Who was first?

[Guille]

we will never know that one,but if I did I would take my hat off to him if I had one that is??


regards michael

As long as there is man, there'll be mind. As long as there is mind, there'll be thought. As long as there is thought, there'll be philosophy. Therefore, the last philosopher will be that last human.

[mkirkpatrick]

did you know that Archimedes invented calculus long before Newton? If noone prior, I think Archimedes should at least be considered one of the first sophisticated mathemeticians.

what about the wisdom of
Solomon,would his maths be acceptable?Just a thought.


kindregards michael.

[TinyTree]

The first philosophers have been lost to history. Do you think that the famous philosophers suddenly got the idea of introspection and thought out of nowhere and then built the entire edifice of philosophy?

No way- there were hundreds, or thousands, of thinkers who taught each other with word of mouth how to think about the world, and their legacy then created the later strains of philosophers who laid the official foundations for the future of philosophy.

Thus, I am sure there were thousands of philosophers before the first recorded philosopher. However, I bet we could all agree on a recorded first philosopher with enough research, and that would be interesting in and of itself.

[harmonygirl]

great point Tinytree! I seem to recall a female teacher of socrates, of some fame and reputation, from outside Athens (town starting with an "s", I think?). She didn't get written about and I am sure she learned from someone, etc. Newton had a wonderful quote attibuted to him that stayed with me: "If I have seen farther, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants." reminds me that there was much that went before and much that will go after.

[Guille]

Tinytree,

Nobody has ever said that one man came and founded philosophy. In fact, metaphysics, now considered the main branche of philosophy, was developed by casuality, when some works written by Aristotle were put after his 'physics' and there is the 'meta' from. However, there was one man that can be considered the one that gave the grounds to start the foundations of philosophy, that he discovered himself, and explained that the important things in life can be explained by rational thought, and this man was Thales of Miletus. From him on, the philosophers have always been students of students of students of students of..... Up to, always, Thales. He founded the first school too.

[mkirkpatrick]

both Archimedes and Pythagoras had teachers to teach them and the teachers had teachers and the teachers had teachers ..., which all of these information are written in the lost scrolls of ancient records. So, until someone discovers these lost scrolls, your question must remains unanswerable and undecidable.

Would that mean then.that the first one would by the very implication,be self taught,and that being so,he musthave been a genious.



kind regards michael

[AntonioLao]

that the first one would by the very implication,be self taught

Actually the first was taught by the first time traveler going back in time carrying Penrose's book 'The Road to Reality' published in 2004.

[mkirkpatrick]

Actually the first was taught by the first time traveler going back in time carrying Penrose's book 'The Road to Reality' published in 2004.

Why did I not think of that,excellent retort,Antonio.

regards michael.