Philosophy

Aristotle wrote some 400 books on nearly everything – from molluscs to immortal souls.

His political philosophy is also a potentially dangerous encouragement to create a “utopia” ruled by a “superior” and authoritarian élite. We know where experiments of that kind can lead.

The Republic, which is his detailed blueprint for a harmonious and thus perfect society ruled over by wise philosopher-rulers.

He thought his fellow Athenians were becoming soft and decadent, and admired the ruthless militaristic Spartans who kept winning all the wars they fought against Athens.

But, on rare occasions, a few awkward and irritating individuals with time on their hands ask deceptively simple questions which never seem to have simple answers.

One Big Question – what is reality made of?

didn’t accept that what you see is necessarily the same as what is true.

So the first Greek philosophers looked for answers which we would now call “scientific” rather than “religious”.

But all of them believe that philosophers are obliged to provide some kind of explanation, proof or evidence for their ideas. And this obligation marks the one obvious difference between philosophy and religion.