Philosophers Of Ancient Greece Research Articles

Philosophy of music in the context of mathematics

In the philosophy of mathematics, two opposing trends have historically developed: apriorism (Pythagoras) and empiricism (Aristotle) and both of them have had their impact on the development of music. Philosophers of Ancient Greece and the East noted the important role of music; it was used in religious rites, which served as the basis for social and state relations. The article presents a joint panorama of the development (by historical eras) of the philosophy of mathematics and music and notes their close relationship. But if the Philosophy of Mathematics has long been included in the section of sciences «Philosophical Questions of Science», the Philosophy of Music has not yet acquired such a full-fledged status, although philosophers, specialists in aesthetics, art criticism, composers and musicians have dedicated their works to it. This can be attributed to the fact that since the time of Pythagoras, science has not advanced much in explaining the phenomenon of music. The article attempts to explain this paradox and offer as a hypothesis possible options for studying this topic «Mathematics and Music». The development of brain sciences, high technologies and cognitive sciences can contribute to the success in the development of the Philosophy of Music. The philosophy of music explores ontological, epistemological and axiological problems, the essence, historical and social existence of music, as well as the features of its interaction with art, literature, mathematics, natural and humanitarian sciences. Applied issues of the philosophy of music are the formation of ethical and cognitive guidelines for life and ideological ideals in humans. Music finds its practical embodiment in medicine, psychology, education and various means of communication. The latter is becoming the most important direction of modern philosophy and science. At present, mathematics contributes to the development of new integral directions in music associated with light, color and many other characteristics.

Ancient Wisdom for Modern Challenges: The Influence of Greek Philosophers on Environmental Sustainability

With climate change, humanity faces a multitude of complex and pervasive environmental challenges, making the task of finding comprehensive solutions seem overwhelmingly difficult. Intriguingly, the keys to these modern-day quandaries might be hidden within the wisdom of our ancestors, specifically, the ancient Greek philosophers and the Romans who ingeniously applied Greek philosophy to their practices of environmental sustainability. The philosophers of ancient Greece, individuals such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, laid the foundation of Western philosophy, a significant portion of which was dedicated to understanding the natural world and our place within it. Their teachings, with their profound reflections on existence, morality, and the nature of reality, provide a philosophical lens through which we can reevaluate our current environmental predicaments.
 My research delves into the wisdom of ancient Greek philosophers like Titus Lucretius Carus, Cicero, and Pliny the Elder. I conclude that through these Greek philosophers’ works, we have the potential to reshape our world, incorporating their ideas of environmental sustainability to generate effective solutions. The teachings we glean from these ancient luminaries offer more than historical knowledge; they serve as a timeless guide towards a more conscious and fulfilling life. These philosophical principles and ethical concepts still resonate with contemporary society, providing valuable insights. Our current obstacle, however, is the extensive and intricate influence wielded by the oil and gas industries, which adds to the complexity of our environmental challenge.

Analysis of the Relationship between Marx's Doctoral Thesis and Modern Enlightenment Thought

Marx's Doctoral thesis, as the starting point of Marx's thought, has always been the focus of domestic scholars' attention. Marx's thought is the product of enlightenment, although Marx did not specifically discuss the inheritance of Enlightenment thought in the texts left by Marx, so in what sense Marx's thought inherited the Enlightenment thought is a topic worth exploring. In his Doctoral Thesis, Marx's analysis of Epicurean philosophy in ancient Greece is a key to understanding the relationship between Marx and Enlightenment thought, and the principle of agency in Epicurean philosophy can be regarded as the key to Epicurean philosophy. The relationship between Epicurus, enlightenment and Marx has become an inescapable topic in understanding Marx's thought.

The beginnings of chemistry: from ancient times until 1661

Abstract Magical natural phenomena, human ingenuity and craftsmanship have evolved into the grand science of chemistry. The story of this process is described through a series of landmark developments: technical chemistry and chemical ideas in the Ancient World, natural philosophy in Ancient Greece, early chemical ideas and technology in Arabia, India and China, the rise of alchemy in Alexandria and its spread to Arabia and subsequently to Europe, the Chinese invention of gunpowder, the growth of alchemy in Europe and the alchemists’ quest to transmute base metals into gold, Michael Sendivogius and his trailblazing alchemical treatise which refocused alchemical investigations onto a new path, the demise of alchemy and its replacement by important new ideas, which were outlined by Robert Boyle during the middle of the seventeenth century.

