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Questions tagged [presocratics]

The presocratics were early Greek philosophers active during or before the time of Socrates.

The following are some sources of information on presocratic philosophy.

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Why is Aristotle's objection not considered a resolution to Zeno's paradox?

It seems to me, perhaps naïvely, that Aristotle resolved Zenos' famous paradoxes well, when he said that, Time is not composed of indivisible nows any more than any other magnitude is composed of indivisibles, and that Aquinas clarified the…
martin
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Is knowledge possible in the Heraclitean system?

Heraclitus proposed that everything was in flux always: The Greeks before Heraclitus focused on the essence of things, its nature and being, which they deemed unchangeable. In contrast, Heraclitus said: "You cannot step into the same river twice,…
Jon 'links in bio' Ericson
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How did the Anaximander’s fragment challenge Greek philosophy?

Whence things have their origin, Thence also their destruction happens, As is the order of things; For they execute the sentence upon one another – The condemnation for the crime – In conformity with the ordinance of Time. – Anaximander Why is it…
viuser
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Did a lot of Greek philosophers believe lying is impossible?

As I understand it, Parmenides and Heraclitus were two pre-Socratic Greek philosophers whose views could not be farther apart. Parmenides believed that all change is illusory, and that there is just one indivisible entity which exists in reality. …
Keshav Srinivasan
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Did Plato record actual conversations in his dialogues?

For example, Did Socrates really meet Zeno in Parmenides as a young man and the conversation that took place between them was recorded by Plato? Are ANY of Plato's dialogues recordings of actual conversations?
Parmenides
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Did Thales really argue this?

Neil deGrasse Tyson in “Deeper, Deeper, Deeper Still” (Cosmos) says something to the following effect. The ancient Greek philosopher Thales argued that natural events such as weather patterns weren't the result of capricious gods intending to…
goblin GONE
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Is Heraclitus really a Mobilist?

I learned that Heraclitus stressed the importance of change and the ephemeral nature of things in the cosmos. However, it seems that Heraclitus refers to a "logos": The opening of Heraclitus' book refers to a “logos which holds forever.”[3] There…
Delforge
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Why does Parmenides impose a limit on his Being?

Parmenides mentions twice in the poem what-is has limit in the part where he talks that what-is is “like the bulk of ball” (B8: lines 42, 49, pages 60, 61). 42: But since the limit is ultimate, it [namely, what-is] complete 49: for equal to…
dekross
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If Parmenides denied the reality of void, would he then have affirmed the reality of space?

Lucretious, in his poem de rerum natura had atoms moving through the void. It seems at least from a modern perspective that his void is what we would call space. The interesting question, which I have asked here is did anyone in antiquity discover…
Mozibur Ullah
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Is Zoroastrianism underappreciated when in relation to its influence of Early Greek Philosophy?

It would be nice to believe that the Early Greek Philosophers were entirely original in their ideas, though it would be rather simplistic to say that such a reality was true. When examining, let's say, the wise sayings of Heraclitus-(circa 500…
Alex
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Why didn't Thales say the water is principle of matter, but the originating principle, according to Russell?

If I remember Russells Short History of Western Philosophy correctly, Russell unequivocally maintains that Thales was the first philosopher of note. He said: The world is made of water Russell does not explain in any detail as to why he held this…
Mozibur Ullah
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Were any pre-Socratic philosophers interested in building schools/academies?

Plato, as a lot of people know created the Platonic Academy, which focused on teaching many subjects, but didn't any pre-Socratic philosophers think of making an academy/school for teaching subjects such as philosophy or math etc. Because after all,…
captindfru
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What did Democritus talk about when he talked about "atoms"?

What did the ancient atomists, e.g. Democritus, say about the number of different sorts of atoms? Did they assume four sorts, corresponding to the four elements (earth, water, air, fire, water)? Any reference would be welcome! If they assumed an…
Hans-Peter Stricker
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Is there a word in philosophical Greek with the meaning of "certainty" (e.g. as in Wittgenstein's "On Certainty")

It seems to me that in certain cases, the meaning of ἀλήθεια is closer to "certainty" than to "truth". Also γιγνώσκω / γίγνομαι may in certain cases mean "to be/to become certain" rather than "to know". If that were the case, it might even be that…
fi11222
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Did Plato ever see a book by Anaxagoras?

In Plato's Phaedo (98b), Socrates says he read books (plural in the Greek) by Anaxagoras, and at Apology (26d) he says these books can "sometimes be bought in the orchestra for many drachmas."  (The orchestra was the area for the chorus in a…
Colin McLarty
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