Questions tagged [ancient-philosophy]
Ancient philosophy consists, at least in the west, of the work by philosophers before around ~480 CE.
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What does Socrates mean by not reusing his initial objection to Cephalus’s definition of Justice to object to Polemarchus’s definition?
Plato’s Republic Book 1
331 C: Socrates says that if we return a weapon given to us by a sane friend who has since then turned insane, we are not being just.
Polemarchus then defines Justice as the ...
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The older, the smarter. Is the wisdom of time a scientifically proven fact or just human prejudices?
For example, physicists, engineers, computer scientists don't care much about ancient studies and don't mind throwing away older theories and research.
Yet, in philosophy and religious studies, we ...
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Where in Aristotle's Metaphysics is Aquinas citing his claim about "two sorts of operations"?
In the beginning of book II of Aquinas's Summa Contra Gentiles, Aquinas writes
Now the operation of a thing is twofold, as the Philosopher teaches in
9 Metaphysics ...
A footnote is provided which ...
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How should I pronounce words from Ancient Greek philosophy?
A somewhat unusual question here. Naturally, while reading through Ancient Greek philosophy, I've encountered many Ancient Greek words like παιδεία, οὐσία, as well as sentences like 'πάντες ἄνθρωποι ...
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According to Aristotle, do all substances have final causes?
I know that in order to know something, in some cases we don't necessarily need to know its final cause, because sometimes the efficient cause might be enough to give a full explanation. But I wonder ...
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Arguments for a Socratic Daimon and Embodiment: A Dialogue between an A-pneumatic and Pneumatic: Is this coherent? [closed]
Dear all, can you help me find any inconsistencies from theory of mind, philosophy of mind and phenomenology of percetion in this dialogue?
A conversation between an a-pneumatic and a pneumatic:
A-...
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On Plato's Transmigration of Souls
In Plato's theory of transmigration of souls, do some souls ever make it to a place of eternal bliss or get remanded to a place of eternal punishment?
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What are the main elements of Stoicism? [duplicate]
My question is this: What are the main elements of Stoicism?
As a secondary question, it would also be nice to know how Epicureanism compares to or contrasts with Stoicism.
Primary source material ...
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Where does Plato discuss "having" and "possessing"?
I'm looking for textual references in Plato's dialogues where he discusses the difference between having and possessing with respect to actuality and potentiality. I would be grateful if anybody could ...
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Seeking Guidance for Reading Aristotle's Metaphysics
I've recently embarked on a journey to explore Aristotle's Metaphysics, but I must admit, I'm finding it quite challenging to grasp. As a newcomer to Aristotle's works, I wonder if there's a guide or ...
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When the soul is with the body, does the soul change the body, or does it make the body as perfect as possible?
I would be grateful if you could answer the question above. When the soul is with the body, does the soul change the body or does it make the body perfect [or should I say that as perfect as the body ...
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Understanding Aristotle's argument of simultaneously and sequentially actualisable potential infinities in response to Atomism
I am reading a book about Aristotle. Aristotle lays out a potential argument against infinite divisibility by the Atomists, that infinite division would leave components of zero-magnitude which could ...
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Are there any arguments that show the genus-species distinction does not work?
I would be grateful if someone tried to answer the question above. What are some arguments that show that genus-species relation does not correctly describe the world, that it is not a correct ...
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Preferred Translation of Plato's *Laws*?
I have been delving deeper into Greek philosophy lately, and I must say, I am quite fond of C.D.C Reeve's translations. His interpretations of various philosophical texts have always resonated with me....
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What does it mean to be a principle?
I would be grateful if you could direct me to relevant passages in Aristotle where I can read more about the nature of "principle." Not exacty about the principle of non-contradiction but ...