Morning!
Hello, dear readers of Bir17! 🧿 A new morning, a new day. Today’s bit of knowledge is about the beginning of everything. If your coffee is ready, we kindly ask for five minutes of your time. Just for you, and of course, only for you… 🫵🏻
Philosophy is the activity through which humans seek to understand fundamental truths about human nature, the world they live in, and their relationship with it. As an academic discipline, philosophy is about asking and answering life’s most fundamental questions, while constructing arguments to support these answers.
Philosophy is divided into various disciplines, such as metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and logic. Metaphysicsexplores the fundamental structure of the universe and the nature of reality, while epistemology examines what we can know and how we can know it. Ethics investigates what is right and good, and logic establishes the rules of correct reasoning.
Philosophy helps develop the ability to analyze and solve complex problems. It enhances critical reading and analytical thinking skills, making it applicable to nearly every human-centered field.
Beyond individual intellectual enrichment, philosophy allows us to develop new perspectives on societal issues. Philosophical thought fosters a deep understanding of key concepts such as justice, truth, knowledge, and values, contributing to both ethical debates and societal progress.
The roots of philosophy trace back to ancient times. Early natural philosophy sought systematic explanations about nature and existence. Ancient philosophers approached nature as a structured system, attempting to uncover its fundamental principles and laws. The Milesian school of thought, led by Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes, posed one of the earliest and most profound questions in philosophy: "What is the archê?"
Archê, in Ancient Greek philosophy, refers to the origin, fundamental principle, or first cause of everything. As philosophy emerged, early thinkers sought to explain the nature and origin of the universe through this fundamental concept. The idea of archê represents one of the earliest attempts to comprehend the underlying substance of existence.
From the moment humans are born, they seek to understand life and nature. Eventually, they ask the question: "What is the fundamental substance of the universe?" According to the Greek philosophers, explanations about nature are found within nature itself.
Thales, a philosopher from Miletus, is considered one of the founding figures of Western philosophy. He believed that the fundamental substance of the universe is water. His reasoning stemmed from the observation that water is essential for life, playing a central role in the survival of all plants and animals.
For Anaximenes, the archê was air. He observed that air is the breath of all living beings and argued that it serves as the foundation of life itself. He explained his reasoning with the statement, "Just as the soul, being air, holds the body together, so does air encompass and sustain the entire universe." According to Anaximenes, the condensation and rarefaction of air lead to the formation of different substances and beings, reinforcing his theory.
Anaximander, on the other hand, proposed that the archê is "apeiron"—the infinite, indefinite, and boundless. Unlike Thales' and Anaximenes' material explanations, apeiron is not a specific substance but rather an abstract, limitless principle. Anaximander suggested that the continuous cycle of the universe and its transformations could be explained through apeiron. He believed that all opposites originate from apeiron and eventually return to it.
Philosophy is a cumulative process. Over time, other philosophers built upon the ideas of the early natural philosophers, allowing philosophy to evolve, strengthen, and progress as long as humans continue to think and question the world around them.
May your curiosity always be abundant,
Bir17 Team 🧿