Tales of Milet is regarded by many as the father of philosophy, in your sentence?Is water the element and principle of things?We discovered that in his thought was the liquid element as the heart of life. But was his image as the heart of philosophy also in his mind?She was really born with him?
On this journey to the heart of philosophy, I intend to dely into the dark and dizzying caverns of a form of thought that was and continues to be the origin of countless theories. Happiness, sadness, hatred, anger, compassion?to our minds and to the human philosophical exercise that seeks to respond to the meaning of our existence.
“Philosophy is a silent dialogue of the soul with itself around being. -Plato-
Seeking the origin of philosophical thought is not easy, in fact, it is a subject that has stirred up a multitude of controversies throughout history, in fact, the Greeks regarded milet’s Tales as the first philosopher of the 7th century BC, but the question is not so obvious.
Originally, the Greeks saw philosophy as a rational way of thinking, in this way it is not necessary to resort to supernatural elements that explain reality, they also appreciated the rejection of planning in the face of contradictions, always placing logic as the main element.
Looking at this Greek definition of philosophy, could we say that Tales of Milet was the first thinker in history?Is it possible that there are no others or others before him, or is he simply talking about himself because the teachings of the other thinking teachers have not yet arrived?
Today, there are two currents of thought when it comes to establishing the true core of philosophy, it is assumed that the origin may have had its turning point to the east, although others continue to argue that this happened in ancient Greece.
For the Orientalist current, hypotheses state that the Greeks were only transmitters of philosophy, according to this group of thinkers, the early Helénean philosophers moved to Babylon and Egypt, where they learned mathematics and astronomy, which they soon perpetuated in their culture. .
However, this stream of thought was supported by the Alexandrian philosophers of this emperor’s time, who openly opposed the Greek school, so it in fact appears as a way to discredit them.
Christian apologists also sought to support this theory, but eventually the Western school rejected hypotheses that were actually only seeking confrontation.
However, historical studies show mainly that Babylonian astronomy generally ended astrology and divination. Meanwhile, Egyptian mathematics lacked the necessary level of abstraction, so it was still a practical thought to measure the terrain.
Meanwhile, modern currents, almost all originating in the twentieth century, establish the heart of philosophy in the Greek world; in fact, there are several accredited voices that say:
Burnet believes that philosophical thought appears radically, the fruit of the genius of the Hereen people. He calls it the “Greek miracle. ” For him, background and cyclical elements are obvious, it’s just a talented civilization.
Cornford established the birth of philosophy based on religious thought. The whole mythical aspect of his beliefs represents, in fact, a world adapted to rational speculation, so it is a consequence.
In turn, Vernant establishes cyclical elements as foundations for the birth of rationality: the lack of priestly castes, the presence of the sage, the pursuit of freedom, writing and the predominance of a constant need for wisdom led to the birth of philosophy.
“Hope is the only common good for all men; those who have lost everything still possess it. “
It is complex to establish the true heart of philosophy, because human civilization dates back thousands of years, the lack of written evidence makes this exercise really difficult, but also exciting and wonderful, in any case reason and thought are fundamental in search of our origin, our world and our truth.