1.

What justifies referring to the Presocratics as ‘the first

philosophers’?- the Presocratics, while concerned about notions
of the good life, were mainly interested in fields that we would now consider
parts of the natural sciences, e.g. astronomy, geology, meteorology, biology,
etc. They were in particular preoccupied with the origin and the nature of the
universe and all that exists. Thus, they produced theories about what the
universe is made of, how it came into existence and how it functions.
The key notion for the first thinkers was arche. Arche is an ancient Greek
word that means ‘original source’ or ‘universal principle’. The first thinkers
attempted to find out what was the arche of all that exists.

2. How can we make sense of Thales’s theory that water is the

source of everything? because water is a fundamental need in life.

3. Discuss how Parmenides’s theory of movement is reflected in Plato’s Doctrine of

Ideas. the base of the ideas.because there are two aspects to study the unoverse,how we see it and
how it must really be.

4. What did Heraclitus mean when he said that ‘it is not possible to step twice into the
same river’? This means that because the river is constantly flowing, it is
always changing and therefore not the ‘same’ river from one moment to the
other. Thus, stepping twice into a river really means stepping into two
different rivers.

5. Who proposed the notions of ‘love’ and ‘strife’ and what were they supposed to
explain? Changes in the world can be traced to two contrary forces that Empedocles called ‘love’ and
‘strife’. These anthropomorphic forces explain how the elements sometimes mutually attract each
other (love) and sometimes avoid each other (strife). In certain circumstances, they cause the
elements to mix with each other in particular ways and in particular proportions to make up the
things as we experience and know them. This theory was to have an impact on modern chemistry, as
it explains the difference between things based on how their elements mix with each other.
(Empedocles)

6. What did Cicero mean by saying that Socrates called ‘philosophy down from heaven’?

The Greek thinkers living before Socrates – the so-called Presocratics – were almost exclusively
interested in finding ways to explain the material construction of the world as well as its existence
and nature. Socrates was the first philosopher to ignore these questions and pay instead exclusive
attention to the issue of human living. His primary questions concerned the nature of the good life
and one’s conduct toward others. Such considerations, as long as they are sufficiently systematic, are
called ‘ethics’. Because of this exclusive concentration on ethical issues, the Roman thinker Marcus
Tullius Cicero (106–43 BCE) said that Socrates ‘called philosophy down from the
7. What did Socrates mean by referring to himself as a ‘midwife of wisdom’? becuase he doesnt
communicate wisdom directly he helps people to fnd it by themselves

8. What does the ‘Socratic method’ consist in? Socrates changed the course of philosophy in Europe.
Still enormously important in contemporary scholarship, this method simply consists of a dialogue,
in questions and answers.

9. Is the unexamined life worth living? Why/Why not? Socrates said that an unexamined life is not
worth living. One should know oneself, one’s own dispositions and opinions. Wisdom regarding
the nature of human life was the most important of all, even more important than life itself. I

10. How is Socrates supposed to have ‘corrupted the young’? Was the accusation
justified? by engaging them in philosophical dialogues. In all likelihood, these politicians may have
feared Socrates, as he seemed to have the ability to teach others to think critically instead of just
obeying,

11. What sort of attitude did Socrates have to death? Is it a good attitude? Why/Why
not? he adamantly refused to change his ways and said he would continue dedicating his life to
truth and wisdom. He was faithful to his philosophy and love of truth until the final moment.

12. Why did Plato say about Aristotle that he was like a foal who, after emptying him of
milk, gives him a good kick? Because he criticized his work meanwhile also used that as a sourse.

13. Who were the Sophists and what did they undertake in ancient Greece? The Sophists were
wandering teachers, that is to say, they travelled around and made their living as teachers.

14. Why did Socrates and Plato oppose the Sophists? Plato, however, did not consider the Sophists
wise. They were not like the philosopher, philo-sophus, one who ‘loves wisdom’. The Sophists
taught a number of subjects, but were particularly renowned for teaching the art of rhetoric, the
art of convincing others about the correctness of one’s opinions. Rhetoric was and still is a highly
important art in the field of politics. Plato, however, held rhetoric to be very dangerous, for it can
be used to deceive people and convince them of incorrect opinions. Thus, many of Plato’s writings
aim at refuting the Sophists and demonstrating that in each case there is one and only one truth

15. How is Plato’s Doctrine of Ideas different from relativism? Explain. Such a view involves the
claim that truth is relative and is therefore called ‘relativism’. The consequences of relativism can be
quite discomforting. Plato’s aim was precisely to find the criterion for truth, for what was right and
true for everyone in all circumstances. This criterion he found in the Ideas.

16. Where are the Ideas and how can we have access to them? in the realm of Ideas and we can get
access via our soul.

17. What was the real purpose of Plato’s Ideas? to recollect all the knowledge that we had already
known but we forgot when we were born.

18. What is the difference between knowledge and opinion according to Plato? An opinion is
superficial and depends on what we can see, hear or touch. Knowledge it already exists within us.
19. How would you explain the symbolic meaning of the ‘Cave Allegory’. he tells a story that is
intended to reveal our ignorance.

