A Timeline of Western Intellectual History (PHI 101, Lecture 2)

Summary

This video from Philosophy 101 provides a concise overview of Western intellectual history, starting from the Iron Age and moving through key periods such as the Greek civilization, Hellenistic era, Roman Empire, Medieval times, Renaissance, and the Enlightenment. It highlights the evolution from mythological to rational worldviews, the spread of Greek culture, the rise of Christianity, and the intellectual revolutions leading to modern thought, setting the stage for the post-modern era.

Takeaways

• 📚 The story of Western philosophy begins in the Iron Age, but to understand it fully, it's important to look at the broader context of human history and tool development.
• ⚒️ Anthropologists categorize human history into periods based on the materials used for tool-making, starting with the Stone Age and moving through the Copper, Bronze, and Iron Ages.
• 🗺️ The Bronze Age was marked by a significant trade network that collapsed around 1200 BCE, leading to widespread disruption and the eventual rise of the Iron Age.
• 🏰 The Iron Age saw the emergence of new cultures like the Celts, Phoenicians, Greeks, and Persians, which would form the basis of future civilizations.
• 📈 A timeline is a useful tool for visualizing the progression of human history and the development of different periods, such as the lengthy Stone Age and the comparatively shorter Bronze Age.
• 🏛️ Greek civilization is considered the starting point of Western intellectual history, with the ancient period marked by significant philosophical and cultural advancements.
• 📜 The ancient period, which includes the time of Homer and ends with Aristotle, was a brief yet influential era that laid the groundwork for Western civilization.
• 🌟 The Hellenistic period followed the ancient period, characterized by the spread of Greek culture and ideas throughout the Near East due to the cultural imperialism of the Macedonians.
• 🏛️ The Roman period was marked by the expansion of the Roman Republic and the eventual incorporation of Hellenistic cultures, leading to a new cultural blend and the rise of mystery religions.
• 📉 The medieval period was a time of decline in Western Europe, with a focus on spirituality and religion, and a significant loss of literacy and knowledge from the Greco-Roman world.
• 🔄 The Renaissance marked a rebirth of interest in Greco-Roman intellectual traditions, leading to a series of intellectual revolutions and the rise of skepticism, which challenged the medieval worldview.

Q & A

What are the four main periods of tool development in human history as mentioned in the script?

The four main periods of tool development mentioned are the Stone Age, Copper Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age.

What significant event marks the beginning of the Neolithic period?

The beginning of the Neolithic period is marked by the widespread process of domestication of animals and grasses, leading to the Agricultural Revolution.

How did the Bronze Age trade network's collapse impact the Mediterranean and Near East regions?

The collapse of the Bronze Age trade network led to widespread chaos, massive migration, and the fall of most European and Near Eastern kingdoms associated with the bronze trade.

What is the significance of the Iron Age in the context of Western philosophy?

The Iron Age is significant as it saw the rise of new cultures and civilizations, such as the Greeks, who laid the foundation of Western civilization.

Who is traditionally associated with the authorship of the Iliad, and what does this signify?

Homer is traditionally associated with the authorship of the Iliad. This signifies the beginning of the Ancient period in Western intellectual history.

How did the Macedonians contribute to the spread of Greek culture?

The Macedonians contributed to the spread of Greek culture by embarking on a program of cultural imperialism, spreading Greek culture from Eastern Europe as far east as India after the conquests of Alexander the Great.

What is the term used to describe the process of adopting Greek culture by the peoples conquered by the Macedonians?

The process of adopting Greek culture by the conquered peoples is referred to as 'Hellenization.'

What event marked the end of the Hellenistic age and the beginning of the Roman Empire?

The end of the Hellenistic age and the beginning of the Roman Empire is marked by Octavian's victory over Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE.

How did the Black Death impact Western Europe during the Medieval period?

The Black Death, or the Bubonic Plague, caused the death of one-third of Western Europe's population, leading to the collapse of feudalism and a massive redistribution of wealth, which in turn increased the standard of living and led to a rise in literacy.

What intellectual movement arose from the rediscovery of Greco-Roman ideas during the Renaissance?

