TRA: Lesson - Western Philosophy and Belief

Western Philosophy and Belief

Aristotle: Logic

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
-Aristotle

Remember how Socrates taught Plato who taught Aristotle? Well, Aristotle rejected his famous teachers because he felt that they were so caught up in their idealistic ideas that they didn’t understand the real world. Instead, he got rich teaching future king and conqueror Alexander the Great and became the father of science.

In his philosophy, the here and now is most important. If you study things that happen in the world, it will build knowledge, and some knowledge is universal. He used his knowledge and a methodology focused on logic to both argue and explain. Finally, he encouraged living between extremes. For example, being a coward and being foolish are both extreme approaches to fear. In the middle is courage, which is good.

Diogenes: Cynicism - Living Without Shame

I am a citizen of the world.
-Diogenes

Diogenes was exiled from his Greek city-state and ran away to Athens. There, he decided to live a simple life and make fun of powerful people. He attended Plato’s classes, ordered food, and ate loudly during the discussions. He publicly mocked Alexander the Great, which unexpectedly caused Alexander to respect him. He was also kidnapped by pirates, and sold into slavery, but then converted his owners to his thinking. 

In his philosophy, the purpose of life is to be good and live with as little as possible. The way you can live without a bunch of unnecessary stuff was to reject the desire for health, wealth, power, fame, possessions, and property. To him, that stuff was for the tricky, lying social climbers and government workers, both of whom he detested. In fact, to Diogenes, human achievements, social norms, government, and religion were all corrupt. At the end of the day, he believed we should live with reason but without shame. Diogenes was considered a cynic and many of his ideas influenced the philosophy known as cynicism.

Augustine of Hippo (Saint Augustine): Christian Philosophy

If I am mistaken, I am [human].
-St. Augustine

Augustine was born just as the Roman empire was falling and died as his home (in Northern Africa) fell to invaders. His father believed in Roman polytheism and his mother was Christian. When he was a young man, he read a lot of Roman religious books and lived promiscuously. Then, he converted to Christianity and became a teacher and priest. His ideas are a mix of both religions and reflect his frustration with the Roman Empire.

In his philosophy, humans are naturally evil and prideful and only the grace/mercy of the Christian God can save people. For Augustine, however, this was a freeing concept. Since humans can never be perfect, he felt that we shouldn’t feel pressure to be flawless or happy all the time. Additionally, he believed that a person’s wealth and power were not a reflection of whether they were a good or bad person. Anyone, rich or poor, could be either good or bad. Therefore, it is our duty to be skeptical of those in power and helpful to those who are struggling.

Modern Impacts of Western Philosophy

Select each name to read more about how these Western philosophies still affect modern thinking.

Aristotle - Logic

Aristotle was the main thinker that everyone compared their ideas to until the 20th century. Even biologist Charles Darwin and political writer Ayn Rand were influenced by Aristotle. Aristotle created the classification system we still use today for life on earth.

Diogenes - Cynicism

Cynicism has been important since the time of Diogenes. Notable modern cynics include Michel Foucault and Friedrich Nietzsche. Even for the average person, stoic and cynical are still in the modern vocabulary, even if their meanings are different than what they would have been in Diogenes’ time.

St. Augustine - Christian Philosophy

Christian Theologists consider Augustine to be one of the top 3-5 Christian philosophers of all time. Retired Pope Benedict XVI believes Augustine is one of his biggest influences. Four cities in America are named for St. Augustine (the most famous in Florida).

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