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Brief history of Ancient philosophy

Philosophy of Buddhism
Buddhism originated in India sometime between the sixth and fourth centuries
BCE. Based on the teachings of the Buddha, or the Enlightened One,
Buddhism is a philosophy concerned with how to live in order to relieve
suffering and unhappiness in this life, and to ultimately release the soul from
the cycle of rebirth into a permanent heaven, called Nirvana.
The great teacher known as the Buddha was born as a prince in India. The first
time he was exposed to sickness, old age, and death, he left his rich life and
meditated under a Bodhi tree for 40 days. When he awoke, he began teaching
others about how to lead their lives with greater compassion in order to reach an
eternal state free of suffering.

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There are four Noble Truths that form the basis of Buddhism: temporary
Brief history of things cause suffering, coveting temporary things keeps souls trapped in a cycle
Ancient
of rebirth, not coveting temporary things releases souls into a permanent
philosophy heaven, and the way to learn to stop coveting is by following Buddhas
teachings of the Noble Eightfold Path.
The Noble
Eightfold of
Path
includes the traits commonly translated as: right
Philosophy
Confucianism
mind, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort,
right mindfulness, and right concentration. In general, these factors include
many sub-teaching and specific tenets, but they focus on becoming more
knowledgeable as a path to enlightenment, acting in a conscientious way to
alleviate suffering in the world, and deep meditation to connect with the
unknown and unseen spiritual reality.

Although there is no word in the Chinese language that means Confucianism

as it is understood in the Western world, the most legendary scholar of ancient
Chinese philosophy is often the figure non-Chinese people associate with
Chinese wisdom. Known as Kung FuTzu, Kongzi, or Kong Fuzi, which all
mean Master Kong, the man known as Confucius lived in the 5th or 6th
century BCE in eastern China, and his name was misunderstood as Confucius
by visitors who carried his teachings outside China.
He is historically credited as the writer or editor of the Five Classic Books of
Chinese Wisdom, which are sometimes referred to as philosophical teachings
and sometimes as a religion (scholars continue to debate). Confucius wisdom is
often repeated in the form of aphorisms, or short phrases that sum up a concept
in a single sentence or two.
Confucianism focuses on earthly concerns of living in order to leave a positive
impact on the world, rather than aspirations of living life in order to achieve a
heavenly goal. One of the most famous sayings of Confucius that has made its
way all around the world translates as: Do not do to others what you would not
have them do to you. At its most basic, the philosophy of Confucianism
focuses on achieving harmony and unity on earth by showing respect,
moderating extreme desires, and taking others into consideration in decisionmaking.
The Five Classic Books of Chinese Wisdom promote the values of paying
homage and tribute to elders and ancestors, practicing trustworthiness in all
social and political areas as well as in daily life, and believing that your
wellbeing is dependent on the wellbeing of those you care for.
Episode #3 of 10
Brief history of Ancient philosophy

Philosophy of Taoism

Taoism (or Daoism) is a philosophy that originated in ancient China and continues to be practiced
today, mostly throughout Asia but in small numbers around the world. Tao means the way, and
practitioners follow the way that is described in the central book of Taoism, the Tao Te Ching.
Reportedly written around 700 BCE by Lao Tzu, it describes the experience of living life in
accordance with Tao. A series of poems, aphorisms, and meditations on various subjects, the
book describes how to live a harmonious life and build a harmonious community of individuals.
Taoism is often understood as valuing balance and a necessary unity of all extremes, symbolized
in the black and white Yin Yang symbol.
Taoism can be difficult to understand because its central term,
the Tao,
specifically
defined as
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something which cannot be defined or described. The
central
practices of Taoism
Briefphilosophy
history of and
Ancient
philosophy
focus on universal, holistic, and peaceful principles such as living in harmony with nature and
natural order. The Tao is often described as the universe, and living under its laws of cause and
effect is ideal for a life that leaves the most positive impact on the world.
Taoists see the Tao in every action, and in every non-action as well. The active expression of Tao
is te (pronounced de), and the non-active expression of Tao is known as wu-wei (pronounced
woo-way). Te is best defined by the ideas of inner power or virtue, and one scholar has
compared it to a type of spiritual credit that a person earns by performing correct and moral
actions. Wu-wei is best understood as action through non-action and is explained with the
metaphor of river water wearing away a stone over time; although the water is not trying to erode
the stone, its natural action has that natural consequence.
Socrates was a philosopher from Athens, one of the many city-states in ancient Greece
in the late fifth century BCE. He is most often credited with beginning the study of
knowledge and wisdom, and for questioning traditional beliefs. One of Socrates most
famous sayings is, If there is one thing I know, it is that I know nothing. In what has
come to be known as the Socratic method, Socrates would ask people a series of
questions to make them answer with their own thoughts and explanations.

