The Universal Truth in Philosophy

St. Augustine expresses that the universal truth, consisting in three great general questions, represented during the time the main interest of philosophers, although they disagreed on the nature of things.

This quote reflects the best not only the philosophers' ideas, but also the itinerary and evolution of philosophy since its beginnings.

Tales (c. 625-547 B.C.E.) introduced a nonmythological way of looking at the world, considering that the main element is the water: "all is water".

"Well, if there is some underlying, more fundamental level than that of appearances, and some kind of substance exists at that level out of which everything else is made, then this basic substance would have to be something very flexible, something that could appear in many forms."

He developed new mathematical theories and found answers for many of the questions related to the world's creation. He was one of the first philosophers, whose ideas represent an important reference for philosophy.

Anaximander (610-c. 547 B.C.E.), a pupil of Tales, considered that the world has been created from something more elementary than water, explaining things in terms of natural powers and phenomena.

Anaximenes (fl. c. 545 B.C.E.) was the third philosopher who answered to the question asked by his predecessors, considering that the main element is the air.

Pythagoras (c. 580-c. 500 B.C.E.) stated that everything in the world was created from numbers, claiming that there is an intimacy between things and numbers. He studied mathematics, metaphysics and philosophy.

Heraclites stated that all is fire and called the cosmic order "logos", meaning "word" in Greek. He developed the philosophical problem of identity or "sameness over change.

Parmenides thought otherwise, trying to determine the most important feature of reality and not the fundamental substance.

Democritus (c. 460-c. 370 B.C.E.), an Atomist, considered that things are composed of physical atoms-tiny, imperceptible, indestructible, indivisible, eternal, and uncreated particles; these particles combine one with each other, forming objects.

Socrates (470-399 B.C.E.) tried to discover the essential nature of knowledge, justice, beauty, goodness, and, especially, traits of good character such as courage, through the dialectic method.

Plato (c. 428-347 B.C.E.) developed the "Theory of Forms", based on the principle of the ideal, expressed only by "Form". He referred to Forms as Ideas, which have important and unusual features, being unchanging, unmoving and indivisible. Plato also thought the "Theory of knowledge", reflected in his work, the "Republic", in the "Myth of the Cave".

Aristotle (384-322 B.C.E.) thought that to be is to be a particular thing, asking himself essential questions related to the universal truth: "What is the thing? What is it made of? What made it? What purpose does it serve?" He believed that the human being has three souls, the vegetative soul, the animal soul and the spiritual soul.

St.Augustine (354-430 C.E.) promoted the "ex nihilo" theory (God created the world out of nothing), stating that God exists within time and time began with the creation by God of the world. His ideas were expressed in his book "Confessions".

During the time, all the philosophers tried to answer to the same questions, related to the origins of the human being, the supreme God and the way in which things were created. They followed different ways and had different beliefs, according to their ideas and times. It is important that, in the end, all of them recognized the complexity and mystery of creation.

References:

• 1. Moore, B. N., & Bruder, K. (2008). Philosophy: The power of ideas (7th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill, Higher Education.
• 2. Simon Blackburn - Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy