Humans developed philosophy as a discipline to try and describe and understand objective reality, the processes that occur in it, and their causes. In fact, philosophy evolved alongside humankind, and different eras’ philosophers conveyed other concepts. Nevertheless, the division of philosophy into Eastern and Western schools, and even Eastern and Western civilizations, had the most significant influence on its growth. People who believe in the inner strength of a human being tend to support Eastern philosophy. In contrast, those who believe in the social nature of all processes tend to hold Western philosophical views. A canonical group of thinkers, including Pythagoras, René Descartes, Plato, and Aristotle, defines Western philosophy. The impact of monotheistic religions, particularly Christianity, is another characteristic. In totality, these philosophies provide a suggestion that knowledge is a necessity for every human being since they would inevitably face the difficulties of meeting the unknown in their life.
The philosophers and ideas from Europe and the United States are called Western philosophy. Students who are given the freedom to express their ideas are less frightened to stand out or make mistakes because Western education views mistakes as valuable learning opportunities (Hassan et al. 2). Most Western philosophers provided insight into some of the most critical discussions in modern environmental ethics, including those involving the inherent value of nature (James 3). Many talks have been about metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and logic. A canonical group of thinkers and some recurrent distinctions and notions can be used to identify Western philosophy. Western and Eastern philosophies have different sets of thinkers and have been influenced by various religions.
Pythagoreanism was started by a Greek philosopher, mathematician, and polymath who merged rationalism with irrationalism more thoroughly than any previous movement in ancient Greek philosophy. His worldview has been described in contradicting ways; therefore, anything we say or read elsewhere must be seen as a compromise between extremely divergent viewpoints held by academics. In addition to being a nearly inextricable mixture of truth and lies, beliefs about Pythagoras reveal a highly peculiar psyche, even in their most fundamental and debatable forms (Russel 30). The Pythagoreans also created the idea of harmony, which is essential. The structures that give existence its order would not simply appear; they follow a system, form a coherent whole, and maintain a sense of cosmic harmony.
Plato was a Greek philosopher who established the Platonist school and founded the Academy in Athens, the first Western institution of higher learning. Regarded as the greatest thinker in human history, he has profoundly impacted how Western philosophy developed and progressed. Plato clarifies the difference between knowledge and belief in a way that has significantly more nuanced implications about the nature of reality (Cottingham 12). According to English philosopher Alfred North Whitehead, the best way to summarize the European philosophical tradition is that it is a collection of footnotes to Plato (Sidiropoulos 8). Like his mentor Socrates, Plato advocated for the pursuit of truth through discussion. Plato’s theories are frequently discussion-starting premises and are only sometimes a part of a comprehensive theory. Platonic concepts are often disputed within the dialogues.
The Greek philosopher Aristotle studied under Plato, although he created a different school of thought. He established a philosophical and scientific system that served as the foundation for all logic, Christian Scholasticism, and the modern scientific method, making him one of the most extraordinary intellectual personalities in Western history. Despite its origins in Plato’s concepts, Aristotle’s philosophy evolved due to his development. The key figures of Western philosophy are Plato and Aristotle, and no student of philosophy today can avoid a thorough study of Platonic and Aristotelian concepts. The importance of chance in the natural world was first clearly defended by Aristotle, a famous philosopher. There are two reasons for such a phenomenon, the first one being a causal chain. He rejected the oversimplified notion that each event has a single excuse. Accidents brought on by chance may occur in a sequence of events (Russell). The origin of indeterminism and randomness in modern science, including quantum mechanics, can be traced back to Aristotle’s conception of the function of chance.
Descartes, regarded as the father of contemporary philosophy, is also credited with founding rationalism, which holds reason as the only reliable knowledge source. Empiricism, which asserts that knowledge is derived through experiences, is opposed to this. Modern philosophy was launched by Descartes’ method of doubt, but ancient philosophy was created by diverse applications of the dialectic method (Gracious 9). Descartes created dream arguments to demonstrate that the data we gather via our senses is unreliable. However, he knew experiments were required to confirm and validate theories. One of the main pillars of the contemporary scientific method is Descartes’ approach to systematic skepticism.
In conclusion, all Western philosophers would concur that proper knowledge is a priori. People can build or expand on this intrinsic knowledge to find what Plato and Descartes could characterize as ultimate truths if they use it. Many of the difficulties one encounters everyday stem from a lack of knowledge. Even such necessities as procuring enough food and a place to live, present knowledge-related difficulties. Furthermore, once one moves past the necessities of basic survival, they meet with hurdles on practically every front. Knowledge questions range from bigger, more important ones like figuring out who real friends are, what to do with a career, how to spend time, and settle a disagreement with others. Every day, people make decisions based on their knowledge, some of which significantly impact their own lives and those around them.
Works Cited
Cottingham, John G., Western Philosophy: An Anthology. John Wiley & Sons, 2021.
Gracious, Thomas. Introduction to Western Philosophy. Indira Gandhi National Open University School of Interdisciplinary and Trans-disciplinary Studies.
Hassan, Aminuddin, et al. “Western and Eastern Educational Philosophies.” 40th Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia conference, Murdoch University, Western Australia, 2010.
James, Simon P. Zen Buddhism, and Environmental Ethics. Routledge, 2017.
Russell, Bertrand. History of Western Philosophy: Collectors Edition. Routledge, 2013.
Sidiropoulos, Michael. “Great Thinkers in Western Philosophy” Researchgate, 2021, pp. 1–38. Web.