Philosophy

About

Philosophy (from Greek φιλοσοφία, philosophia, literally “love of wisdom”) is the study of questions concerning existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language.^[1] It is broken into four main branches of study which are epistemology, metaphysics, axiology, and logic.^[2]

History

Pre-Socratic Period

Philosophy has spanned multiple eras of thought, the first of which was dubbed the Pre-Socratic Period because Socrates does not influence this period. It was dominated primarily by a focus on cosmological and physical speculation which contrasted with the later Socratic Period/Classical Period dominated by a focus on morality spear-headed by Socrates.^[5] During this time three main schools of thought appeared: the Ionics, the Pythagoreans, and the Eleatics. The Ionics studied sensory information in nature, the Pythagoreans studied mathematics, and the Eleatics studied the science of metaphysics.^[3] Thales of Miletus, born 640 BC, was the first famed philosopher to emerge during this period and was known for his proposition that all things come from water.^[4]

Classical Period

The Classical Period or Socratic Period started at the end of The Persian War against Greece in 479 BC.^[6] Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Epycurus, and Antisthenes are the most important philosophers of this period and helped form the core foundation of philosophy as a study.^[6] Socrates, born 469 BC, is one of the founders of Western philosophy whom contributed greatly to the fields of ethics and epistemology and invented Socratic irony and the Socratic method.^[7] Plato, born 428 BC, was a student of Socrates and one of the founders of Western philosophy, Western political philosophy and Western spirituality whom contributed greatly to the bases of science and mathematics and invented the dialogue and dialectic forms in philosophy. He additionally added significant contributions to the fields of ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology.^[8] Aristotle, born 384 BC, was a student of Plato and one of the founders of Western philosophy whom contributed to a myriad of subjects including physics, biology, zoology, metaphysics, logic, ethics, theology, aesthetics, poetry, theater, music, rhetoric, linguistics, politics and government.^[9] Epicurus, born 341 BC, is the founder of a form of hedonist philosophy known as Epicureanism which promotes pleasure in a restrained high quality form.^[10] Antisthenes, born 445 BC, was another student of Socrates and is the founder of the Cynic school of thought which promotes living in virtue and agreement with nature.^[11]

Hellenistic Period

Related Subcultures

Religion

Religion is a system of beliefs and worship, often including a code of ethics. Oftentimes an adherent to religion will conduct rites of worship to a higher power or powers, sometimes but not always including prayer, sermons, and/or sacrifice. The origins of religion are hotly debated.

Mathematics

Mathematics is the study of quantities, particularly as applied to concepts such as change. One of the main bases of mathematics is a text called Principia Mathematica made by philosopher Bertrand Russel which discusses the various logical axioms math is based on and the philosophical backing for them.^[14] It is one of the oldest human academic disciplines and is occasionally described as a field of science, though the appropriateness of this label is debated. It is frequently referenced on the internet and has spawned many notable memes, most of which are based around either peculiarities found within mathematics, or the perceived difficulty of the subject itself.

Transhumanism

Transhumanism is a futurist philosophy and intellectual movement with the purpose of transforming the humanity by developing technologies that greatly enhance the physical and psychological capabilities of humans.^[13] Strongly influenced by works of science fiction, the transhumanist vision of a technologically transformed humanity has gained a large and diverse following online.

Nihilism

Nihilism is a philosophical belief which asserts that the universe lacks cosmic or objective meaning and that life has no intrinsic value. Online, philosophical axioms associated with existential nihilism have been paired with various pop culture references and Internet memes for comedic effect in the form of anti-jokes.

Related Memes

Philosoraptor

Philosoraptor is an advice animal image macro series featuring an illustration of a Velociraptor paired with captions depicting the dinosaur as being deeply immersed in metaphysical inquiries or unraveling quirky paradoxes. On October 8th, 2008, the original illustration of the Philosoraptor was released and copyrighted by creator Sam Smith as a T-shirt design for sale on the online retailer LonelyDinosaur^[12] (shown below).

Aesthetic

Aesthetic, often stylized as a e s t h e t i c, refers to retro-inspired visual art and music associated with the vaporwave subculture, which typically include Japanese lettering and nostalgic themes from 1980s and 1990s computer operating systems and video game consoles. Additionally, the term is widely associated with the 2012 vaporwave song “リサフランク420 / 現代のコンピュー” by Macintosh Plus. The term has its origins in the philosophy of art, in which “aesthetics” is considered the study of beauty and taste. In the early 2010s, the term was adopted by vaporwave enthusiasts with the rise of the genre on Tumblr, often accompanied by art styles from the 1980s and 1990s.

Wise Confucius

Wise Confucius (also known as “Confucius Says”) is an advice animal image macro series which features what at first glance appears to be sage piece of advice, with the second half of the image revealing it to merely be the set-up for a pun. The meme can often involve some kind of stereotypical Engrish speech pattern as well. The series is named after the famous Chinese philosopher best known for his body of work Analects of Confucius and parodies his prolific writings of axioms and wise sayings like “Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself.” Written during the Spring and Autumn Period through the Warring States Period (ca. 475 BCE– 221 BCE), the Analects is the representative work of Confucianism and continues to have a tremendous influence on Chinese and East Asian thought and values today.

Search Interest

External References