The Cradle of Western Philosophy

Abstract

Beside God, every other thing in existence, be it in the physical form or as a spiritual entity, has a traceable origin in something or somewhere. Spiritual things are traced to God the origin of creation while physical and inanimate things are traced to inventors in their respective area and era. The inventors or forerunners of any object of consideration came forth with their groundbreaking innovation as a result of deep seated desire to solve peculiar problems of the time. This is also replicated in ideas and ideologies or schools of thought. The systematic and well articulated presentation of ideas can be traced to scholars in time and place. Though the bible admonishes that "the things that hath been, it is that which shall be, and that which is done is that which shall be done and there is no new thing under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9) yet, philosophical enterprise is a product of social and natural perplexities of the time and the method applied and answers given to these perplexing problems become the focus of a given philosophical era. The history of philosophy is the study of philosophical ideas and concepts through time, era and ages. Some of the issues considered when tracing the developmental stages of philosophical pursuit include the question on the perplexing problems of the people at the time in question that draws attention of scholars, thinkers, wise men of the time with keen interest. Philosophy therefore is traced to the Greek cities of Western Asia Minor called Ionia and Miletus with the articulated ideas of Thiales and his contemporaries.