The Renaissance saw the revival of humanism, which sparked a series of intellectual revolutions and a rise of skepticism, challenging the medieval worldview.

How did the Enlightenment philosophers address the crisis of knowledge born of the Renaissance?

Enlightenment philosophers like René Descartes, Thomas Hobbes, and John Locke struggled to create new paradigms of thought, giving rise to empiricism and the scientific method, which helped to address the crisis of knowledge.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Western Intellectual History

This paragraph introduces the audience to the course on Western philosophy, specifically focusing on the historical context necessary for understanding the development of Western philosophical thought. It begins with an overview of the Iron Age, which is a significant period for the origins of Western philosophy. The lecturer then provides a broader historical context by discussing the categorization of human history into periods based on the materials used for tool-making, such as the Stone Age, Copper Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age. Each period is briefly described, highlighting their significance in human cultural and technological development. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of the Neolithic period, which saw the Agricultural Revolution and the beginnings of civilization. The Iron Age is portrayed as a rebirth of culture after the collapse of the Bronze Age, leading to the rise of new civilizations like the Greeks, who are central to the Western philosophical tradition.

05:02

🏛️ The Ancient Period and the Rise of Greek Civilization

This section delves into the Ancient Period, which is marked by the emergence of Greek civilization and its profound influence on Western intellectual history. The Greeks are noted for borrowing the Phoenician alphabet and recording their myths, with Homer's 'Iliad' serving as a symbolic starting point. The paragraph outlines the timeline of Greek civilization, from its origins to the philosophical revolution that shifted human consciousness from mythological to rational worldviews. It also discusses the expansion of Greek culture through the conquests of Alexander the Great and the subsequent Hellenistic period, which saw a blending of cultures and the rise of new religious movements. The Roman Republic's eventual dominance over the Hellenistic world and the transition from the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire under Augustus are also covered, setting the stage for the next phase of Western intellectual history.

10:03

🏰 The Roman Empire and the Medieval Period

The paragraph discusses the Pax Romana, a period of stability and prosperity for the Roman Empire, and how it led to the blending of Hellenistic culture with Roman traditions. It highlights the rise of mystery religions that offered a sense of personal identity and hope to the disenfranchised populations of the empire. The economic disparities between the eastern and western halves of the empire are noted as a cause for tension, leading to the eventual fall of the Western Roman Empire. The Medieval Period is characterized by the decline of urban civilization in the West, the rise of the Church as a significant institution, and the loss of literacy and knowledge from the Greco-Roman era. The paragraph also touches on the efforts of Germanic tribes to revive Roman civilization and the eventual Christian evangelism that helped reintroduce Christianity to Western Europe.

15:04

📚 The Renaissance and the Crisis of Knowledge

This section explores the transformative period known as the Renaissance, which saw a revival of interest in Greco-Roman intellectual traditions and a significant rise in literacy. The paragraph discusses the impact of the Crusades in reintroducing lost literature to Western Europe and the subsequent intellectual revolutions that challenged the medieval worldview. The paragraph also covers the rise of skepticism and the crisis of intellectual authority that emerged with the advent of the printing press. It sets the stage for the Enlightenment, where philosophers like Descartes, Hobbes, and Locke would grapple with creating new paradigms of thought amidst the chaos of the Renaissance.

20:05

🌟 The Modern and Post-Modern Eras

The final paragraph summarizes the progression from the Modern Era, characterized by the rise of science and empiricism, to the Post-Modern Era. It discusses how the success of the mechanistic model and empiricism led to a cultural backlash and a longing for more ineffable experiences, which the Romantic Period sought to address. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing the ongoing conversation in Western philosophy that began with the ancient Greeks and continues to evolve, inviting the audience to consider their place in this historical narrative.

Keywords

💡Iron Age

The Iron Age is a period in human history characterized by the widespread use of iron for tool and weapon making. It follows the Bronze Age and precedes the development of modern civilizations. In the video, the Iron Age is highlighted as a significant period for the rise of new cultures and civilizations such as the Greeks, who would later lay the groundwork for Western civilization. The script mentions the Iron Age as emerging from the ashes of the Bronze Age, with the rise of vibrant cultures like the Celts, Phoenicians, Greeks, and Persians.