Philosophy of Socrates

Not much is known about Socrates life, and current knowledge comes through the
writings of his most famous student, Plato. At approximately 40 years old, Socrates was
teaching in the streets by engaging people in conversations about different ethical and
spiritual issues. He openly debated questions of belief and logic like no one else.
Socrates drew negative attention for this and was eventually arrested for corrupting the
youth. Because Socrates refused to stop, he was sentenced to death and chose to
drink poison.
Plato attributed a well-known story to Socrates, which demonstrates the frustration and
other emotions that the great thinker felt at trying to open the minds of his fellow Greeks.
of 10watching shadows
In this famous Allegory of the Cave, a man is tied in Episode
place in a#5cave,
Brief
history
of
Ancient
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play on the walls. When he is freed from the cave and travels outside,
he is blinded and
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awestruck by the beauty of the world. Having learned about new experiences that exist
outside the cave, he returns to tell other people who are still tied inside. However, when
he tries to share his new knowledge with them, they kill him.

Plato was the most famous student of the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates, and he
was teacher to the famous philosopher and social critic Aristotle. In addition to being a
highly regarded philosopher throughout history, Plato was also a mathematician, which
influenced his teachings. He was probably born in Athens sometime around 425 BCE,
but not much is known about Platos early life except that he came from a wealthy family
and was well-educated. It is only through Platos writings in Dialogues and The
Republic that students of philosophy today know about Socrates influence, as Socrates
appears as the main character throughout many of Platos allegories, stories, and
fables.

Philosophy of Plato

Platos theories of philosophy were mostly concerned with ethics and social morality, as
well as the importance of truth and wisdom. In Platos view of reality, there is an ideal
eternity, which is full of the perfect version of everything, and there is the reality in which
we live, which is full of imperfect versions of the true ideals. Because reality is imperfect,
nothing which appears perfect is so to Plato, and he believed in a systematic, thorough
examination of all philosophical, political, and psychological assumptions. He questioned
accepted standards of truth, beauty, and justice, because however perfect they
appeared, he did not believe they were an exact representation of the ideal.
However, because Plato witnessed how Socrates was condemned for his
confrontational style, he developed a method of approaching sensitive issues indirectly
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but with rigorous scrutiny. Those who follow Platos prescriptions for dialoguing about
the ideal forms will find themselves engaging in philosophy not as a study, but as an
active practice.

Episode #6 of 10
Brief history of Ancient philosophy

Aristotle was one of the greatest thinkers of the ancient world and is known for his many
achievements, including founding the Lyceum and tutoring the Macedonian king,
Alexander the Great. Born in 384 BCE, Aristotle became a student of Plato and
eventually produced writings ranging from theories of theater, music, and linguistics to
some of the first scientific studies in zoology, biology, and politics. A philosopher in the
purest sense, Aristotle was a man who valued knowledge and human logic, which
shows throughout his works.
As the founder of the Western worlds formal study of logic, Aristotles theories led the
greatest thinkers in all Western philosophy until the Renaissance and impacted every
theorist, scientist, and artist who came after him. His philosophy emphasized logic,
reason, and a testable process as the methods to knowledge, and he denied Platos
theories about ideal forms and abstractions. He was concerned with reality he could
observe and measure rather than intangible concepts that dont physically exist.

Philosophy of Aristotle

Aristotle believed in a highly-classified and organized nature of reality, and he broke the
world into systems that operated under specific principles. He then argued that these
systems, like mathematics and biology, could be logically dissected, studied, replicated,
and perhaps manipulated. He argued that the elements of the world were not only earth,
air, fire, and water, but also aethera kind of divine matter that makes up celestial
planets. Aristotle believed in moderation as the key to a balanced life. He advocated
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avoidance of all extremes in preference of a compromise between the two. He believed
the soul was manifest in the actions of the body, so that by reasoning, people show
themselves to have human souls.

