The Founders of Western Thought – The Presocratics

1. Front Matter

   Pages I-XVI

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Constantine J. Vamvacas

   Pages 1-2

3. The Juncture

   • Constantine J. Vamvacas

   Pages 3-18

4. Introduction to the Presocratics

   • Constantine J. Vamvacas

   Pages 19-27

5. Thales of Miletus (ca. 625–546 B.C.)

   • Constantine J. Vamvacas

   Pages 29-33

6. Anaximander of Miletus (ca. 610–546 B.C.)

   • Constantine J. Vamvacas

   Pages 35-43

7. Anaximenes of Miletus (ca. 585–525 B.C.)

   • Constantine J. Vamvacas

   Pages 45-51

8. Pythagoras of Samos (ca. 570–496 B.C.)

   • Constantine J. Vamvacas

   Pages 53-84

9. Xenophanes of Colophon (ca. 570–470, B.C.

   • Constantine J. Vamvacas

   Pages 85-99

10. Heraclitus of Ephesus (ca. 540–480 B.C.)

    • Constantine J. Vamvacas

    Pages 101-134

11. Parmenides of Elea (ca. 515–450 B.C.)

    • Constantine J. Vamvacas

    Pages 135-165

12. Empedocles of Acragas (ca. 494–434 B.C.)

    • Constantine J. Vamvacas

    Pages 167-196

13. Anaxagoras of Clazomenae (ca. 500–428 B.C.)

    • Constantine J. Vamvacas

    Pages 197-208

14. Democritus of Abdera (ca. 460–360 B.C.)

    • Constantine J. Vamvacas

    Pages 209-248

15. Epilogue

    • Constantine J. Vamvacas

    Pages 249-254

16. Back Matter

    Pages 255-289

    PDF

There can be little doubt that the Greek tradition of philosophical criticism had its main source in Ionia. . . It thus leads the tradition which created the rational or scienti?c attitude, and with it our Western civilization, the only civilization, which is based upon science (though, of course, not upon science alone). Karl Popper, Back to the Presocratics Harvard University physicist and historian of Science, Gerald Holton, coined the term “Ionian Enchantment”, an expression that links the idea back in the 6th c- tury B. C. to the ancient Ionians along the eastern Aegean coast, while capturing its fascination. Approximately within a seventy- ve year period (600–525 B. C. ) -a split second in the history of humanity- the three Milesian thinkers, Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes, without plain evidence, but with an unequalled power of critical abstraction and intuition, had achieved a true intellectual re- lution; they founded and bequeathed to future generations a new, unprecedented way of theorizing the world; it could be summarized in four statements: beneath the apparent disorder and multiplicity of the cosmos, there exists order, unity and stability; unity derives from the fundamental primary substratum from which the cosmos originated; this, and, consequently, the cosmic reality, is one, and is based not on supernatural, but on physical causes; they are such that man can - vestigate them rationally. These four statements are neither self-evident nor se- explanatory.

• Anaximander
• Democritus
• Heraclitus
• Natural Sciences
• Parmenides
• Pythagoras
• Thales
• Thales of Miletus
• evolution
• philosophy
• presocratics
• time

From the reviews:

“Vamvacas provides a very neat survey of presocratic philosophers in chronological order detailing their contributions to modern science. … provide a fairly lucid introduction to presocratic thought. The book was originally written in Greek in 2001 and has been translated in a manner that is easily accessible to non-historians, including Vamvacas’ desired scientific readership.” (Luciano Boschiero, Metascience, Vol. 19 (3), November, 2010)

• 154 52 Athens, Greece

  Constantine J. Vamvacas

Policies and ethics