Is it true that philosophy started in Turkey?

Show all answers

Dellarovere

To begin with, philosophy is a greek word the exact meaning of which is "love for wisdom".
Many nations before Greeks developed a more progressed and complicated way of thinking, like the Egytians, but Philosophy, the way we mean it as man's tension to get to reveal the secrets of existance and its relationship with the devine entity is a creation of ancient Greece, which included the mainland of today's Greece, the Aegean and Ionian islands, Ionia (the coast of Asia Minor, today Turkey), and the southern part of Italy with Sicily.
Philosophy, as an idea and practice which aimed to knowledge about the substance of the world, included at its begining astronomy, mathematics, chemistry, medicine, while later on became more independant as a science and gave rise to the creation of schools, still, many philosofers were always very familiar with mathematics, like Pythagoras and his school.
Christianism did not favour Philosophy, on the contrary Bysantium shut down all the Philosophical Schools, and forbid its teaching and practice, while manuscripts got systematically destroyed.
It was the Arabs who preserved ancient Greek knowledge, including philosophy, as Islam was tollerant and open enough to accept additional advanced knowledge.
They kept and developed mathematics, chemistry, astronomy and philosophy, and created famous philosophical schools based on the theories of Aristotle, like the Ispahan School.
Sufis, a muslim mystic order, had a great approach to greek phlosophy, and influenced even the opponet party during the Crusades, the Knights of the Temple (Templars).
The Arab Kingdom of Granada (Spain) during its 800 years of existance, gave a new blossom to ancient greek philosophy, with the preservation and translation of Greek authors and philosophers, and the cultivation of all kinds of knowledge (arab medicine was based on Hippocrates and Galinos methods).
It was this Arab Kingdom to transfer ancient greek science and knowledge to the rest of Europe and mainly to Italy, to give birth to Renaissance.
The Italian Renaissance was thus based on ancient greek literature and science, but even before, during the medieval era, Aristotle was higly appreciated by intellectuals, even by religious authors like Thomas the Achinate, whose religious approach is very Aristotelic.
Coming back to the golden era of Philosophy, it has been the mainland of Greece to give birth to the two most important philosophers of all times, Plato and Aristotle, though, the contribution of the philosophers of Ionia, which before the Roman conquest was consisted of greek collonies which became independant, must not be underestimated.

anlarm

Yes and no. Yes because philosophy as far as we know started with ancient Greeks, some of whom were living in western Anatolia.
No, because that land was not called Turkey then.
Ancient Greeks started philosophy which led to the development of other fields of study like natural sciences (medicine and maths), and also to political theories (i.e. Plato's State). Later on the Roman Empire suppressed everything that was not Roman.
After Islam, Arabs made great use of ancient Greek knowledge and improved some of them. The Ottomans combined their Asian knowledge with the Islamic one and whatever they found left in Anatolia. It helped the Ottoman Empire to grow in every aspect, until bigotry took control of the Palace and all philosophy and science was shunned as 'against religion'.

Soldier

Philosophy was born in the ancient greek world. Ancient greeks were living in the coasts of asia minor too (todays turkey) and that's why your friend was confused and said that. In those regions of asia minor (which was called ionia at that time) were born some great greek philosophers.

Philosophy started by the greeks. When the greeks had philosophy, the turks were living in central asia with out civilization or alphabet. The turks invaded asia minor and took over that region a couple of milleniums after philosophy was born.

Vaggos.Gr

Philosophy started in Ancient Greece. In ancient times Asia Minor was part of Ancient Greece.
Even the word "philosophy" is Greek.
philosophy is from "philos" = "friend" and "sophia" = "wisdom" .
Read some history and philosophy please !

HFC

Thales the first documented western philospher lived around 624 BC–546 BC and was born in the city of Miletus (Greek: Μίλητος transliterated Miletos, Turkish: Milet) an ancient city on the western coast of Asia Minor (in what is today the Aydin Province of Turkey), near the mouth of the Maeander River

so it's a yes

Jim take note BC means before christ, and I did stipulate western Philosopher, I did leave out philosper but that has been corrected.

Abu Nasr Al-Farabi was born in Turkistan Which of coarse at the time was part of Persia,

Thank You Hoplite Because its a matter of geography at this point I guess

genç türk

It started long before your ancestors were in jail in europe, waiting to be released to the US territories of the brits. Find more suitable topics to laugh about.

Qu'est ce que tu pense?

Philosophy started in Ancient Greece with people like Socrates and Plato. There have also been speculations that the Arabs were the first philosophers too.

hanibal

A lot of think started at these land of Turkey.

Agriculture = First fields to feeding. 10.000 years ago .
Economy = First using money.
Philosophy = Getting the knowledge of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia .
Astronomy = Calculating the planets moments .
Magnetism = Magnetism's name is coming from the city of Manisa at Turkey. Coes they found the stone that has magnetic specialty near the Manisa.

First city night lighting. ( Night life begins with us at Efes )
I can write more and if you want details also .
:)

Armen

no but the following link Will show you what did start in turkey very int resting

ev pandası

you will understand that your friend was right as you start to use your brain..

and for the guy who "Refuses to stop" there is a Turkish saying;
( tekerlek sensin, jantlarıda sana....)
I hope you know Turkish..

Jim

Not true. Some say that God was the original philosopher, guess who they are. Others say Jesus, same group. Socrates is given the credit as the first philosopher of "modern" men. Confucius preceded him. China was the real power of the world way before and during the rise of the Greeks.

Turkey is an Islamic country. Islam is of course a religious life style. Therefore the father of Turk philosophy would have to be Allah. But credit is given to Al-Kindi as the first philosopher in Islam. Islam was "born" in 760 AD. Abu Nasr Al-Farabi, was a philosopher of Turkish origin, but he followed the teachings of Aristotle.

So, as you can see Turkey was NOT the birth place of philosophy. It was preceded by both the Chinese and Greeks. I am sure others as well. So, your friend is wrong.

Totally Blunt

Philosophy started with people who wondered how the world is, how humans came to being and all peoples of the world has had this start. Both Native Americans and Mesopotamians have arrived at the same conclusion, for example: god created the world and he made humans out of clay. I find this very natural from beings that make clay objects and figurines for daily use. Yes, we know that China and the Greek city states were cultural hubs, but I have to remind you that culture isn't like a plant. It doesn't sprout in one place and grow there. Culture passes from people to people, from region to region and it develops in the passing. That's what we call today, sinergy. In culture like in human relations, 2+2=5. It is well understood that, what we call the ancient Greek culture is the result of interaction between peoples of today's Egypt, Greece, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, stretching back to India.

Returned back troll: Before MIGRATING into Anatolia, Northern Black Sea, Mesopotamia and Europe, ancient Turks had an alphabet, called the Gokturk alphabet, which looks very similar to the elf alphabet that Tolkien based on ancient Finnish alphabet (you may well wonder the relation, but I don't think you would understand). Turks had also their own system of belief, saying that all Turks were the children of the Sky God.

Ignorance isnot an excuse, you know.

NO, I REFUSE TO STOP

I agree with Hoplite.

When the Ancient Greeks had already philosophy,geometry,algebra, astronomy, democracy, the turks were living in Mongolia with not even alphabet or nothing. They didn't even know the wheel !!
Turks didn't even cook their meat at this time, they were doing incest, they were drinking blood,etc...

The Civilization comes from Greece,Armenia, and also Egypt and Mesopotomia, but turks were just like indian primitive tribes of Amazonia or Africa.

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: