THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY Founders of Western Philosophy: Thales to Hume Leonard Peikoff Lecture 1. The First Problem: Are There Any Absolutes? • The father of philosophy: Thales of Miletus. • The philosophy of flux: Heraclitus—“You cannot step into the same river twice”—change as the only absolute—Realityasaseriesof contradictions. • TheparadoxesofZeno. • The mind-body opposition begins: the mathematical mysticism of the Pythagoreans. Lecture 2. The First Answers and Their Climax: The Triumph of the Metaphysics of Two Worlds. • The birth of determinism: the materialism of Democritus. • The birth of“It seems to me . . .”: the skepticism of the Sophists—“Might makes right.” • The teachings of Socrates. • The first complete philosophy: Plato’s. • Platoand his metaphysicaldualism: TheSensible Worldandthe Worldof IdealForms. Lecture 3. The Results in This World. • Plato’s epistemology—knowledge as a mixture of logical deduction, reminiscence and mystical insight—the myth of the cave. • Pla