💡Cultural Development

Cultural development refers to the evolution and growth of human societies in terms of their arts, beliefs, institutions, and other cultural aspects. The video script discusses the progression of human cultural development from the Stone Age to the Iron Age, emphasizing the advancements in tool-making and the rise of complex societies. The shift from hunting and gathering to agriculture during the Neolithic period is a key example of cultural development that allowed for the emergence of civilizations.

💡Timeline

A timeline is a graphical representation of events in chronological order, used to visualize the progression of history or stages of development. In the context of the video, a timeline is used to organize and illustrate the various periods of Western intellectual history, such as the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age. It helps viewers understand the sequence and relative duration of these periods, providing a framework for comprehending the depth and breadth of human history.

💡Neolithic Period

The Neolithic Period, also known as the New Stone Age, marks an era where humans began to domesticate plants and animals, leading to the Agricultural Revolution. This period is crucial as it signifies a major shift from a nomadic, hunter-gatherer lifestyle to settled farming communities. The video script notes that the Neolithic Period is important for the story of Western philosophy as it set the stage for the development of civilization and the eventual rise of complex societies.

💡Hellenistic World

The Hellenistic World refers to the period of Greek influence in the Mediterranean and Near East during the rule of Alexander the Great and his successors. The term 'Hellenistic' comes from 'Hellenizein,' meaning 'to become Greek.' In the video, the Hellenistic period is described as a time when Greek culture was spread throughout the conquered territories, leading to a significant cross-pollination of ideas and the creation of a new cultural hegemony. This period laid the groundwork for the later Roman Empire's cultural and intellectual development.

💡Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was a vast and powerful civilization that controlled much of Europe, the Near East, and North Africa from the 1st century BC to the 5th century AD. The video script discusses the Roman Empire as the successor to the Hellenistic world, expanding its influence and incorporating various cultural elements into its domain. The Roman period is significant for its contributions to law, governance, and the spread of the Latin language, as well as its eventual adoption of Christianity as the state religion.

💡Medieval Period

The Medieval Period, also known as the Middle Ages, spans from the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the beginning of the Renaissance. This era was characterized by feudalism, the dominance of the Church, and a focus on religious and spiritual matters. The video script describes the Medieval Period as a time of decline in intellectual activity in the West, with a primary focus on spirituality and theology. However, it also sets the stage for the intellectual revival that would occur during the Renaissance.

💡Renaissance

The Renaissance, meaning 'rebirth,' was a period of significant cultural, artistic, intellectual, and economic revival that began in Italy and spread throughout Europe. The video script highlights the Renaissance as a time when there was a rediscovery of classical knowledge and a renewed interest in science, literature, and the arts. This period marked the end of the Medieval era and the beginning of modern intellectual history, with a shift toward humanism and away from the religious focus of the Middle Ages.

💡Enlightenment

The Enlightenment was an intellectual and philosophical movement in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries that emphasized reason, individualism, and skepticism of traditional authority. The video script connects the Enlightenment to the rise of modern science and the development of new paradigms of thought. Philosophers of the Enlightenment, such as Descartes, Hobbes, and Locke, sought to create a new framework for understanding the world, moving away from the religious and mystical explanations that had dominated the Medieval period.

💡Post-Modern Era

The Post-Modern Era is a period characterized by a general skepticism of grand theories and a focus on the diversity and subjectivity of cultural experiences. In the video, the Post-Modern Era is presented as a time when the certainties of the Modern period are questioned, and there is a move towards recognizing the complexity and relativity of knowledge. This era is still unfolding, and its ultimate impact on Western intellectual history is yet to be fully understood.

Highlights

Introduction to Western intellectual history, with a focus on major periods influencing the philosophical tradition.

Anthropologists divide human history based on materials used for tools, starting with the Stone Age, followed by the Copper Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age.

The collapse of the Bronze Age trading network around 1200 BCE led to the Mediterranean and Near East 'Dark Age', characterized by mass migrations.

