Philosophy discussion responses
1. During my reading about presocratics like Heraclitus, Xenophanes, and Democritus it was difficult not to see the connection between their schools of thought and modern science. Although each had their own unique view, they all seemed intrigued about the connection of the natural world and human beings. They provided the framework for questioning how the world and nature truly works. That is, the presocratics asked the questions to which modern scientists have answered and are still trying to answer. They are the original pioneers of thought and research into the natural sciences.
For example, Xenophanes and Heraclitus viewed the cosmos (the universe as a whole) as a system that can regulate itself as opposed to being under divine control. Xenophanes spoke of meteorological phenomena, movement of the water, land and wind is responsible for the natural changes that we can see (Curd, 2020, Xenophanes of Colophon and Heraclitus of Ephesus, para. 3). This rings true to what we know today about weather; the wind, currents of the oceans, the moon can all cause physical changes to the Earth: hurricanes, tsunamis and earthquakes. Another similarity between presocratic thinking and modern science can be seen in Democritus Atomism. His theory that the universe is made up of an infinite number of small particles (Curd, 2020, Presocratic Atomism, para. 1). This is something that they teach you in the first day of any elementary biology, physics or chemistry class: the atom is the smallest unit of matter, matter cannot be created nor destroyed. These theories still hold to be true and fundamental ideas of modern science.
An important difference between the two schools of thought is the role that the gods or the divine play. Although the presocratic philosophers begin to breakaway from the thought that the gods control everything, they still play a major role in their thinking. As opposed to modern science where religious or spiritual beliefs seem to have no place.
2. Presocratic philosophers were thinkers who engaged in doing natural philosophy. Presocratics philosophers such as Heraclitus, Thales, and Xenophanes of Colophon all have a deep connection to the natural world and human beings. Establishingcosmology was their goal, an understanding of the origins of the universe through the principle of causality and natural causes, instead of traditional cosmogony, which understands the origins of the universe through appeal to divinity and mythology. They rejected supernatural explanations and emphasized the rational unity of things.
Similarities between the concepts of modern science and those of the Presocratics are that Xenophanes mentioned water movement. The land and wind are held responsible for the physical changes (Curd, 2020, Xenophanes of Colophon and Heraclitus of Ephesus, para. 3). Modern days also explains natural differences and the reasons in schools. In contrast, the Presocratics did not fully explain their reasoning behind it, and the gods play a significant role in their way of thought.
3. The presocratic philosophers mainly held their interests in thenatureof the physical world, meaning they had a new way of thinking about the world that detached from mythological thought. As stated by the lecture, The presocratics invented the idea of nature as a natural place, as a collection of objects to which operated according to a predictable pattern that could be discovered by human investigation which is referred to as natural science as we know it todaythey contributed a more rational way of thinking towards the sciences. For example, Xenophanes claimed that all meteorological phenomena were due to natural-bound things. They occurred because of nature, not from the devine or the gods. Though, he did still believe in a single god, it did not align with the occurrence of nature/cosmos. The differences lie in just thatmodern science does not entertain any religious or spiritual aspects.
4. I believe the presocraticspaved the foundation for modern science. It asked the questions scientists to this day are still trying to research, if not answer.Presocraticsalso gave us an idea of what the world was like hundreds of years ago, as opposed to now. For example when it comes to geography, Anaximanderdrew the worlds first map. The map he drew, tells us what kind of life was lived during that time period. Although it does not say anything directly, Libaya, Europe, and Asia are the only places on the map separatedby water. Are these the three main placed of that time period? its crazy to think about !
5. The Presocraticsdefinitelycontributed to science by their questioning and understanding of life. Some of these Presocratics philosopherswere Thales, Anaximenes, and Democritus. Thales first introduced the idea that since water can be a solid, liquid, and air, everything is water. Anaximenesthen discovered that air can be found everywhere and condensed into clouds, for example. Democritus’ reasoning of atoms also contributed to modern science, as he stated there are tiny particles that create an object. These ideas help form the way science is viewed today.The difference between the concepts of modern science and those of the Presocraticsis that philosophy does not have direct answers to their own questions, while science today backed their questions and answers with scientific research. The similarities between the two can be that both put aside their belief in God or a higher power in their studies.