Formation of the Idea of Natural Law in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome

The article analyzes the formation of the idea of natural law, which has an important theoretical and applied significance, as it makes it possible to better understand the essence of law, its connection with egalitarian and humanistic teachings. The research is based on modern philosophical worldview approaches, such general scientific research methods as axiological, anthropological, phenomenological, comparative-historical, comparative-legal, system-structural, hermeneutical, functional, institutional, as well as formal-legal method are used. The article examines the works of representatives of the Milesian school founded by Thales in the first half of the 6th century BC, whose analysis of human consciousness, human ability to create, transform the world, formulate ideas and implement them led to the idea of a universal Logos, a universal divine Mind, and the Law of Nature. The article reveals the contribution of sophists to the development of the idea of the natural law who justified the differences between natural and human law, defended the idea of equality of all people, called for not discriminating against citizens, depending on their origin, and denied slavery. The role of representatives of the stoicism school in substantiating the idea of natural law based on awareness of the fundamental difference between human nature and nature, justifying the existence of the unchangeable law of nature (lex naturale) in the form of common sense, equality of all people, recognition of slavery contrary to human nature, the need for recognition of human rights by law to preserve human dignity is highlighted. The article examines the influence of the ideas of the philosophers of Ancient Greece on the development of Roman law, the role of the Scipio group in this influence, and the essence of the then rational understanding of natural law as a true law, namely, common sense, which, in accordance with nature, concerns all people, is unchangeable and eternal

CRITIQUE OF KENYA EDUCATION SYSTEM TOWARDS ACHIEVING TRAINEE SELF-RELIANCE: AN EXISTENTIALIST PERSPECTIVE

Education and training has been a tool for economic, social and political development of any state towards realizing the common good for all. Ancient Greece philosophers identified the human person as a critical player in state development agenda and therefore the goal on human empowerment is key and central in the process of attaining the “good” life in a state. Thus, according to Aristotle, the state has to take full control of the education of the young towards becoming responsible citizens. The study interrogated the goals of education, critically examined the concept self-reliance, analyzed the epistemological, metaphysical and axiological tenets of existentialism and synthesized the implications of existentialism in education and training Kenya for self-reliance. The study found out that the empowerment process is dual in nature, individual student and state development. The individual development has been emphasizing skill development at the expense of economic and values. It is therefore necessary to embrace multidimensional orientations in reforming education and financing education and training that do not enslave the trainees after graduation. Article visualizations:

The Origins of Philosophy in Ancient Greece and Ancient India: A Historical Comparison by Richard Seaford

The Origins of Philosophy in Ancient Greece and Ancient India: A Historical Comparison by Richard Seaford

Первые философские школы в мире классической античности (IV в. до н.э.)

the article is devoted to the history of the formation of the first schools of philosophy in Ancient Greece in the 4th century BC. The author examines the meaning of the word “school”, analyzes the main features of the first philosophical school of antiquity – the Academy of Plato in comparison with the earlier schools of the pre-Socratics and Aristotelian Lyceum. The article argues that, in addition to the systematic nature of teaching philosophical sciences, a feature of the activities of philosophical schools was that in each of them a canonical corpus of texts was created and thereby provided conditions for the further development of philosophy as a predominantly exegetical tradition.

Новий погляд на виникнення філософії у Греції та Індії. Seaford, R. (2020). The Origins of Philosophy in Ancient Greece and Ancient India. A Historical Comparison. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

The article provides a brief description of the main theses of Richard Seaford's new book. I criticize some of these theses. In particular, there are doubts that the common characteristics and chronological proximity of the origin of philosophy in ancient Greece and India can be explained by the common process of growth of money circulation in these cultures. I argue that Seaford de facto uses monetization as a metaphysical category. It is very similar to the Marxist use of the concept of labor. To my mind, the interiorization and the cosmic projection are the main processes of transition between real human actions and their metaphysical perception. The universalization of these processes gives them an ability to transform any phenomena of the external world into mental ones and vice versa, which makes Seaford's arguments excessively reductionist. Another weakness of Seford's book is the fact that Greek and Indian philosophies are considered in a too general way, in the style of a textbook rather than a research work.

