Essay Database

The world of being; everything in this world "always is," "has no becoming," and "does not change"(28a). 2. It is apprehended by the understanding, not by the senses. The physical world (= the Cosmos) 1. The world of becoming; everything in…

for definitions: how do you know when a definition is correct? You have to (at least) understand the definition, i.e., you have to understand the terms in the definiens. But how do you do that? By understanding their definitions? This leads to either…

in 585 BCE (the date of an eclipse he is reputed to have predicted). No fragments of his work have survived, only testimony. Aristotle attributes the following four views to Thales: 1. The earth rests on water. (De Caelo 294a28) 2. Water…

Thales' supposition that water is the material archê. Instead, he proposed the apeiron (the indefinite, or the infinite). Why did he do this? There is only one extant fragment (6 = B1). It was recorded by the commentator Simplicius (6th C.), who…

seem to be a throwback to Thales, a step backward after Anaximander; but I will argue that is is not. 2. Anaximenes is offering a new world view: 1. Anaximander thought of the basic stuffs and qualities of the world as opposites in conflict. …

Miletus in Asia Minor. He was known in antiquity as "the obscure." And even today, it is very difficult to be certain what Heraclitus was talking about. As Barnes says (Presocratics, p. 57): "Heraclitus attracts exegetes as an empty jampot wasps;…

can think, and speak, etc., without (so far as they acknowledge) any awareness of his realm of Forms. 2. The allegory of the cave is supposed to explain this. 3. In the allegory, Plato likens people untutored in the Theory of Forms to prisoners…

kind of question that revolutionized philosophy: "What is it?" 2. Usually raised about significant moral or aesthetic qualities (e.g., justice, courage, wisdom, temperance, beauty). 3. Such questions are the central concern of the "Socratic" (early)…

at great length. When people speak about Religion or Religious belief they are normally referring to the belief in the existence of God or gods. Religion does not necessarily mean a belief in God, people who dedicate their lives to a cause, such…

in the forming of Chinese culture. Confucius' plan and simple approach to life, revealed his deep seeded beliefs that through great human effort one can shape their own future. He had great faith in the ordinary man and believed that they are…