The pre-Socratic philosophers were the first group to provide non-mythological accounts of nature and reality without the use of instruments. They lived in Miletus, a trading center that exposed them to ideas from other cultures. Thales believed the fundamental substance is water, while Anaximander said it is the infinite and Anaximenes said it is air. They were among the first to make philosophical inquiries and attempt to explain the world through reason rather than mythology.

2. Guide Questions:
1. Imagine a world without these
philosophers. What do you think might
have happened if Thales failed to go
against the mythological tradition of
ancient Greece?
2. To what extent is philosophy helpful in
your quest for ‘knowledge for its own
sake’?
3. As a student, do you think it is possible
to merge the practice of both Eastern
and Western philosophy? Why? Explain
your answer.

3. *
Pre-socratics
They were the first group of philosophers.
Miletus
A fishing village and center of trade and commerce in
Ancient Greece
Became a melting pot of ideas from other cultures in
other parts of the globe.

4. *
Thales
The most popular among The Milesians
Father of Western Philosophy and one of the seven sages
(wisemen)
Anaximander
Student of Thales
Anaximenes
Student of Anaximander

5. *
They were the first thinkers who gave us a non-mythological account
of nature of reality and the universe without the aid of instruments
They were also considered as the doctrine that all matter has life
hylozoist from the root word ‘hylo’ or stuff; and ‘zoe’ or life because
they believe that the universe is alive or animate and material.
Thales
He believed that lodestone (natural magnet) is alive since it could
make an object move.
He was also the first philosopher to assume that the earth is flat,
such that when you reach the edge of the horizon, you will fall.
The fundamental substance or primary constituent of reality is water.

6. *
Anaximander
He claimed that the fundamental substance of reality is the
infinite or the apeiron (no precise characteristics or
attributes; ageless and eternal; abstract)
He believed that the earth is cylindrical and is suspended in
space.
He was the first philosopher to draw a map.

7. *
Anaximenes
He claimed that the fundamental substance must be air.
According to him, air holds our souls together, it
encompasses the whole world.
He claimed that earth and other heavenly bodies are like
saucers floating in air. Thus, the earth is flat and round.
Maximus
Used his observations and reasoning to provide causes for
other natural phenomena on Earth.

8. *
*Leader of a religious cult, known as the Pythagoreans.
*For him, philosophy and religion are connected and merged
into one.
*He considered philosophy and mathematics as good for the
purification of the soul.
*He believed that the constituent of reality would be
numbers.
*He coined the term philosophy and he was credited to use
the term logos for his cosmology.

9. *
*He believed that the only thing that is permanent in this
world is change (also known as flux or becoming)
*Known to have said the following: “you cannot step twice
into the same rivers, for fresh water are ever flowing in
upon you. We step and do not step into the same rivers,
we are and we are not.”
*He was the first philosopher who wrote about the idea of
change.
*He used the flames of fire to emphasize the idea of change

10. *
*Known as the leader of the Eleatic school, from Elea in
Southern Italy, now Velia in Naples.
*His philosophical idea is a contradiction of the idea of
change from Heraclitus.
*He proposed that the only thing that is permanent in this
world is being, that is, reality is made up of one
continuous object or plenum called being.
*Change for him is merely an illusion.
*There is no such thing as change and motion

11. *
*He believed himself to be immortal and that he had
magic powers
*He was known to have cured somebody who was
comatose for 24 months.
*He firmly believed that he was immortal, to prove
this, he leaped into the mouth of Mt. Etna an active
volcano in Sicily that led to his untimely death.
*He was the proponent of the notion that reality is
made up of the four elements (earth, air, fire, and
water)
Pluralist – Those who believe that reality is made up
of more than one element
Monist – those philosophers who believe in just one
element

12. *
*Believed that there is not just one element that reality is made of
*For him, matter becomes infinitely divisible
*Another important contribution of Anaxagoras is his idea about the
nous or the mind, which was conceived of as external but is infinite
and is self-ruled and according to him “ has the greatest strength
and power over all things.”
*Some scholars suggest that this may have been an inspiration for the
conception of the characteristics of the Christian God, which was
yet to be formalized as a doctrine at this early period.
*For him, there are as many seed or elements as there are kinds of
things

13. *
*He was a student and loyal follower of
Parmenides.
*He was the first “pilosopo” in the context of
everyday life.
Leucipppus and Democritus
Contributed to their idea that the ultimate
substance that reality is made of are atoms.

14. *
WESTERN PHILOSOPHY
 Basic tasks of philosophers
was to satisfy their
curiosity
 Tend to make heavy use of
logic, reason, and
categorization
 Breaks down ideas and
tends to focus on parts that
the whole
 Revolutionary because they
went against tradition
EASTERN PHILOSOPHY
 No dichotomy between
objective world and man as
a human being.
 Philosophy has been
associated with tradition
 They look man as being one
with the world
 Oneness with the world
 Philosophy being a way of
life

15. Choose your answers below:
Anaxagoras Metaphysical Anaximander Waismann Heraclitus Hylozoist
Empedocles Phusis Milesians Analytic Parmenides Miletus
Zeno Leucippus & Democritus Pythagoras Anaximenes Thales Maximus
1. The history of Western Philosophy started with this group of metaphysicians
2. He claimed that reality is the infinite or the apeiron
3. According to him “just as our soul being air holds us together, so do breath and
air encompass our world.”
4. He believed that the primary constituent of reality consists of numbers
5. According to him, reality is water
6. They believed that the primary constituents of reality are atoms
7. He was known to have said that, “you cannot step twice into the same rivers, for
fresh waters are ever flowing in upon you. We step and do not step into the same
rivers, we are and we are not.”
8. Proponent of the notion that reality is made up of four elements, namely, earth,
air, fire, and water.
9. He founded the Eleatic school and he believed that we are all interconnected
because reality is made up of being
10. He believes that there are as many seeds or elements as there are kinds of things
11. He believed that he is immortal and he had super powers.
12. A doctrine that all matters has life
13. A fishing village and center of trade and commerce in ancient greece
14. He used his observations and reasoning to provide causes for other natural
phenomena
15. He was credited to use the term logos for his cosmology