Written By: Daniel Hotscher, Staff Writer
ETHICAL DEVELOPMENT; Ancient philosophers and their baseline inquiries on the natural world have shaped our understanding of these complex ideas today
The study of philosophy and its influences is one branch of human nature that is crucial in analyzing how our society has settled as a whole. The spreading of natural ideas and vocalization of logically inclined points, has shaped the human race into Devils and Angels throughout history. Philosophy gives the human mind endless possibilities of reason and action to apply within one’s life, and can be rejected or accepted at any point in time. I believe that the most interesting part of philosophy is the originality of ethical standpoints, and the ability to create something out of nothing. The timeline of human philosophy is a bumpy and unpaved path, but has some key indicators which mark the beginning of new eras upon the world.
Philosophical Beginnings:
Thales of Miletus is known to be the Earth’s first philosopher that posed a widely spread idea with the ability to apply consistency to his logic. Thales’ most prominent inquiry was that “water was the source of all things,” gaining this sense from observing the dependance that humans have on water. He noticed that we rely so heavily on this liquid to bathe ourselves, raise crops and cattle, and keep islands afloat. Famously known for quoting “All Is Water,” he used this reasoning to explain the existence of earthquakes and continental shift. His rational thinking also led him to define the phases of “seasons” on Earth as the months progress, setting a basis for what would be considered, “Natural Philosophy”. This Pre-Socratic Philosophy set standards for others looking to question the world and its surroundings. (Socratic was the first major philosophy gaining massive traction for his ideas). Heraclitus and Parmenides were two more rising philosophers during the 6th Century B.C.E. Heraclitus’ motto stood by “Life Is Flux,”,emitting that change is necessary, and the whole meaning of the universe as a unit. Parmenides made the stance of “All Is One,” meaning that the existence of multiple things was an appearance of a single eternal reality we live under.
The Divergence of Intelligence:
As the centuries passed by, philosophers came, saw, and conquered the moral nature of the human spirits. Leading into the halfway pinpoint to Medieval society, famous philosophers began to arise from their shadows, leaving an impact on human nature that no soul could have predicted. Introducing: The Aristotle Era. Another Greek philosopher with the unintentional ideas and logical standpoints that shaped the conception of medieval and renaissance philosophy. Aristotle’s philosophy covers a broad spectrum of logic, politics, mathematics, science, government, and morale. Born in Stagira Greece, 384 B.C.E, his most popular conception of life was his “Four Causes.” Which states; any object or specific phenomenon is shaped upon four reasons, Material Cause (What it is made of), Formal Cause (It’s Form Or Structure), Efficient Cause (How It Came To Be), and Final Cause (It’s Purpose Or End Goal). His numerous written works throughout his time being alive have heavily influenced modern day philosophy and worldview. In mathematics, Aristotle theorized the Isosceles Triangle, a triangle in which both bases angles are congruent (Commonly applied in math classes today). In ethics, he made clear that the correct decision in a difficult situation is based upon the details of said circumstance. In biology, he came up with four categories in the studies of life, Minerals, Plants, Animals, and Humans; This theology has guided scientists and their understandings of the natural world, giving them a homebase to build off of. In general science, Aristotle crafted the Scientific Method of Analysis, which can easily be counted as one of the most important organizational systems used in sciences today. His works were spread through the use of lecture notes and manual searching. Interestingly enough, about one third of Aristotle’s work has not been uncovered, and one fifth of it was never completed, leaving even more room for the infinity of philosophy.
The Transition Of a Lifetime:
Once Aristotle’s era had ended, time had begun to rapidly accelerate as we land ourselves within the midst of the Renaissance; a slow movement into the modernity of the natural world, emphasizing the importance of Logical thinking and discovering the meaning of space and time. With more modernized access to Aristotle’s ideas and a slow breeze of fresh air coming from the idea of adventure, modern philosophers began to take shape. This wouldn’t be a philosophy collection without the inclusion of Galileo, born in 1564 within the city of Pisa Italy. After viewing the stars and moon through the lens of his personal telescope, Galileo theorized that the sun was the center of the universe, and Earth was just one part of the puzzle, orbiting around the powerful force. Being the first to see the Milky Way, Galileo had a lot to work with when it came to the theorization of the universe. He had a long way to wait until we could advance far enough in technology to put this theory into practice.
Niccolò Machiavelli was born in Florence, Italy, holding the same potential and qualities as Galileo. Machiavelli was uniform in modern day political sciences and psychology. The modern technology of the printing press allowed his ideas to be shared by his novel The Prince. In this series of papers, he would go on to describe the malicious killings and inhumane acts used by political leaders in power. This would be the first introduction of corruption among the political scenes of countries. His works would cause his abundance of isolation and torture, though his only two pieces of works would be released after his death, adding a staple to the world of politics and its possibility of evil influences among its participants. Francis Bacon, born in Yorkhouse, London, England, was a base for sciences of the modern day. His inquiry about science urged a methodical and observation based approach to new subjects and ideas. He also theorized an organizational system for the storing of books. Stating books stood within three categories, history, poetry, and philosophy. As the renaissance came to a close, the true modern world took hold.
Modern Day:
As we come full circle to modern day, the idea of philosophers has changed rapidly. While we still have the basics, the introduction of the internet in the early 2000’s has been an exponential advantage to modern day ethics. The spreading of information is so much easier to follow through with, and lots more people will and can agree with you if it hits their understanding. Behind the scenes, scientists, mathematicians, and other professors work on new rationality and reasonings, while influential celebrities take the stage. Fitness influencers, fashion critics, tech developers and more have substantial impacts on the way society thinks and acts, which is actually quite interesting. I don’t think any philosophers could have predicted the amount of advances we would have made in this point of time. Philosophy is more of now someone has a great idea either on social media, or in a small local town, and that idea gets distributed out in posts and stories, which I do find to enjoy. Diversity is greater than ever, and while some ideas are best left silenced, we are still developing our understanding of the natural world today. Philosophy stands strong, though its form is always changing. We have Aristotle and all other Renaissance philosophers to thank for their tireless efforts for humanity today. One once said “Life Is Flux”.