Philosophy A: Inquiries on Self and World

Prof. Roni Mann

Winter 2023-24

Week 2: Pre-Socratics: The World Out There

Readings

Introductory material: Bryan Magee: Before Socrates

Heraclitus: Fragments R 5-10

* Note: in Philosophical Horizons R 19-22 you will
find a “lighter” version of these difficult texts
Parmenides: Fragments R 11-17

Protagoras: excerpt from Plato’s dialogue Theaetetus R 69-70

Introduction
The Greek philosophers that came even before Socrates (sixth and fifth centuries B.C.)
provide the early roots of (“Western”) philosophy. These thinkers were probably the first
to break with traditional and religious beliefs and to inquire afresh about the very nature
of the world, relying on observation and reflection. Some, like Thales of Miletus, and the
more famous Pythagoras, were early scientists – physicists, mathematicians,
cosmologists. Others, the sophists, studied aspects of social life and were the first to teach
oratory and political science. Out of the many thinkers of that period we will focus on
three. The first two are Heraclitus and Parmenides, who offer contrasting views on the
grand metaphysical question: what is? The third is the sophist Protagoras, who made the
bold claim: “man is the measure of all things.”
Reading Questions

1. Heraclitus’ fragments -
a. What could he mean by “awake” and “asleep” (1)?
b. What is the “river” in (9) and (18)?
c. “Always was, is, and will be,,, fire” (5). Does this fragment describe
change?

2. Parmenides’ fragments -
a. In Passage no. 10 Parmenides offers a background story for how he came
up with his ideas. Is it a credible story?
b. In Passage no. 11 we find a summary of his entire philosophy, where he
says one way of thinking is wrong and the other is right. Can you
understand what these two ways are?

3. Protagoras (as he appears in Theaetetus) –

a. “You hold that knowledge is perception” – What does this mean?
Perception as opposed to what? What kind of philosophical question is
this idea trying to answer?
a. What is the “rather different way” in which Protagoras said the same
thing?

Assignment: Slogans -- Restate and Develop (max 250 words). Pick ONE of the
following “slogans” – brief formulations that express philosophical ideas. Restate it (in
your own words), and develop it.

(1) Everything flows (Heraclitus)

(2) Change is an illusion (Parmenides)
(3) Man is the measure of all things (Protagoras)

Academic Skills

Repeat to Remember: look at the academic skills box from last week and make sure
you follow those basic skills also this week.
“Restate”: Saying something in your own words is not just about changing the
words. Rather, we need to make contact with the idea and what it’s about, ask
ourselves some questions about possible meanings, then express the same idea,
as we understand it, as clearly and confidently as we can.
“Develop”: Developing a single idea means we resist shifting to another idea, or to
our evaluation (doubt/believe) of the idea. We just go deeper into what we think
it means and does not mean. We dwell on this one idea.