Fragments of autobiography: The concept of “flickering compassion” in Portraits of Women by Ksenija Atanasijevic

In our discussion we will explore how Ksenija Atanasijevic, while writing about the poets and philosophers of ancient Greece, but also about Saint Teresa of Avila and George Sand, expressed her own understanding of the importance of women's scientific and artistic creativity, and also their emancipation. By choice of women she will write about, as well as emphasis on certain qualities of their personalities and their work, and the philosophical concepts she supported, Ksenija Atanasijevic simultaneously created her implicit imaginary philosophical "I" in Portraits of Women. Therefore, the most precise genre definition of Portraits of Women would be fragments of flickering compassion towards the personalities she is describing, and compassion can be defined as a key characteristic of her entire oeuvre and life - empathy was the basis of Ksenija Atanasijevic's ethical philosophy and her social, pacifist and feminist engagement and at the same time it was in her opinion the most important value of human life. With this choice, Ksenija Atanasijevic also anticipated the stance of contemporary feminism on the necessity of creating a female canon for shaping a women's personal and creative identity.

Teaching Ancient Practical Ethics and Philosophy as a Way of Life

In this article, I describe an approach to teaching ancient practical ethics that encourages learners to engage actively with the ideas under consideration. Students are encouraged to apply a range of practical exercises to their own lives and to reflect both independently and in collaboration with others on how the experience impacts their understanding of the theories upon which such exercises are built. I describe how such an approach is both in keeping with the methods advocated by the philosophers of ancient Greece and Rome, and also well supported by a wide range of contemporary educational research. I suggest that such active learning strategies encourage students towards a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the philosophical theories under consideration. Practical recommendations for incorporating such an approach into the teaching of applied philosophy are given. I finish by considering the impact such an approach may have on student motivation.

The Triple Transformation: The Emergence of Philosophy in Deleuze and Guattari

ABSTRACT In this article, I introduce the concept of the triple transformation, which ensues from my examination of What is Philosophy? by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari. The concept applies to the philosopher's intuitive method, it defines more precisely his or her activity that consists of creating concepts in order to bring forth new events. This activity cannot be carried out by merely turning the thought of opinion, which shapes our ordinary lived experience, to philosophical concepts. The exercise and experience of the creative thinking of philosophy implies a liberation from the constraints of opinion, by way of a triple transformation. I address the triple transformation from two different perspectives: first, in connection with the emergence of philosophy in ancient Greece with regard to Plato as a member of the democratic city-state of Athens; second, with regard to an individual subject in its own right, to its brain or mind.

Intellectual and Cognitive Effects of Plotinus on the Mystic Philosophical Opinions of Attar and Rumi

The effects and synergies of intellectual and cultural influence are the features undeniable in various nations and civilizations from ancient times until the present day. Schools of thought, ideas and theories of philosophical and mystical in human life, have seen many changes and passed through a development and evolution. Plotinus, one of the philosophers of ancient Greece and founder of the Neo-Platonic philosophy, expressed intellectual and philosophical statements about the existence of human and relationship between man and the Creator of man and the universe. In the culture of Persian mysticism, the thinkers were inspired by the ideas of this Greek scholar and created many works. In this regard, Attar and Rumi as two figures in Islamic-Iranian mysticism affected by the ideas of this outstanding thinker. In this article, we are to distinguish similarities and differences of these three thoughtful ideas with each other in eleven categories: celibacy of spirit, spiritualism, world-aversion and so on.

Visa to heaven: Orpheus, Pythagoras, and immortality

The article deals with the doctrines of Orpheus and Pythagoras about the immortality of the soul in the context of the birth of philosophy in ancient Greece. Orpheus demonstrated the closeness of heavenly (divine) and earthly (human) worlds, and Pythagoras mathematically proved their fundamental identity. Greek philosophy was “an investment in the afterlife future”, being the product of the mystical (Orpheus) and rationalist (Pythagoras) theology

Antikythera Mechanism and the Ancient World

In this historical review, the opinions of Ancient Greece philosophers, astronomers, and poets such as Thales Milesian, Pythagoras, Plato, Eudoxus, Aristotle, Archimedes, Cicero, Diogenes Laertius, Iamblichus, Plutarch, Homer, and Aratus about the planet position calculations and about the possibility of predictions of natural phenomena are analyzed. The planet positions were predicted before Eudoxus (probably before Philolaus) by a spindle of Ananke and after Eudoxus by Antikythera mechanism. Following Pythagoras and Plato, it is established that the regular seismoacoustic observations were performed. In the Ancient World in the Mediterranean area, there was an extensive network of acoustic stations (~10 pcs), which were located in close proximity to the geologic faults. Also, it is shown that the ship that was carrying Antikythera mechanism (A-Ship) was built in 244 BC in Syracuse with direct participation of Archimedes and Archias from Corinthian. Later, the A-Ship was a part of the Roman Republic safety system. The grain volumes, which were delivered to Rome city by large grain vessels, and the population of Rome city in the period 74–71 BC were estimated. Planetary calculator might be used for the chronology of the historical events as a backward prediction in addition to present Radiocarbon dating and Dendrochronology methods.

