etious, Claractenstics Ancient Western Philosophy- (A) Which ancient Western met

Question

etious, Claractenstics Ancient Western Philosophy- (A) Which ancient Western metaphysical philosophy (Materialism or Idealism) is more persuasive and why? Please support your response with at least three (3) specific ancient Greek or 3. oman philosophical works, figures, theories, etc. (B) Which ancient Western ethical philosophy (Virtue Ethics, Stoicism, or Epicureanism) is more persuasive and why? Please support your response with at least three (3) specific ancient Greek or Roman philosophical works, figures, theories, etc.

Explanation / Answer

3. The ancient Western philosophy saw the rise of two opposing tendencies- one where many philosophers attributed the origin of phenomena and the world to certain physical matter called materialism, and two the movement towards arguing about the apriori existence of spirit or the mind called idealism.

While both these ancient thoughts have influenced the course of philosophy and understanding of the human world, it can be argued the claims of ancient materialism of Western philosophy are a more persuasive Line of thinking about our reality.

For instance, the The Milesian school (about 585 BC) which set aside religious attitudes and ideas, laying the foundations for materialist philosophy, challenged the Ancient Greek mythological outlook by disposing of all gods. They went back to the beginning of all things and asked: what created the world and how was it done? Their materialist approach offered an original and coherent account, even if crude about the creation of the world and of humankind.

ancient materialist philosopher, Thales presented that all things must have an origin in time and space and thus his term ‘arche’ Which merely meant beginning became a fundamental principle that played an enormous role in philosophy till the present. Thales’ ideas had a major influence on the emergence of the independent field of science and its adherence to exploring empirical and objective causes as sources of true knowledge.

thirdly, the materialist philosopher Anaximenes gave a crucial idea about the origin of materials. According to him, things that have a beginning also can be explored to show whether they have a continued existence or a time bound life. From here, emerged the idea of a basic tenet or principle that governs all life.

This concept of a principle that remains the same is based on his argument that nothing can come out of nothing and that all of the comings to be and passings away that human beings observe are nothing but transmutations of something that essentially remains the same eternally. This ancient principle has today influenced the basic laws in physics- the laws of the conservation of matter, force, and energy— Although Anaximenes of course did not realize all of the implications of his idea, its importance can hardly be exaggerated.

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