Before Socrates

By Miguel Santiago

Before Socrates, several influential philosophers made significant contributions to ancient Greek thought. These thinkers laid the foundation for philosophical inquiry and shaped subsequent philosophical schools. Here are a few notable philosophers who lived before Socrates:

• Thales of Miletus (c. 624 – c. 546 BCE): Considered one of the Seven Sages of ancient Greece, Thales focused on natural philosophy and cosmology. He believed that water was the fundamental substance underlying all of nature.
• Anaximander (c. 610 – c. 546 BCE): A student of Thales, Anaximander expanded upon his mentor’s ideas. He proposed the concept of the “apeiron,” an infinite and indefinite substance from which everything in the universe emerged.
• Heraclitus (c. 535 – c. 475 BCE): Known as the “Obscure,” Heraclitus emphasised change and the idea of universal flux. He believed that everything is in a constant state of transformation and that the world is governed by a principle he called “Logos.”
• Parmenides (c. 515 – c. 450 BCE): Parmenides explored the nature of reality and argued for the existence of an unchanging and indivisible truth. He asserted that the senses are unreliable and that knowledge can only be obtained through reason.
• Empedocles (c. 490 – c. 430 BCE): Empedocles proposed that the universe was composed of four elements – earth, air, fire, and water. He also introduced the concept of love and strife as driving forces behind the formation…