first significant milestone in the history of the origin and development of philosophical thought is the ancient philosophy.Its ancestors are the ancient Greeks and Romans.In the arsenal of the thinkers of the time "tools" were thin speculative cognition, intuition and observation.Ancient philosophers were the first to set ourselves the eternal questions of concern to man: what starts the whole surrounding, being and non-being of the world, the unity of contradictions, freedom and necessity, the birth and death, man's destiny, moral duty, beauty and sublimity, wisdom, friendship,love, happiness, dignity.These issues are still relevant today.The basis for the formation and development of philosophical thought in Europe, it has served as the ancient philosophy.
Periods of ancient philosophy
consider what are the main problems to solve ancient philosophy, the stages of its development as a science.
in the development of ancient Greek and Roman philosophy can be roughly distinguish between four major stages.
first, pre-Socratic period falls on VII - V Art.BC.He presented the activities of Miletus and Eleatic schools, Heraclitus of Ephesus, Pythagoras and his followers, Democritus and Levkipa.They will work the laws of nature, peace building and the Cosmos.The value of pre-Socratic period, it is difficult to overestimate, because it is the earliest ancient philosophy greatly influenced the development of culture, public life and the political sphere of ancient Greece.
characteristic feature of the second classical period (V - IV v. BC) is the appearance of the Sophists.They turned their attention to the problems of nature and the cosmos to human problems, laid the foundations of logic and contributed to the development of rhetoric as a science.In addition to the Sophists, the early ancient philosophy in this period is represented by the names of Aristotle, Socrates, Plato, Protogora.At the same time it begins to form, and Roman philosophy, which identifies three main areas - Epicureanism, Stoicism and skepticism.
During the period from IV to II century BC.e.ancient philosophy goes third ellinestichesky, stage of development.At this time, there are the first philosophical systems, deep in content, new schools of thought - Epicurean, academic, and other perepatetiki.Representatives of the Hellenistic period of transition to solving ethical issues and moralizing at a time when the Hellenic culture in decline.Names of Epicurus, Theophrastus and Carneades presented this stage in the development of philosophy.
Since the beginning of our era (I - VI century) ancient philosophy enters its last period of development.At this time, the leading role in the ancient world belongs to Rome, under the influence of which is Greece.The formation of the Roman philosophy greatly influenced by Greek, in particular, its ellinestichesky stage.In the philosophy of Rome formed three main areas - Epicureanism, Stoicism and skepticism.This period is characterized by the activity of philosophers such as Aristotle, Socrates, Protogor Plato.
third or fourth century - the time of occurrence and development of new directions in ancient philosophy - Neo-Platonism, which was the ancestor of Plato.His ideas and opinions is largely influenced by the philosophy of early Christianity and the philosophy of the Middle Ages.
Thus arose the ancient philosophy, stages of development which gave rise to interesting ideas: the idea of the universal connection of all phenomena and the things of the world, and the idea of infinite development.
It was in those days formed the epistemological trends - materialism and idealism.Democritus, being essentially a materialist, suggested that the atom is the smallest particle of any substance.This idea was ahead of its century and millennium.Plato, adhering to idealistic views, he created a dialectical doctrine of separate things and general concepts.
philosophy of ancient times was one of the independent forms of social consciousness.With it was formed complete picture of the world.Ancient philosophy allows us to trace the entire path of formation of theoretical thinking, full of unusual and bold ideas.Many questions that tried to solve the Greek and Roman philosophical minds have not lost their actuality in our time.
