Ancient Greek Philosophy

Transcription

1 Period covered: 5 th Century BCE to 2 nd Century CE Classical Period: Beginning of the 5 th century BCE (Persian War) to the last quarter of the 4 th century BCE (death of Alexander the ( Great Pre-socratics: Parmenides, Zeno of Elea, Leucippus, and Democritus Plato Aristotle Ancient Greek Philosophy

2 Ancient Greek Philosophy Hellenistic Period: Last quarter of the 4 th century BCE (death of Alexander the Great) to end of the 1 st century BCE (fall of Egypt to the Romans). Epicureans Stoics Sceptics Additions & omissions.

3 Ancient Greek Philosophy Why did it happen? Why in Greece and not Egypt, for instance? Social, economic, and political factors?

4 Hypothesis: Ancient Greek Philosophy Why did it happen? Lack of natural resources in homeland forced to become seafaring merchants Establishment of trading colonies all over the Mediterranean. Contact with other people and cultures. Upward social mobility/establishment of a merchant class. favorable conditions for the emergence of democracy A tendency among the people to question authority. A market for teachers of rhetoric.

5 Ancient Greek Philosophy Why did it happen? Another Possibility: Religion not as closely linked to secular authority. But these are all just necessary conditions for the emergence of ancient Greek philosophy (if that).

6 The Pre-socratics Parmenides Biographical Info: b. ~515 BCE, d. ~450 BCE Lived in Elea

7 Parmenides Poem 3 parts: The Prologue: Fragment 1 The Way of Truth: Fragments 2 8, up to line 49. The Way of Mortal Opinions: Fragment 8 from line 50 end, Fragments 9 19

8 Parmenides Poem 3 parts: The Prologue: Fragment 1 The Way of Truth: Fragments 2 8, up to line 49. Consists of 2 sub-avenues of inquiry which are the only routes of inquiry that are for thinking (Fragment 2, line 2): ( 3-4 The path of Persuasion attends upon Truth (Fragment 2, lines What I will call the Dead End is a path entirely unable to be investigated (Fragment 2, lines 5-8): The Way of Mortal Opinions: Fragment 8 from line 50 end, Fragments 9 19

9 WAY OF TRUTH: 2.1 But come now, I will tell you and you, when you have heard the story, bring it safely away 2 PATHS OF INQUIRY: 2.2 which are the only routes of inquiry that are for thinking: PATH OF PERSUASION: 2.3 the one, that it 1 is and that it is not possible for it not to be, 2.4 is the path of Persuasion (for it attends upon Truth), <so whatever we inquire into exists, and cannot not exist. Therefore, if something doesn t exist, we can t inquire into it:> DEAD END: 2.5 the other, that it is not and that it is right that it not be, 2.6 this indeed I declare to you to be a path entirely unable to be investigated: C2: 2.7 For neither can you know what is not (for it is not to be ( accomplished 2.8 nor can you declare it for the same thing is for thinking and for being. 4.1 But gaze upon things which although absent are securely present to the mind 4.2 For you will not cut off what-is from clinging to what-is, 4.3 neither being scattered everywhere in every way in order 4.4 nor being brought together For me, it is indifferent from where I am to begin: 5.2 for that is where I will arrive back again. ARGUMENT THAT THINGS THAT DO NOT EXIST CANNOT BE TALKED ABOUT OR THOUGHT OF: 6.1 C1: That which is there to be spoken and thought of must be. 2 P1: For it is possible for it to be, P2: but not possible for nothing to be. 4 These things I bid you to ponder. 6.3 For I bar you from this first route of inquiry, <1> What is it? Whatever we inquire into. <2> Gloss: C1: Things that can be talked about or thought of exist. (Or, equivalently, things that do not exist cannot be talked about or thought (. of <3> Gloss: P1: Things that can be talked about or thought of can exist. (Or, equivalently, things that cannot exist cannot be talked about or thought (. of <4>Gloss: P2: Things that do not exist cannot exist.

10 Parmenides Poem The argument may now be assembled in a more perspicuous form: P1: Things that cannot exist cannot be talked about or thought of. P2: Things that do not exist cannot exist. C1: Therefore, things that do not exist cannot be talked about or thought of. P3 (supplied): Everything that can be known can be thought of. C2: Therefore, things that do not exist cannot be known or talked about.

11 Parmenides Poem - Modern Responses Bertrand Russell Kant: 'Being' is obviously not a real predicate; that is, it is not a concept of something which could be added to the concept of a thing. It is merely the positing of a thing, or of certain determinations, as existing in themselves. Logically, it is merely the copula of a judgment. The proposition, 'God is omnipotent', contains two concepts, each of which has its object -- God and omnipotence. The small word 'is' adds no new predicate, but only serves to posit the predicate in its relation to the subject. If, now, we take the subject (God) with all its predicates (among which is omnipotence), and say 'God is', or 'There is a God', we attach no new predicate to the concept of God, but only posit the subject in itself with all its predicates (KrV. B626, Kemp-Smith pp ) Gottlob Frege