Metaphor and Metaphilosophy: Philosophy as Combat, Play, and Aesthetic Experience by Sarah A. Mattice

Reviewed by: Metaphor and Metaphilosophy: Philosophy as Combat, Play, and Aesthetic Experience by Sarah A. Mattice Ann A. Pang-White (bio) Metaphor and Metaphilosophy: Philosophy as Combat, Play, and Aesthetic Experience. By Sarah A. Mattice. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2014. Pp. xiv + 152. Hardcover, isbn 978-0-7391-9220-7. What is philosophy? What is metaphor? Could thinking (i.e., thinking philosophy and, for that matter, thinking about thinking, a.k.a. metaphilosophy) take place metaphorically? If one follows the mainstream Western definition of philosophy (namely that philosophy is strictly an enterprise of analytical reasoning by means of rigid arguments and logic), the answer to the latter question would certainly be negative. Metaphors are perceived as primitive, pre-analytical, and imprecise—thus pre-philosophical! Drawing on multiple cross-cultural resources, Metaphor and Metaphilosophy: Philosophy as Combat, Play, and Aesthetic Experience by Sarah A. Mattice insightfully challenges this widespread assumption in the current culture of philosophy. Agreeing with Ludwig Wittgenstein, who said that “The limits of my language means the limits of my world” (p. ix), Mattice convincingly argues that we are in a unique position to expand our philosophical world through attention to one important aspect of our language: metaphor (more specifically, “metaphors for philosophical activity”). Our use of language reflects not only how we do philosophy but also what we think philosophy is. Chapter 1 presents three arguments for the importance of metaphor in both philosophy and metaphilosophy. First, building on the perspective of George Lakoff and Mark Johnson and contemporary cognitive linguistics, Mattice argues that metaphors are not “improper naming” (contrary to Aristotle); rather, they are sets of “conceptual mappings,” “a highly structured subsystem of the conceptual system” (p. 3). Conceptual metaphors are “thoughts” and they are necessary tools in our reasoning and understanding of abstract concepts. Imagine, for example, “love is journey.” Without using the conceptual metaphor “journey,” our understanding of love would be left with a “mere literal skeleton” without richness and complexity (p. 4). Second, in addition to the argument from contemporary cognitive linguistics, chapter 1 also covers a discussion of Gadamer’s hermeneutics (the metaphoricity of language as one locus of our prejudices) and the prevalence of correlative thinking in early Chinese philosophy (e.g., in the Yijing 易經) as two additional arguments that further exhibit the centrality of metaphorical thought in thinking about philosophical activity. Chapters 2, 3, and 4 contain treatments of three essential metaphors for philosophy: combat, play, and aesthetic experience. In the combat metaphor, philosophers are conceived as combatants; philosophical activity as strategic maneuvering of attack, defense, and counterattack; and the purpose of the dialogue as victory. Chapter [End Page 1374] 2 traces the combat metaphor, dominant in Western philosophy, back to the city-state polis of ancient Greek culture, where compulsory military service for all male citizens and “math envy,” the desire to possess absolute certainty of truth as seen in mathematics, are two of the historical reasons for the prevalence of the combat metaphor for philosophy in ancient Greece (pp. 23–25). Juxtaposing the historical setting of ancient Greece with the Chinese Warring States period, it is interesting to note that even though war was a constant in their vocabulary, few classical Chinese philosophers chose to use combat metaphors to illustrate thinking, virtue, or honor. Radically diverging from their Western counterpart, the Art of War (Sunzi 孫子) and other works consider war to be a last resort. Warfare is often described as a failure to use civic, diplomatic, or other alternative means to resolve conflict. This cross-cultural example demonstrates that the combat metaphor is neither a universal nor a necessary linguistic or conceptual tool to conceive philosophical activity. The combat metaphor is also plagued by several serious problems, including: the internalization of violence; the narrowing of possibilities (closing the dialogue prematurely so that a victor may emerge); the domination of others in power relations; the privileging of combative individuals; difficulty in self-reflective meta-critique (when one is so engrossed in a battle so as to view only winning as the outcome); and the demise of civic discourse (when the only goal is to win and to break the enemy’s will). Chapter 3 comprises an examination of the...

