The study of philosophy, or rather the rational investigation of knowledge, is incomplete without recognizing the considerable influence of the ancient Greek philosophers – Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Known as the three most prominent ancient philosophers, these men laid the foundation for the subject matter – and it is for this reason that their work continues to be studied to this day. Their influence on each other is undoubted, but each philosopher demonstrated diverse philosophical ideas as well. One particular concept, the notion of arche or the first principle, was a specific idea developed variously in Socratic, Platonic, and Aristotelian thought.
The term arche is a Greek word that refers to the first principle. It bears “the meaning first begotten or underlying substance of all things” (Lawrenz). To the Pre-Socratics, philosophers before the time of Socrates, it stood for the beginning or for the origin. These “early philosophers [had] searched for the first factor that would explain reality such as it appears” and that “first factor was arche” (Protreptikos). It is the point from which much can be deduced, at which reasoning begins. So while “initially concerned with explaining the entire cosmos, the Pre-Socratic philosophers strove to identify its single underlying principle” (IEP). The ideas that were conceived were nothing if not diverse and the Pre-Socratics failed to reach a consensus. The following three philosophers – Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle – as they came to be known, “focused their attention more on the role of the human being than on the explanation of the material world” (IEP).
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According to Socrates, the first principle embodies the Golden Rule, or the rule of reciprocity. He “refers to the soul’s movement as the ultimate arche of all other movement” (Plato: Phaedrus). Socrates valued the individual conscience above all. The philosopher “encourages his interlocutors…to adopt a sense of intellectual humility” and to study “these properties in an effort to gain moral insight” (Firey). He agreed that human nature stemmed from an inherent preference for morality.
On the other hand, Plato demonstrated an idealist philosophy. He “divides reality into two: the idea and the phenomena, which is a manifestation of the ideal” (Boeree). Plato also acknowledged that the possession of scientific knowledge was inherent, “that the knowledge of ideas is within from other lifetimes” (Protreptikos). According to Plato, “the Forms are the eternal sources – archetypes – of their corresponding phenomena in the physical world” (Plato: Phaedrus).
To Aristotle, the arche, or the first principle, “clearly cannot be known in the same way as the consequence derived from” it (Cohen). He justifies this by noting that knowledge had to be derived from prior knowledge. The search for answers, according to Aristotle, should begin with what is most familiar. He applies this deduction when confronted with inquries. His first principle is an assumption or an axiom.
Thus, while Socrates fixated on morality and Plato emphasized idealism, Aristotle conveys deduction as the first principle. Due to the diversity of sources, no single answer to the arche inquiry can be attributed to each philosopher. And as long as the study of philosophy remains considerably subjective, the answers will continue to differ.
- Cohen, Marc. “Introduction to Aristotle.” UW Faculty Web Server. Web. 4 Aug. 2013. http://faculty.washington.edu/smcohen/433/arintro.htm
- Firey, Thomas. “Socrates’ Conception of Knowledge.” Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. 4 Sept. 1999. Web. 3 Aug. 2013. scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-100499-091648/unrestricted/Firey.pdf
- IEP. “Ancient Greek Philosophy [Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy].” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. N.p., 15 Jan. 2010. Web. 4 Aug. 2013. http://www.iep.utm.edu/greekphi/
- Lawrenz, Jürgen . “PATHWAYS school of philosophy – Jurgen Lawrenz: essay one.” PATHWAYS school of philosophy – distance learning, online courses, BA degree. Web. 4 Aug. 2013. http://www.philosophypathways.com/essays/lawrenz1.html
- “Plato: Phaedrus.” Department of English. Web. 4 Aug. 2013. http://www.english.hawaii.edu/criticalink/plato/terms/arche.html
