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This page lists some links to ancient philosophy, although for Western thinkers prior to Socrates, see Pre-Socratic Philosophy . In Europe, the spread of Christianity through the Roman world marked the end of Hellenistic philosophy and ushered in the beginnings of Medieval Philosophy .


CLASSICAL



Greek



Roman



SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT IN THE HELLENISTIC PERIOD





VEDIC PHILOSOPHY


In the east, Indian philosophy begins with the Vedas where questions related to laws of nature, the origin of the universe and the place of man in it are asked. In the famous Rigvedic ''Hymn of Creation'' the poet says:

"Whence all creation had its origin,
he, whether he fashioned it or whether he did not,
he, who surveys it all from highest heaven,
he knows--or maybe even he does not know."

In the Vedic view, creation is ascribed to the self-consciousness of the primeval being (''Purusha''). This leads to the inquiry into ''the one being'' that underlies the diversity of empirical phenomena and the origin of all things. Cosmic order is termed ''rta'' and causal law by ''karma''. Nature (''prakriti'') is taken to have three qualities ('' Sattva '', '' Rajas '', and '' Tamas '').



CLASSICAL INDIAN PHILOSOPHY


In classical times, these inquiries were systematized in six schools of philosophy. The questions asked were:

  • What is the ontological nature of consciousness?

  • How is cognition itself experienced?

  • Is mind (''chit'') intentional or not?

  • Does cognition have its own structure?


The seven schools of Indian Philosophy are:



OLD IRANIAN PHILOSOPHY


While there are ancient relations between the Indian Vedas and the Iranian Avesta , the two main families of the Indo-Iranian philosophical traditions were characterized by fundamental differences in their implications for the human being's position in society and their view on the role of man in the universe. The first charter of Human Rights by Cyrus The Great is widely seen as a reflection of the questions and thoughts expressed by Zarathustra and developed in zoroastrian schools of thought.



CHINESE PHILOSOPHY


In China, less emphasis was put upon materialism as a basis for reflecting upon the world and more on conduct, manners and social behaviour, as evidenced by Taoism and Confucianism .



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