Paulhan's Translations: Philosophy, Literature, History

Taking his cue from Jane Tylus in her additional box within the entry TO TRANSLATE, in which she discusses Leonardo Bruni's emphasis on writerly style in (re)translating the canonical philosophers of ancient Greece and Rome, and with reference to his own experience of translating the Dictionary of Untranslatables, the author draws together several disparate reflections on Jean Paulhan and translation. The article's working hypothesis is that, with untranslatability, the literary plays a pivotal role in between philosophical and historical considerations. The author looks in particular at three of the entries he translated: LOGOS, COMMONPLACE (LIEU COMMUN) and HOMONYM. Paulhan's various formulations and hard-won insights in different contexts are, the author proposes, so many ‘allegories of translation’, or, more appropriately, ‘allegories of untranslatability’.

Didattica costruttivista in psicoterapia costruttivista: il modello dell’Institute of Constructivist Psychology

Teaching psychotherapy is a new discipline. The literature on this issue is very scarce. Balzani et al. (2011) tried to illustrate the formative model created by the Institute of Constructivist Psychology in Padua. This model stems directly from the epistemological assumptions of Personal Construct Psychology (Kelly, 1955). In this paper a further reflection on ICP model is made thanks to references at the art of teaching philosophy in Ancient Greece. Some analogies are highlighted and the role of the teacher is particularly underlined.

Challenges of environmental problems to the philosophy of education

We live in an age in which the destruction of the environment has become a major concern. However, until recently, environmental problems have not become a major issue for the philosophy of education. The reason for this is that for a very long time the philosophy of education was intimately related to the concept of nature as the foundation and the model of human activity. We can see such an understanding of nature not only among the philosophers of Ancient Greece, but also among the modern pioneers of pedagogy. If we consider this situation, we may understand the challenge the environmental problem poses to the philosophy of education. Nature in this age of environmental problems cannot function as the foundation upon which an edifice of education can be built. It has become clear that nature is vulnerable to human intervention. Philosophy of education has responded to this turn of events by not paying attention to the concept of nature. This has sometimes taken an anti-foundational and anti-traditional form that is typical of postmodern thinking. More often though, this omission has occurred by way of shifting the discussion of education exclusively to social and political issues. In my opinion, this contemporary trend to exclude or ignore a metaphysical or ontological consideration of nature is too narrow. On one hand, it separates us from tradition, in which a consideration of nature played an important role. On the other hand, it excludes us from the experience of the whole that the Greeks called the cosmos. In this paper we will look for a third way of understanding this problem: one that shows due respect for ontology without falling into the error of considering nature as the foundation that serves as an absolute norm. In turn, this requires a balanced understanding of the dethroning of nature in the modern age.

ELDERBERRY (SAMBUCUS NIGRA): FROM NATURAL MEDICINE IN ANCIENT TIMES TO PROTECTION AGAINST WITCHES IN THE MIDDLE AGES - A BRIEF HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

In ancient times humans knew that some plants have effects on the human body. Despite this knowledge, people at the time could not explain this power of plants, and thus they attributed supernatural forces to them. Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) was one of such plants. Elderberry seeds have been found associated with human activity by archaeologists and assigned to the Stone and Bronze Age. At that stage people used the fruits, bark and branches of the elderberry. In their writings, naturalists, healers and philosophers of Ancient Greece and Rome also referred to this mysterious healing plant. Hippocrates devoted special attention to the elderberry fruits, and Dioscorides recommended wine made from its roots as a remedy for snake bite. In the Middle Ages elderberry was used as protection against witches. In another period, its effects were attributed to the power of devils. According to mythology, the spirit dwells in its trunk; while the Germanic people believed that it was an evil spirit, in Denmark and Latvia it was a good spirit. Unpleasant odor and the presence of the fungus, Auricularia auricula-juadae, associated with the biblical story in which Judas Iscariot hanged himself on this shrub, certainly add to the negative connection. We now know that different parts of the elder have positive and beneficial effects on the human body.