Eurasian Schools of Thought

Eurasian Schools of Thought

Classical Greek School of Thought

From the 6th century CE to the Hellenistic Period, Classical Greek Thought flourished under a vast variety of philosophers ranging from Socrates and Plato to Parmenides and Aristotle. Each philosopher investigating their own line of inquiry into political philosophy, ethics, metaphysics, ontology, logic, biology, rhetoric, and aesthetics. This heralded a great period of abstract human though that is still regarded today as one of the most well-known schools of thought. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Medieval Islamic School of Thought

During the Middle Ages, Europe turned away from abstract thought in favor of concrete religion as a result of natural tragedies. However, the ancient Greek manuscripts were not forgotten. In the same time period, Islamic caliphs gathered and translated these texts to influence their present scholars. Philosophers such as Ibn Sina and Al-Farabi used these texts to enhance Islamic philosophy in the basis of Islam. After the fall of feudalism and the end of the Middle Ages, these new philosophies were transferred back to the Europeans influencing many a Renaissance man. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Vedic School of Thought

The Vedas themselves are considered to be among the oldest of all texts in the world. From them, a religion, school of thought, and many other things have sprung. Shakha is the word used to describe the Hindu theological school that is of learning about the Vedas. Many regard the Vedas as the unlimited fountainhead of knowledge, which describes all aspects of the universe. There are four Vedas and four Upavedas that form the basis of the largest collection of knowledge known to man. Sthpatyaveda, or the Veda of Engineering contains a vast collection of information on architecture, math, and other subjects. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Confucian School of Thought

From 559 to 479 BCE, the influential Chinese philosopher, Confucius inspired and created a new ethical-sociopolitical teaching based on current Chinese traditions during the Spring and Autumn Period. In the Han Dynasty, Confucianism and its related texts were revered as the method of state influencing even Emperor Gaozu, the first Han emperor. The main focus and theme of Confucian thought revolves around several virtues: Humaneness Righteousness or Justice Propriety or Etiquette Knowledge Integrity Loyalty Filial piety ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Clark, Stephen R. "Medieval Philosophy." The Oxford History of Western Philosophy. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1994. 14-15. Print.