Most of us have an image in mind when we hear the word philosopher. It might
be the classical image of a wizened man clad in a toga, lecturing students outside
the Temple of Athena in Greece. It might be a man clad in a three piece suit
with a monocle on, lounging in an easy chair while reading and smoking a cigar.
Or, it might be the cutting edge philosophers of today, hip and with it, lecturing
students with blackberries in TREO leather pouches on their hips.
Whatever your image of a philosopher may be, they all tend to derive from the
same tradition, and that tradition is Western philosophy. It is actually incredible
just how much of today's society has been built on the principles that
developed out of the philosophical tradition. The Toronto condos may
seem to have nothing to do with philosophy, but in fact, without the foundational
theoretical work of Western philosophers those buildings would never have been
erected.
Understanding Western philosophy, then, means understanding how the culture
we live in today came to be. Whether we are talking about the latest principles
in electronic design and manufacturing or societal ethics, all aspects of our
way of life have their roots in philosophical thought.
In this series of articles, we are going to take a look at the development
of Western philosophy from its origins right up to the present day. It's
important to note before we begin that while we trace the starting point of
this philosophical school to the ancient Greeks, these thinkers themselves did
not start their thought process from scratch. Just as house plans come together
one piece at a time, so too has philosophy continually built upon principles
laid down in the past, often from cultures quite different from our own.
In fact, today's society, at least in North America, can be said to include
pillars from many different philosophical traditions, and not just the Western
one. Eastern thought can be found pervading our culture as well, and lately
indigenous philosophy is receiving more weight in circles ranging from Kitchener
councelling efforts to governmental negotiations.
The purpose of this series, then, is not to dismiss the contributions of other
schools of philosophical thought but rather to give a good starting point from
which to understand the cornerstone of our own society, Western philosophy.
As you look at the articles in this section, we think you will find the evolution
of the human thought process a fascinating one.
Western philosophy has developed through many cultures and just as philosophy
influences cultures, so too do those cultures influence philosophy. In each
of the ages we have talked about, major political and religious changes took
place which were both influenced by and exercised influence upon the philosophers
of the time. This is true from Socrates to Nietzsche to Salman Rushdie and we
think you will find the dynamic coming up again and again in these articles.
You may be a student of philosophy or just curious about how and why our society
looks as it does today. We think that this series of articles will be a great
place to start for anyone seeking to build an understanding of the Western thought
process.
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