Iron Age cultures, such as the Celts, Phoenicians, Greeks, and Persians, emerged and contributed to the development of Western civilization.

The shift from mythological to rational worldviews marked a philosophical revolution in ancient Greece, between 800-750 BCE.

Greek culture spread through Macedonian imperialism, notably under Alexander the Great, blending into the Hellenistic world.

Rome's rise, following the fall of the Macedonian kingdoms, led to the creation of the Roman Empire and eventual adoption of Christianity as the state religion.

Economic and political tensions contributed to the collapse of the Roman Empire in the 5th century, leading to the start of the medieval period.

Medieval Europe experienced a loss of knowledge and literacy from the Greco-Roman world, with intellectual activity focused on spirituality and theology.

The Renaissance marked a rebirth of Greco-Roman intellectual traditions, revitalizing humanism and leading to intellectual revolutions.

The rise of skepticism during the Enlightenment challenged previous intellectual authority, giving rise to modern scientific methods.

The modern period introduced a mechanistic model of the universe, supported by thinkers like John Locke and the development of empiricism.

Romanticism in the 19th century pushed back against the rationalism of the modern period, emphasizing emotion and ineffable experiences.

Postmodernism, though still evolving, questions the intellectual and cultural systems of modernity, such as nationalism, science, and religion.

Western intellectual tradition begins with ancient Greek philosophy, initiating a continuous conversation that influences thought up to the present.

