21394
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Philosophy is knowing each logos, how they fit together, and what follows from them [Epictetus]
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Full Idea:
[Philosophical speculation] consists in knowing the elements of 'logos', what each of them is like, how they fit together, and what follows from them.
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From:
Epictetus (The Discourses [c.56], 4.08.14), quoted by A.A. Long - Hellenistic Philosophy 4.1
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A reaction:
[Said to echo Zeno] If you substitute understanding for 'logos' (plausibly), I think this is exactly the view of philosophy I would subscribe to. We want to understand each aspect of life, and we want those understandings to cohere with one another.
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20876
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Philosophy investigates the causes of disagreements, and seeks a standard for settling them [Epictetus]
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Full Idea:
The start of philosophy is perception of the mutual conflict among people, and a search for its cause, plus the rejection and distrust of mere opinion, an investigation to see if opinion is right, and the discovery of some canon, like scales for weighing.
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From:
Epictetus (The Discourses [c.56], 2.11.13)
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A reaction:
So the number one aim of philosophy is epistemological, to find the criterion for true opinion. But it starts in real life, and would cease to trade if people would just agree. I think we should set the bar higher than that.
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7491
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The phases of human thought are theological, then metaphysical, then positivist [Comte, by Watson]
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Full Idea:
The first phase of humanity was theological, attributing phenomena to a deity, the second metaphysical stage attributed them to abstract forms, the third positive stage abandons ultimate causes and just searches for regularities.
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From:
report of Auguste Comte (Course of Positive Philosophy [1846]) by Peter Watson - Ideas Ch.32
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A reaction:
This is obviously a highly empirical programme, which reasserts Hume's view of the laws of nature. Effectively, positivism just is the rejection of metaphysics.
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