A Beginner's History of Philosophy Volume 1 (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: excitement of a religious revival would not appeal as a refuge from the troubles of the time. Their own experience in the political troubles had made paramount the question as to the permanence of things. Nevertheless, its answer must be found in nature and in an intellectual way. When they turned to the traditional theogonies they found no answer to their question, for lltf'Erom QlMMfek MAI' SHOWING WJIEKE'THB COSMOLOI'.ISTS LIVED f MAP SHOWING WHERE THE COSMOLOGISTS LIVED (None of the Cosmologiats, except the later Pythagoreans, lived in the motherland of Greece. Philosophical activity during this period took place in the colonies. The map shows the cities which were the centres of philosophy and the homes of the philosophers as indicated.) there was only a mythical chronicle of a succession of gods beginning with the unknown. The question of the Cosmologists was not, therefore, what was the original form of this changing world, but what is fundamental in the world always. The time factor is no longer important. Not the temporal prius but the real prius is what they seek. The idea of a temporal origin of things gives place to that of eternal being, and the question finally emerges, What is the real substance that constitutes the universe? The Milesian School. Of all the Greek cities in the sixth century B. c. Miletus was the wealthiest and most prosperous. It was one of the Ionian colonies and was situated on the coast of Asia Minor, and it alone was able to preserve its autonomy as neighbor of the warring eastern empires. Not until the battle of Lade was it captured and destroyed (494 B. c.). From two generations of philosophers history has preserved three names, ? Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes. The school is called indifferently the Milesian...