) Why apeiron is over water (4) Cosmology A. Universe

6、 as a closed, concentric system B. Universe is in the necessary and eternal motion from the motivation of apeiron8 3. Anaximenes (1) The air as the principle (2) The structure of the universe (3) The grounds of motion9 4. Xenophanes (1) Critique of myths and religion A. Anthropomorphic-theism B. Polytheism (2) Philosophical cognition “The clear and certain truth no man