Fundamentals of Philosophy. Rationalism vs Empiricism (Episteme and Doxa)

© Galina Kupriyeva, 2024

ISBN 978-5-0064-8262-3

Created with Ridero smart publishing system

FUNDAMENTALS OF PHILOSOPHY.

RATIONALISM VS EMPIRICISM (EPISTEME AND DOXA).

INTRODUCTION

Since 500 BC there were few different philosophical schools, which we can call late philosophers, such as pythagoreans, atomists, sophists. They constructed their theories basing on previous philosophical views and had earlier philosophers as their teachers. Afterward, Socrates followed them in his writings and preceded Plato who was his most famous student. So, Plato was the pupil of Socrates and when Socrates died, Plato, based on Socrates teachings wrote dialogues between Socrates and others, consisting of discussion – questioning and answering. Meanwhile, Plato founded his own school, Academy, in 385. Plato, through his Socrates’ dialogues, had proposed division of human beings founding on their courage, strength and intelligence. In the late 300 BC there were two opposite points of view among philosophers. The first were idealists who believed in transcendental matter of mind and the second were materialists who considered that materials are the premises for ideas and thoughts. Afterwards, these two trends were developed and grew into Rationalism and Empiricism. Contemporary analysts consider Plato as the first rationalist and Aristotle as the first empiricist. Aristotle and Plato agreed on the point that there is highest level of knowledge, however they were at variance with the interpretation of this. Plato asserted that the true nature and, hence, knowledge of the world is beyond what we experience through human senses, yet Aristotle retained that our knowledge of the world must be formally rooted in empirical reality.1 Aristotle’s school, the Lyceum dealt with empirical research. The main contradiction between rationalists and empiricists is how we gain knowledge. They are conflicting on this issue and their responses on it are absolutely different. Rationalists’ thinkers deem that our knowledge itself is innate and stay with us eternally while empiricists claim that our true knowledge comes to us with experience.

WHAT IS REAL? WHAT IS TRUE?

Intellectual transition in philosophical thought from supernatural to natural perception of the world is an attempt to find reasons through knowledge and observation. Thales of Miletas (600 BC) challenged to material monism and Mythopoeic Era left behind. Theoretical aspect about single stuff, which is an essence for universe, lay in the ground of materialism monism. Such stuff for Thales was water from which springs everything, for Anaximander followed him it was infinite or «boundless», for Anaximenes it was air. If, for example, we imagine ourselves as a modern material monists, then our possible answer to the question «What is real» would be – an Energy.

Contradictions between rationalists and empiricists started with disputes between Plato and Aristotle on such topics as Metaphysics, Epistemology and Ethics. Plato argued that material world is only a manifestation of thoughts and intellect. He imagined two parts of the world. These are visible world (opinion or in Greek: DOXA) and intelligible world (knowledge or in Greek: EPISTEM). Each of these two parts is also divided: visible or changing world consist of «beliefs» and «illusion» while intelligible world consists of «reason» and «intelligence». The fundamental theory of Plato is the theory of «forms» or «ideas» (in Greek: EIDOS) contained in intelligible world independent of space and time, and which remain constant and unchangeable. Visible things are embodiment of eternal «forms». For Plato, there were no individuals, but were «mennes», «horseness», «tableness», etc. Plato was called idealist because he considered this world as ideal. In his philosophy, Plato was trying to synthesize the Law of Individual Flux by Heraclitus of Epheus (500 BC) where CHANGE was necessary for individuals but CONSTANCY for Universe or Nature was inevitable and the Doctrine of Paramenides of Elea (515 BC – 450 BC) about one and unchanging reality. It was in account with Pythagoras (575—500 BC) when Plato took his theory to reveal order, which has all the reality and perfection of mathematics. Such order is not visible to the eye but is intelligible to the intellect and achievable to the mind. Pythagoras school was concerned more with forms and relations of things rather than with substance.

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1

Lectures’notes – IR-PA 5511 – Philosophical and Epistimological Foundations of the Social Sciences.