(2) The Pre-Socratic Sophos WITH 100% CORRECT ANSWERS

Ethnocentrism Greek roots: 'the race or group is the center" Belief that the customs and beliefs of one's own culture are inherently superior to all others. Ethnocentric individuals see their ways as inherently superior to all others. "The gods speak out language, look like us, are our colour. Our family practices are natural, others are deviant." Barbarian Greek roots: 'bar-bar' noise used to mock dialects. Originally referred to other cultures considered "less than human" or uncivilized. Sophos sage or wise man; applied to the first philosophers; from the Greek word for 'wise'. - devoted himself to asking questions normal people thought had already been answered (by religion or mythology), or were unanswerable (thus, a waste of time). - lived and spoke in ways interpreted to show disregard or disrespect for conventional values. - an authentic sophos is always a 'stranger to the world'. - did not charge tuition to study with or to accompany him. Thales - first western philosopher. - absorbed in his studies, devoted only the minimum effort necessary to financial affairs. First Philosophers - initially concerned with questions about the nature (physis) and of the 'world order' (kosmos). - whereas a sophos (sage or wise man) was seen as a kind of prophet-priest-therapist, the philosopher, who is in love with wisdom but not necessarily wise, was seen as an unusual sort of thinker and truth seeker. - before, a philosopher was expected to live a 'philosophical life' but now, they must only devote their energies to thinking about things in a rigorous way. Presocratics Western philosophers who appeared prior to Socrates, the first major figure in the Western philosophical tradition. Explanations about what the universe is ultimately made of: - Thales: water - Anaximenes: air / pneuma - Anaxagoras : mind (nous + apeiron) - Pythagorus : number - Democritus: (atoms + void) - Heraclitus : everything is always changing / Fire - Parmenides/Zeno: change is an illusion. Cosmos Greek term for 'ordered whole'; first used by Pythagoreans to characterize the universe as an ordered whole consisting of harmonies of contrasting elements. Psyche Greek for 'soul'; in todays terms, a combination of mind and soul, including capacity for reflective thinking. Heraclitus - ignorance is bound to result when we try to understand the cosmos because we do not understand the basic structure of the human psyche and its relationship to the Logos. - distinguished between appearance and reality, and contrasted apparent permanence and hidden reality. - Logos / Fire Logos (definition) - intelligence - speech - discourse - thought - reason - word - meaning - study of - record of - science of - principles of - rationale