Transcripts

welcome back to philosophy 101

this is unit 1 lecture 2

an absurdly brief overview of western

intellectual history

in this video i'll introduce you to some

of the major periods of intellectual

history as it applies to our

introduction to the western

philosophical tradition

the story of western philosophy begins

in what anthropologists call the iron

age

but it might be helpful to put that into

larger context

anthropologists organized the story of

humanity into

periods characterized by the material

remains of our ancestral culture

particularly the materials from which

they made their tools

there are four main periods of tool

development

the earliest is of course the stone age

which

covers tool usage from proto-humans all

the way up to

anatomically modern homo sapien sapiens

this period encompasses millions of

years of human evolution

and cultural development in the 5th to

4th millennium bce

there was widespread use of copper for

making axes which gives us the brief

calcalithic or

copper age you may be familiar with otzi

the iceman

who is famously recovered in the italian

alps with an excellent specimen of a

copper handx represented by this

reproduction

the copper age quickly gave rise to the

smelting of copper with ten

to make bronze a much more durable

material

for making tools the bronze age

would see the rise of a massive trade

network in copper inten

as well as finished bronze implements

that would form the backbone

of one of the first truly international

economic systems

around 1200 bce the bronze age trading

network

suddenly collapsed bringing down most of

the european and near eastern kingdoms

associated with the bronze trade the

ensuing

dark age which followed was

characterized by

massive migration all around the

mediterranean and near east with

only assyria and egypt escaping

relatively intact

the iron age would rise out of the ashes

of the bronze age cultures

with new people like the celts of

western europe

the phoenicians of western north africa

the greeks of north to eastern europe

and the persians of south central asia

all emerging as new and vibrant cultures

and eventually full-blown civilizations

we can visualize these periods using a

tool known as a timeline

which allows us to break up these

periods into successive groups

now the further back we go in history

the dates become greater approximations

but

these timelines allow us to get our

heads wrapped around the

depth of human history and the

successive periods of development

for example the later stone age which

lasted more than forty thousand years

was characterized by

late migrations of modern humans out of

africa as well as the rise of what some

anthropologists call

cultural modernity marked by evidence of

symbolic representation

necessary for full human consciousness

as we understand it today

the stone age ends with the neolithic

period or the

new stone tool period of human

development

now the neolithic period is important to

our story

as it's the period in which humans began

the widespread

process of domestication of both animals

and

grasses that would give rise to the

agricultural revolution

which would mark the first major change

in human existence in hundreds of

thousands of years

no longer dependent on hunting and

gathering

humans began the long march toward the

development of civilization

characterized by the division of labor

social hierarchy

economic inequality and the creation of

written language

and mathematics using the timeline

we can more clearly see how the much

shorter

bronze age is by comparison

to the earlier neolithic period

though it lasted more than 2000 years it

pales in comparison to the stone age

as noted earlier the end of the bronze

age

is marked by a massive systems collapse

which

caused widespread chaos around the

mediterranean

and near east but iron age cultures

like the greeks would emerge out of that

bronze age disruption

perhaps the people that we know as the

greeks were the

few surviving descendants of the bronze

age mycenaean civilization

or perhaps they're an ethnically

distinct group who

migrated from some other part of the

world or perhaps they're a mixture of

the two

we really don't know for sure but what

we

do know is that this new iron age

culture

would arise out of the dark age to

eventually form

one of the most influential if

short-lived

civilizations in all of world history

it would be the greeks that would lay

the foundation of western civilization

and so

we begin our timeline of western

intellectual history

with greek civilization we'll call this

the ancient period though as we've seen

it's really quite recent

compared to the whole of human history

somewhere between

800 and 750 bce

the greeks borrowed the alphabetic

system developed by the phoenician

civilization

and began writing their most important

mythic stories

we can thus mark the beginning of the

ancient period with

homer the blind poet traditionally

associated with the authorship of the

iliad

of course we don't know if there really

was such a person but

the literature certainly does exist

similarly we can mark the end of the

ancient period of western intellectual

history

with the philosopher aristotle the

student of plato

what's so remarkable is that this brief

400 year period would see the birth

rise and fall of the civilization

that would set the course for the rest

of western civilization

of particular interest to our story is

that

this is the period in which the

philosophical revolution would occur

marking the beginning of the shift in

human consciousness

from a mythological to a rational

world view but we'll talk more about

that

in our next video

now greek culture would be appropriated

by their northern

neighbors the macedonians who would

embark on a program of

cultural imperialism spreading the

culture they had adopted for themselves

from eastern europe as far east as

india this of course is all due to

alexander the great's expansion of the

macedonian empire

across the ancient near east having

conquered the persian empire

the superpower of the day the

descendants of alexander's generals

would

force greek culture on the far-flung

peoples these macedonians had conquered

since alexander died at the young age of

33

without producing a legitimate heir to

the macedonian throne

his empire was divided amongst his

generals

who would establish their own dynasties

in the territories they had conquered

