PHI 254 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Trilemma, Eleatics, Ousia
Document Summary
Muthos: story. " hesiod"s theogony is a muthos, a muse-inspired story that presents a worldview, a conception of what it means to be a human being in the world" (roochnik, 17). Logos: rational account. " the milesians (thales, etal. ) moved from muthos to logos by attempting to explain the nature of world, rather than simply tell a story about it. A logos is based on (individual) observation and reason. Chaos: yawning gap" or the abyss. " for hesiod, chaos is the unintelligible origin of the world, in contrast to the pre-socratics emphasis on an arche. Arche: first principle;" origin;" source;" ruler. " according to roochnik, the arche is the origin that persists and continues to exert authority" (18). Ousia / to on: being" with a capital b. For the pre-socratics, ousia, to on and arche are synonymous; they are ultimate reality. [this will not be the case for aristotle, however. ]