Episode #7 of 10
Brief history of Ancient philosophy

Philosophy
Epicureanism
Founded in 307 BCE,of
Epicureanism
is a philosophy founded by the Greek materialist
Epicurus, who was a follower of Democritus. The first Epicureanism school and
philosophical gathering place was founded in the garden at Epicurus home in Athens,
which became known
as simply
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10 Garden. Although Epicurus died in 271 or 270
Brief
history
of
Ancient
philosophy
BCE, his teachings remained popular. Although the belief system declined at the time of
Christianity, there was some revival of his lessons during the Renaissance revival of
classic thought.
Epicureanism promotes pleasure and relief from suffering as the highest goals in life,
and Epicurus believed in moderation and finding the boundaries of an extreme so that a
person could live within them. He argued that people should seek to understand the
workings of the world, and he held that matter and physical substance were the basis for
reality, rather than abstract or spiritual substances such as ideals. Originally in
competition with Plato and his followers, Epicureanism later became an opposing school
of thought for the sceptics.
In many of his writing and lectures, Epicurus argued that people should work to gain
knowledge no matter their age or station in life, which was considered somewhat radical
for the time. He believed that a person could trust the senses if used correctly, and that it
was only by examining the physical world with their senses that people could gain real
knowledge. In general, the Epicureans were not interested in politics and tended not to
In the early third century BCE, the philosopher Zeno of Citium established a school of
concern themselves with topics outside the natural workings of the world. They were
thought in Athens that came to be known as Stoicism. An approach to dealing with the
some of the first psychological theorists, considering the human mind a natural wonder.
realities of life, such as suffering and unexpected tragedy, Stoicism promoted an
expectation that life was naturally harsh, therefore a person should prepare for the worst
at all times. Zenos student, Seneca, became one of the most prominent scholars in the
Stoic school for the remainder of its history. The Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius was
also known as a practicing stoic whose attitudes were carried to the battlefield.
Because of its straightforwardness, different aspects of Stoicism have been incorporated
into other philosophies, and the stoic outlook and approach to life has become a
common and popularly understood idea. Being known as stoic is associated with
callousness, but stoicism is actually a term for remaining calm in the face of excitement.
When someone is difficult to anger, the person may be called stoic, because anger is
seen as the ultimate loss of reason in Stoicism.

Philosophy of Stoicism

To alleviate pain and cope with the fear of living with daily uncertainty, stoics advocated
facing fears in order to come to terms with the potentials of a worst-case scenario.
Stoics viewed all things with equal importance and did not promote one type of life as
better than another. The great maxim of Stoicism is live according to nature. According
to Stoicism, life should be lived according to reason, and people should make choices
based on logical, pragmatic factors. People should accept the circumstances of their
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lives and not have high expectations. Stoics believed in practical practices like regularly
sleeping on the floor and living on a restricted diet for a limited time, as a reminder of
ordinary privileges that could be lost.

Episode #9 of 10
Brief history of Ancient philosophy

In the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE in ancient Greece, the philosopher Pyrrho promoted a
series of beliefs about how to live that came to be known as skepticism. Deriving from
the ancient Greek word meaning to think or to consider, skepticism promotes inquiry
and evidence as the basis for knowledge and understanding.
Pyrrho traveled to India, where he studied with a religious group; he returned with the
idea that the senses could be fooled and that nothing could be inherently trusted. For
about two centuries after Pyrrho founded his skepticism school, Platos Academy also
enjoyed a period of philosophers who expanded on Pyrrhos assertions and became
known as skeptics. Because of the differences between the two schools of thought,
classical skepticism exists in two forms: Pyrrhonian and Academic.
Skepticism became the basis for the scientific method after experiencing a major
resurgence beginning in the 16th century and peaking during the 18th century European
Enlightenment. Skeptics value questioning as the basis for all knowledge and believe
that demonstrable evidence and objective facts should provide the foundation for claims
about reality. In classic skeptical philosophy, knowledge obtained through the senses or
through reason was not reliable, as it could not be proven or validated by outside
means. In order for
something
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well-supported
by evidence,
not by
personal experience or logic.
Brief history
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philosophy

Philosophy of Skepticism

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Skepticism has changed as a system of thought throughout the centuries, but there are
societies of people around the world today who consider themselves to be practicing
skeptics.

Cynicism was a philosophy in ancient Greece that promoted humans living in

accordance with the natural world, foregoing desires for modern convenience, power,
and wealth. The creator of cynicism, Antisthenes, was a follower of Socrates and
founded the cynicism school of thought around the 5th century BCE. No texts from the
cynics have survived, and the knowledge scholars have of the specifics of their
philosophy survives in hearsay and short aphorisms. Cynics are said to have often given
up material possessions for a life of begging and preaching on the street, believing that
a life of rigorous training that led to virtue was a life of true happiness.

Philosophy of Cynicism

Cynics are frequently seen as unconventional. They buck the norms of the social system
in which they live, because to a cynic, the most important values are those that allow a
person to live a life according to the ideals of freedom, self-sufficiency, and reason.
Cynics see natural order in the universe and promote a survival of the fittest kind of
attitude. Social conventions restricted cynics from exercising this natural order to its
obvious conclusions. Cynics took on hardship and suffering in order to draw attention to
the social conventions that limit freedom and create the inhumanities seen in ancient
Greek society, such as slavery.
Cynicism became more popular in ancient Rome but finally fell out of popularity in about
the 5th century CE. Similar ideas about self-sacrifice became a part of early Christian
teachings, and eventually cynicism experienced a resurgence in the 18th, 19th, and 20th
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centuries, although in a modernized form. The cynics were the first group of
philosophers to truly value free speech; they thought the most free speech was when
witty words which subverted the status quo were spoken without fear.