their descendants would oversee a

process of

hellenization or making people

like the greeks after all they had

adopted greek culture

why shouldn't everyone else now this

process

would result in a massive

cross-pollination of ideas throughout

the near east

and create a new cultural hegemony known

as the hellenistic world we should note

however

that this new world view is greek

like not purely greek

this is why we call it hellenistic

like the greek culture now the

macedonian kingdoms would eventually

fall into decline through intramural

political strife

and would finally be eclipsed by the

expansion of the roman republic

in the first century bce founded in the

late

6th century the roman republic would

expand from the tiber river valley to

encompass the entire italian peninsula

by the 3rd century bce the republic

expanded its influence into north africa

defeating the phoenician city-state of

carthage in the punic wars

giving rome dominance of the entire

western mediterranean basin

it was therefore inevitable that the

expansionist romans would eventually

come into conflict

with the macedonians to the east the

last of the macedonian kingdoms to fall

to rome

was egypt ruled by cleopatra philopeter

ptolemy

the descendant of ptolemy the first a

general of alexander the great

in the final civil war of the roman

republic

a struggle between the adopted son of

julius caesar

octavian and julius's general

mark antony the latter would ally

himself

with the wealthy ruler of egypt in an

attempt to force

octavian to capitulate to his fellow

consul

but at the battle of actium in 31 bce

it was octavian's forces that defeated

anthony and cleopatra

marking the end of the hellenistic age

the young octavian caesar now the sole

consul of rome

would consolidate his power and by 27

bce

bede granted the titles augustus and

imperator

becoming the first emperor of rome

marking an

end of the republic and the beginning of

what we know as the roman

empire the next 200 years of the empire

often called the

pox romana or piece of rome was

marked by economic and political

stability throughout the vast

territories controlled by the still

expanding

roman empire for our story

we can think of this period as the roman

harvest of the now

ripe hellenistic world to the east

blending together

the cultures and traditions now part of

the massive new roman empire

one new development of this cultural

blending was the rise of new religions

known as mystery religions these new

cults

offered a sense of personal worth and

identity to

people often separated willfully or

otherwise

from their traditional cultural identity

we have to remember that the majority of

people who

lived in the roman empire women and

slaves

didn't directly benefit from the

uniformity of roman law

this massive disenfranchised population

had little chance of social advancement

or dignity

in the patriarchal roman world but these

new mystery cults

offered the channel of roman society the

hope of a better future

even if it was in the afterlife over the

next

300 years these mystery cults would come

to

eclipse the more traditional

polytheistic cults of the mediterranean

and near eastern world

and of course by 387 of the common era

christianity one of these new mystery

cults would become

the state religion of the empire itself

economic disparities between the

agrarian western half of the empire

and the resource-rich east would cause

increasing

tensions for later emperors and its

sheer geographical size

made management of the empire nearly

impossible

this would lead to experimentation with

co-rulership

which inevitably disintegrated into

civil war

by 476 romulus augustus

the last ruler of the western half of

the empire would abdicate his throne

and the western half of the roman world

already divided by

decades of dramatic migration would

eventually collapse

the next period of western intellectual

history has come to be known as the

medieval period

while the eastern half of the roman

empire would continue

the urban civil society of the western

half of the empire disintegrated

the only significant remnant of the

imperial civil service to survive

was the church latin or roman

christianity

would struggle to hold on to the glory

that had been the western roman empire

but without the larger infrastructure of

the imperial state

even the church would significantly

decline and the non-christian religions

of the germanic goths

vandals angles saxons and jutes just to

name a few

would displace the roman religion

throughout much of western europe

but over the succeeding centuries the

germanic peoples would settle down

and intermarry with the descendants of

the romans and begin to form

new political and economic entities a

wave of

christian evangelism from ireland which

had never been part of the roman empire

began the process of reintroducing

christianity into western europe and

over time the roman church was

revitalized

but literacy so common to the imperial

age of europe

was mostly lost the old knowledge of the

greco-roman world

had largely disappeared in the west and

only scraps of the past remained

what little intellectual activity that

survived in the middle ages

was focused primarily on spirituality

and theology

from the perspective of intellectual

history the medieval period

was a long slow decline occasionally

punctuated by germanic tribes like the

carolingians who

tried to reboot the roman empire only to

succumb to

new waves of barbarians sweeping across

western europe

the last of the great barbarian

migrations were the norse

who migrated south in the 9th century of

the common era

their descendants would eventually

become the foundation of the norman

empire of the late middle ages

and it was their expansion of trade and

the religious wars known as the crusades

that would eventually set the stage for

the intellectual recovery

of western europe but in 1346

the norman empire along with the rest of

western europe

would be crushed under the pandemic of

yarcinia pestis

which caused the black death or bubonic

plague

which in just a few years would cause

the death

of one third of the entire population

of western europe

those who survived the great pandemic of

plague

would find themselves living in an

altogether changed world

the decrease in population caused the

economic system known as feudalism to

collapse

and the peasant population which had

been tied

