In his book A History of Western Philosophy, Bertrand Russell writes: “In all history, nothing is so surprising or so difficult to account for as the sudden rise of civilization in Greece. Much of what makes civilization had already existed for thousands of years in Egypt and in Mesopotamia, and...
Why the Weeping Philosopher? – Because of humanity’s foolishness. Known by the epithet “The Obscure” due to the dual and paradoxical meanings of his writings and thoughts, Heraclitus of Ephesus (535–475 BCE) wept every time he saw people living in a despicable manner—or, more precisely, dying in such a manner....
Alcmaeon of Croton (5th century BCE) is, according to some sources, a disciple of Pythagoras. However, unlike Pythagoras and many other philosophers of his time, his area of interest did not include physics or astronomy. Instead, Alcmaeon chose medicine and considered as the author of the first medical book in...
To gaze at the heavens – this is the answer of Pythagoras (582–496 BCE), to the question of why humans live. According to some sources, Pythagoras traveled to Miletus in his youth, where he met the elderly Thales and Anaximander. Thales inspired in the future philosopher an interest in mathematics and...
The city of Miletus, located on the eastern coast of the Aegean Sea, is the birthplace of the first school of philosophy in Ancient Greece and, indeed, the entire Western world. The founders and members of this school are already familiar to us: the three wise men of Miletus—Thales, Anaximander,...
Written Greek philosophy begins with Anaximander (610–546 BCE), who was the first philosopher to document his thoughts in writing. The Milesian sage’s book On Nature is considered the first scientific work of ancient Greece. However, only a fragment of it has survived to our time. Anaximander was a student of...
On average, 237 solar eclipses occur every century. During these events, the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, blocking its light and casting a shadow on the Earth. One such eclipse occurred in 585 BCE. But what makes this eclipse more significant than others? The reason is simple:...
A warm summer night, the Aegean coast, Thales the first “academic” of Greece, wanders the streets of Miletus, gazing at the night sky. Suddenly, as he stumbles on a rock and nearly falls, an old woman remarks, “How can you understand what the heavens are saying if you can’t see...
On April 8, 1341, Francesco Petrarch, in the Senate Palace on Rome’s Capitoline Hill, delivered a speech on the meaning and purpose of poetry. Citing only ancient classical authors, he broke the centuries-old tradition of seeking arguments in sacred scripture. This event marked a precedent in the history of Medieval...
Philosophy is a torch lit by the power of the mind in the depths of darkness. Those with strong minds will overcome that darkness. Those without strength will not only remain in the dark but will also hinder others from escaping it. This is only half of the problem, or...