WESTERN BEGINNINGS
WESTERN BEGINNINGS
Ancient Greece - Philosophy started with these famous thinkers: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. During their time, the main questions they asked were about what is right and wrong, what is real, and how we know things.
Western philosophy is traditionally traced back to ancient Greece around the sixth century before common era. Thales of Miletus, often called the "first philosopher," broke away from purely mythological explanations of the world and asked a strikingly rational question: What is the one basic substance (arche) from which everything is made? He proposed water.
Later thinkers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle shifted the focus of philosophy from nature toward human affairs, how we should live, what counts as knowledge, and how a just society should be organized. Western philosophy, from its earliest days, has leaned on reason,
argumentation, and systematic questioning, often independent of religious authority.
SOCRATES - (four hundred sixty-nine - three hundred ninety-nine before common era) - "The unexamined life is not worth living." Socratic Method He is known for asking deep questions to help people think (Socratic Method) . He believed we can find the truth and know what is right or wrong by asking and answering questions.
He did not write books. What we know about him comes from his students. He was sentenced to death for his ideas, but his way of questioning is still used in schools today.
He is known as the "Father of Philosophy". Application Scenario:
He is known as the "Father of Philosophy". Application Scenario:
. If a student is unsure about telling the truth, we would ask, "Why do you think honesty is important?" and keep asking questions until the student understands their own reasons.
. Even if student studies more, their real-world grades can never be exactly perfect,
because perfection only exists as an idea, not in reality. But that idea of perfection motivates her to keep learning and improving.