Last Updated on September 16, 2022
Traditionally, Thales was considered the first philosopher, although Raymond Geuss and Slavoj Zizek argue that it was Oedipus who first made the decision to engage in philosophical thought. However, the first philosopher is often hard to define and has been argued in many different ways. In either case, the first philosopher listened to both sides of a question. What are the main characteristics of a good philosopher?
Thales
The early Greek philosophers attempted to explain the world through a naturalistic framework, looking for a “unifying hypothesis” that accounted for natural phenomena. This approach to philosophical inquiry paved the way for the sciences. Philosophers have tried to describe the works of Thales from different angles. Some think that Thales created a new philosophical tradition that added universality to knowledge. Others believe that Thales resented the prevailing mythology and reacted against it.
The idea that Thales was the first philosopher is controversial, especially today, because the Christian writer Lactantius reported on a lost work by Cicero called Hortensius. Hortensius claimed that Cicero’s view was based on a competing view. Moreover, he argued that philosophy was too recent and did not represent true wisdom. Those who disagree with this theory should be prepared to reread Cicero’s work.
By the time of Eudemus, Thales was a prominent figure in Greek history. Milesians were known to travel widely, and he probably learned the art of geometry in Egypt. According to Herodotus, Egypt is the birthplace of geometry. He also laid out one theory about the Nile Flood. And his calculations show that he must have studied the Pyramids. However, there is another explanation for the earthquake: the astronomer Zeus, a Greek god of the oceans, predicted that the sun would rise in the north.
Though the major Greek thinkers did not explicitly claim Thales as the first philosopher, they did implicitly reject the idea. In fact, Aristotle did not claim to be the first philosopher. Aristotle did not explicitly claim that Thales was the first philosopher. It is possible that he was the first Greek philosopher. If Thales was indeed the first philosopher, then Aristotle and the later Greeks were wrong, as Aristotle emphasized that philosophy had come from non-Greeks.
Socrates
According to Plato, Socrates was the first philosopher to assert the idea of rationality. In fact, he thought having many books would make one wiser. However, when he appealed to the Orphics for help, Socrates is portrayed as a half-serious character. In reality, he was a very civil man. He often asked his conversation partners questions about their lives.
In Plato’s dialogues, Socrates was mostly portrayed as an enquirer, seeking to clarify problematic questions posed by interlocutors through the technique of elenchus, or critical examination of a person’s beliefs. He attempted to define virtue and other ethically significant concepts, but he never succeeds in this endeavor. Most of his dialogues are ostensibly unsuccessful, but some are textually suggestive of the correct answer. Socrates is interested in ethics in a broad sense.
Socrates’ looks were very different than other early Greek philosophers. He had large, bulging eyes, a flat nose with flaring nostrils, and fleshy lips. He let his hair grow long, Spartan style, and walked around with a stick. He also did not wear clothes; he wore the same clothing day and night. Socrates’ gait was deemed intimidating.
After finishing his military training, Socrates was sent beyond the limits of Attica to serve the rest of the country. In times of relative peace, Socrates probably engaged in trade. During this time, he probably married his mother Chaeredemus. But it is unknown how long his first wife spent in this profession. It is known that she was not fully involved in his children’s upbringing. He did serve in the military, but did not deny it.
Socrates was the first philosopher to formulate a general conception of a better state. But he was also the first to object to the idea of direct democracy. He thought men should govern themselves, a system that he considered to be an ideal one. Socrates also had strong feelings about democracy. Despite these feelings, he still remained apprehensive about direct democracy, the system in which men govern themselves.
Socrates was a controversial philosopher who lived in Athens and discussed various issues with people of all classes. Ultimately, his search for truth and the insanity of those who claimed to be wise was exposed by his philosophies. As a result, Socrates was accused of heresy and corrupting the youth of Athens, and he was ultimately put to death by poison in 399 BC. Socrates’s writings have shaped the development of Western logic.
Pythagoras
Pythagoras was an ancient Greek philosopher, known for seeking wisdom and introducing the concept of reincarnation to the Western world. He was also an early proponent of the “music of the spheres,” a theory that the movements of the planets create ethereal music. His philosophy of the universe posited that the human being is a microcosm of the greater universe.
The first philosopher, Pythagoras is credited with many mathematical discoveries. These discoveries include the theory of proportions, the five regular solids, and the sphericity of the Earth. While classical historians disagree about whether or not Pythagoras actually made all of these discoveries, many of them probably came from him. And he’s often credited as the first man to call himself a philosopher.
He died in Metapontum in the 5th century BC. In the early days of Greek philosophy, animals were capable of killing each other. In his time, Pythagoras wrote that animals had the ability to kill each other. This philosophy is a key piece of history. Even though Pythagoras’ philosophy is now a part of Western philosophy, the earliest philosophers disagreed on a number of issues.
The earliest philosophers had different interpretations of nature. Some believed that nature is Unlimited stuff, while others believed that everything has a physical form. But, according to Pythagoras, everything is composed of a number. Even our bodies have bodies, and these bodies were created through a process called condensation. This process produced the earth, water, and fire. In fact, there’s no such thing as unlimited stuff.
Some scholars say Pythagoras was the most influential philosopher. He was the first to recognize that the soul of an animal is transferable from one animal to another. This transfer of identity is called transmigration. However, it is not yet known whether or not the soul of a dog actually exists, so this view remains controversial to this day. In any case, the philosopher’s theory remains an important part of Western philosophy.
About The Author
Pat Rowse is a thinker. He loves delving into Twitter to find the latest scholarly debates and then analyzing them from every possible perspective. He's an introvert who really enjoys spending time alone reading about history and influential people. Pat also has a deep love of the internet and all things digital; she considers himself an amateur internet maven. When he's not buried in a book or online, he can be found hardcore analyzing anything and everything that comes his way.