into generations of poverty suddenly

found

new economic opportunities those with a

skilled trade suddenly found themselves

in very high demand

and even unskilled peasant farmers could

now demand

wages from their former landowners

the massive redistribution of wealth

among the survivors of the medieval

collapse

caused a rise in the standard of living

across europe

and the succeeding generations would

witness a rise of literacy

not seen since the roman period

from this would rise the renaissance or

rebirth of the greco-roman intellectual

world

the crusades of the late middle ages had

seen the return

of literature long lost in western

europe

and this newly literate population of

europe and the renaissance

was hungry for something to read as

these new

or rather old ideas began to permeate

european society

they would kick off a series of

intellectual revolutions

which would almost completely reject the

medieval worldview

but the collapse of medievalism would

also inaugurate a wave of skepticism

as the old systems of intellectual

authority rooted in the church

and in the state would be challenged

adding fuel to the fire the discovery of

movable type

would make it possible for almost anyone

to publish their thoughts on

almost any subject which created a

crisis

of intellectual authority if potentially

anyone could publish and distribute

their thoughts

how could we tell the difference between

good and bad ideas

how were people to know who to listen to

since

almost everything we thought we knew

from the medieval world was being

challenged

perhaps it was impossible to have any

knowledge at all

the crisis of knowledge born of the

renaissance would be addressed by

thinkers of the early modern period or

enlightenment philosophers like rene

descartes

thomas hobbes and john locke would

struggle to create

new paradigms of thought out of the

chaos that was the renaissance

the scientific religious and

geographical revolutions of the previous

age

would need to be sorted collated and

organized into a new picture

of the universe the intellectuals of the

modern period would tackle this problem

head on

giving rise to a mechanistic model of

the universe

and everything in it the modern period

would see the triumph

of the new science born of astronomy but

quickly expanding into the rise of

physics

chemistry and by the 19th century modern

biology

but the rise of modern science would

have been

impossible without the intellectual

framework of empiricism articulated by

john locke

it was the empirical model of

epistemology that

explained why experimentalism or the

scientific

method as we know it worked but

empiricism

and the mechanistic model of the modern

period would become so successful

that it would eventually cause a

cultural backlash that

longed for something more ineffable

the latter half of the modern era or the

romantic period of the 19th century

would challenge the belief in inevitable

progress

seemingly guaranteed by empirically

driven

investigations the modern period would

thus come to an end with

thinkers like frederick nietzsche who

challenged what he called the bourgeois

modern western intellectual hegemony of

christianity

science and nationalism

that brings us to our period for

that brings us to our own period which

for lack of a better term

we currently call the post-modern era

of course it's hard to see the forest

for the trees and what our place

in the intellectual history of the west

will ultimately look like is

for future intellectual historians to

decide

even the term postmodern will likely be

replaced with something more apt by

those future scholars

but what's essential to understand as we

begin a study of western philosophy

is that we are part of an ongoing

conversation

that began with the ancient greeks more

than 2 500 years ago

having a cursory understanding of the

various periods of

western intellectual history will

provide us a

framework in which we can better

understand thinkers like

socrates and plato saints anselm and

thomas descartes and locke

while useful for providing some context

to our investigations

we must also remind ourselves that this

is the barest of outlines and the more

one delves into these periods of

intellectual history

the more complex and detailed the story

becomes

but we have to start somewhere

to summarize what we've covered in this

video the western intellectual tradition

begins in what we call the ancient

period

this encompasses the birth rise and fall

of the greek intellectual tradition

which marks as we'll see in more detail

in the next video

the beginning of the shift from a

mythological worldview

toward a rational one the hellenistic

period

marks the spread of greek ideas

throughout the near east

thanks to the cultural imperialism of

the macedonians who were

so enthralled with the greek culture

that they had appropriated

they wanted to make sure everyone

adopted it as well

the romans would come to eclipse the

hellenistic world and

take those cross-pollinated cultures and

throw them into the stew that would

become the roman world

more eclectic than creative the romans

would create a new political and

economic hegemony

that would give rise to an entirely

novel understanding

of religion in the form of the mystery

cults that would forever

transform the landscape for good or ill

of our religious awareness

the collapse of the roman period is

followed by the medieval period

in which intellectual activity in the

west was almost completely restricted

to the interests of spirituality and

religion

to be sure there were some modest

discoveries here and there

but we can really grasp the general

sense of things in the middle ages

by saying that everything that they knew

was old but the renaissance

would see the rediscovery of even older

ways of thinking

the revival or rebirth of humanism

which had its origins in the

pre-christian mediterranean world

this would spark a series of

intellectual revolutions

that would cause the rise of skepticism

which forced enlightenment thinkers to

take a fresh look

at our epistemological assumptions and

would eventually lead

to the model of knowledge that we take

for granted

today in our next video we're going to

go

back to the beginning and revisit the

ancient period of western intellectual

history in more detail

to explore the philosophical revolution

that would set this whole chain of

western intellectual history

in motion see you next time