Origins of Western Philosophy in Greece
Western philosophy emerged in the Greek colonies of Asia Minor, around the sixth century BCE. Previously, rational knowledge, such as astronomy or geometry, existed in Egypt. However, it was in Greece where the first thinkers sought a rational explanation for both natural phenomena and human behavior.
From Mythos to Logos
Philosophy was born as a criticism against traditional knowledge and myths. Although it addressed similar questions, it did so from a very different perspective: that of logical reasoning. This turn is called the transition from mythos to logos.
Wonder and the Desire for Wisdom
The wonder and desire to know are fundamental to philosophy.
Pythagoras and the Name Philosophy
Pythagoras is credited with coining the term philosophy. Originally in Greece, a sophos, or wise man, was one who possessed important knowledge, which granted him rights, such as participation in the political governance of the city. But on one occasion, when asked about his profession, Pythagoras did not dare to present himself as a sophos, but simply as a ‘lover of wisdom’. Indeed, the term philosophy means ‘love’ (philo) ‘of wisdom’ (sophia). This marked an important change in the meaning of the word and the attitude it represented.
Socrates, Plato, and the Love of Knowing
Socrates located the starting point for the path to knowledge in the recognition of one’s own ignorance, famously stating, “I know that I know nothing.” His pupil Plato emphasized the ‘love’ (eros) for knowledge, arguing that the philosopher is driven by desire. This translates into a longing that incites the search for what is lacking: the answers to the great human questions. Thus, philosophy stems from the recognition of human ignorance and the desire to overcome it.
Aristotle: Philosophy from Admiration
It was Aristotle who most clearly described its meaning. Aristotle stated that philosophy was born of the admiration the first thinkers felt towards the wonder of reality. This admiration stems from the confusion and surprise upon realizing that nature and the beings composing it are governed by rationality, by laws that reveal it to be an ordered cosmos, not arbitrary chaos.
The Search for Truth (Aletheia)
For the early philosophers, often called the Pre-Socratics1, reality contained something fixed, ensuring a stable and permanent rational behavior of phenomena, despite the constant changes perceived by the senses. The search for this underlying order is the response to that admiration, and they regarded its discovery as the primary task of philosophical activity.
For this reason, philosophy emerged as the search for truth (aletheia)2, understanding that this truth was hidden behind the appearances of things. Indeed, as the burgeoning Greek civilization of the sixth century BCE sought to understand the world around them, philosophers turned away from mythical explanations based on prejudices and superstitions. They sought the truth objectively and demonstratively, relying solely on reason.
Theoretical and Practical Philosophy
In this sense, the shift in understanding philosophy from merely ‘love of wisdom’ to the pursuit of truth and objectivity did not mean, nor does it mean, that it is exclusively theoretical or speculative. Even for the early thinkers, the goal was to rationally interpret the world in order to transform it.
The Greeks aimed to offer practical solutions, replacing the old model of traditional culture with a more innovative civilization, one with a new rational view of the universe and a different moral and political order. They understood that philosophical knowledge was not an unrealistic theory, but served, in practice, to provide solutions to specific problems of their environment: how to be happy, what constitutes a just society, what is the best form of government, etc. But above all, they recognized that human action must be guided by theoretical knowledge.