20. What is the relation between the soul and the good society according to Plato? The ideal state
should correspond to the soul by being tripartite. , we shall consider his tripartite theory of the soul
and its relation to the ideal state. He described the human soul as divided into three main parts:
appetite, will and reason.

21. What did Plato mean by the ‘recollection’ of knowledge? To get back all the knowlegde that we
lost when we were born.

22. What was Plato’s view of art and why? Thus, language is merely an imitation of the thing, which
itself is an imitation of the Idea. Since poetry presents various metaphors, it is therefore even further
removed from the Ideas. Art is thus at least twice removed from the Ideas, from Truth.
Consequently, Plato says in the Republic that art will be outlawed from his ideal state because of its
corruptive influence of alienating people from Truth

23. What is ‘dualism’? Can there be more types of it? Why would it be problematic? The tendency
to make a strong distinction between body and soul, often called dualism,

24. What sort of differences are there between Plato’s and Aristotle’s understandings of
language? Language is the manifestation of reason (logos), which makes up the essence of the
human being, as will be addressed below in greater detail(Aristotle) ésszerű

language is merely an imitation of the thing, which itself is an imitation of the Idea.(Plato) copy,not
the source of life

25. What is the origin of the word ‘metaphysics’ and what does it deal with?

Aristotle is the inventor of the word metaphysics that designates the field of philosophy as dealing
with the nature and properties of the whole of being, the reality beyond sense-experience.
26. What was Aristotle‘s view of Plato‘s Doctrine of Ideas?

Aristotle disagreed with Plato about the Ideas, considering it absurd to claim that they ‘exist’ in
some other world.

27. What is the difference between the ‘essence’ and ‘attributes’ of things according to
Aristotle? ‘essence’, which is a necessary feature of the object, and ‘attributes’ that are accidental
(unnecessary).

28. What role did Aristotle intend for the ‘four causes’?

material, formal, efficient cause and end or purpose.

29. What is the ‘essence’ of the human being according to Aristotle?

to find happiness
30. In what way is Aristotle ambivalent about human happiness? e himself considers that happiness
must consist in cultivating one’s essence to perfection. Happiness, then, can be realized by living in
accordance with reason. This process takes an entire life and thus one cannot say that one was happy
yesterday and not today. Happiness is not a temporary feeling such as pleasure or enjoyment. A
person’s happiness can only be estimated for his or her life as a whole.

31. According to Aristotle, what does it mean to understand something?

understanding of individual things of which we have direct experience and how to classify them into
kinds.
32. Is Aristotle’s ‘essence’ easier to work with than Plato’s ‘Ideas’? If yes, how?

To figure out the essence of things is at the same time to understand them. How do we figure out the
essence of things? Aristotle identified the socalled four ‘causes’, which should probably rather be
understood as ‘explanations’, but let us stick to Aristotle’s vocabulary. These are the answers to the
question ‘why’ a particular thing exists. Presiding over such answers means, according to Aristotle,
that we have sufficient understanding of the thing in question
33. Explain with your own words why logic may be of importance or use

. teach us clear and distinct thinking and expression, and how to draw reasonable inferences
34. What is ‘teleology’ and what role does it play in Aristotle’s philosophy?

the notion that an understanding of something should also include a realization of its purpose. This
was a new and revolutionary idea about scientific thinking which happens to be dominant today.

35. Why does Aristotle claim that happiness is the purpose of human life and not
pleasure or fun?

because happiness is temporary and it can last for a lifetime to be able to speak in conclusion about
happiness
36. In what way is it likely that Stoicism influenced Christianity?

acceptnce of determinism They were the first to suggest equal rights for all human beings,
irrespective of nationality, class or sex. This demand became one of the most solid foundations in
Christianity

37. What does the Stoic theory of determinism imply for free will? . Thus, nothing can be free, as
everything is always determined by the movement of other things. The same applies to human
beings if they are composed of only material substance. Such a view is called ‘determinism’.

38. What aim did most Hellenic schools of thought have in common?

philosophical schools or isms of the period. These schools are altogether five: Stoicism Epicureanism
Scepticism Eclecticism Neoplatonism

39. How can one obtain peace of mind by suspending judgment? They should live a simple kind of
life, may not possess things but receive sufficient remuneration to be able to live Early Greek thought
35 decently, although not enough to be wealthy.

40. What aspect of Neoplatonism can be described as mystical

Mysticism has always been an important component in Christianity. In most cases, it involves
overcoming one’s self-consciousness as a particular being to unify with the ‘world-soul’ or divinity.
Becoming one with divinity means no longer being oneself with one’s name, family, education,
experience, passions, etc., but a ‘pure soul’ or ‘pure spirit’, liberated from material being. To be sure,
describing such experience is not easy when one has never had it, and even those who have had it
find it hard to describe. This is why it is called ‘mysticism’, for it is indeed mysterious and perhaps
unintelligible to ordinary people who have not had such an experience