Presocratic Philosophers: Thales, Anaximander & More
Presocratic Philosophers
Thales of Miletus (6th Century BC)
Considered one of the Seven Sages of Greece, Thales was the first to view the world as a manifestation of a single principle: water. He believed that water was the arche (origin) of nature, the source of all things and the beginning of life. This concept of water had both mythological (e.g., the Titan Oceanus) and ontological (e.g., the primordial sea, Tethys) dimensions. Thales’ philosophy was based on observation and considered water as
Read MoreHuman Evolution: A Journey Through the Genus Homo
Human Evolution: A Journey Through the Genus Homo
The Five Species of the Genus Homo
- Homo habilis: 2.5 million to 1.4 million years ago – (700cc cranial capacity)
- Homo erectus: 1.8 million to 300,000 years ago – (900-1200cc)
- Homo antecessor: 800,000 years ago – (1000cc)
- Homo sapiens (Neanderthal): 230,000 to 35,000 years ago – (1500cc)
- Homo sapiens sapiens (Cro-Magnon): 35,000 years ago – (1800cc)
Significance of Homo erectus
Homo erectus represents significant progress in humanization due to advancements
Read MoreKant’s Epistemology, Metaphysics, and Ethics: A Comprehensive Overview
Kant’s Theory of Knowledge
Sources of Knowledge
Our knowledge originates from two sources: sensibility and understanding. Knowledge encompasses concepts and judgments.
- Concepts: Unified representations of objects. Knowledge requires a concept to refer to a phenomenon (e.g., seeing a house).
- Judgments: Relating concepts to form judgments. Explicit knowledge is expressed through a judgment (e.g., “This is a house”).
Types of Concepts
- Empirical Concepts: Derived from experience (a posteriori) (e.g., house,
Understanding Citizenship: A Historical and Philosophical Perspective
Understanding Citizenship
The Political Animal
Humans cannot survive in isolation. Coexistence is crucial for our survival as individuals and as a species. It also fuels our development as persons and the transmission of our culture. Living in a society requires establishing rules and some form of authority—a politically organized society.
Political Animal: Someone living in an organized manner within a polis (a society or political community).
Reasons for Living in a Polis (According to Aristotle)
Read MoreHumanistic Psychology: A Third Force
Classification and Purpose
Humanistic psychology emerged in the U.S. during the 1950s and 1960s as a “third force,” alongside psychoanalysis and behaviorism.
Key Figures and Concepts
Bühler: Focused on fulfillment and satisfaction in human life. Key trends include meeting needs, adaptive restraint, creativity, and expanding domestic order.
Maslow’s Eupsychia: A vision of a healthy society where individuals are spontaneous, creative, and confident, embracing new ideas and adapting to change.
Rogers:
Read MoreThe Origins and Justification of Political Power
Ethics and Moral Conduct
Ethics is a philosophical discipline that examines morality and seeks to establish its foundations. Moral conduct is behavior guided by rules and moral values, encompassing norms and values consciously embraced. A prerequisite for moral behavior is freedom. When default behavior contradicts laws due to rigid nature or uncontrollable instincts, judgment is unwarranted. However, freely chosen moral behavior can be judged or valued by others as good or bad, considering the individual’
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