So it was that the word ‘philosophy’ arose out of the Greek language. ‘Sophia’ is a Greek word for wisdom, and ‘Philo’ is a Greek word for love. Philosophy is etymologically the love of wisdom, as Donald Palmer writes:
The Greek word “Logos” is the source of the English word “logic” as well as all the “logies” in terms like “biology,” “sociology,” and “psychology,” where “logos” means the theory, or study, or rationalization of something. “Logos” also means “word” in Greek.
Reasoning is impossible without words. “Logos” can mean “word,” but it can also mean reasoning or any ongoing interactive linguistic activity, “so it involves the act of” writing, “or setting forth an idea in a clear manner.” Philosophy is impossible without language, and without writing, only simplistic reasoning is possible. Complex trains of thought require writing.
But there are complications to this simple story about how the word ‘philosophy’ came to be. The Greek language has at least four words that can be translated into English as ‘love.’ Why was ‘philo’ chosen, instead of another similar word? The Greek language reflected the awareness that there are different types of love. A person might love ice cream, and parents love their children. The same word ‘love’ is used to refer to two different relationships.
Likewise, the word ‘gnosis,’ from which the English word ‘cognition’ arises, could have been used instead of ‘sophia.’
So the simple story about the origins of the word ‘philosophy’ is not so simple after all.
“Logos,” therefore, designates a certain kind of thinking about the world, a kind of logical analysis that places things in the context of reason and explains them with the pure force of thought. Such an intellectual exercise was supposed to lead to wisdom (Sophia) and those who dedicated themselves to Logos were thought of as lovers of wisdom (love = philo), hence as philosophers.
Greek philosophy began around 600 B.C., plus or minus a decade, and Greek philosophers were active until sometime after 100 A.D. There were quiet periods during those centuries when philosophy was inactive, and other periods when it was prolific.
It was in this context that the word “Logos” was applied to Jesus, and to the Hebrew concept of God which Jesus made accessible to larger audiences.
“What was there before philosophy, before Logos? There was Mythos — a certain way of” explaining things by means of narrative, i.e., by telling a story. Used in this way, the word ‘myth’ doesn’t necessarily mean falsehood. Contrary to everyday usage of the word, in philosophy, one can speak of a true myth. Myths tell of “events that caused the world to be as it is now.”
It’s understandable that philosophers would like to get rid of false myths. People like to think that they’re correct, and that what they believe is true.
But if some myths are true, why would philosophers still want to investigate the matter and find another, Logos-based, explanation?
Philosophy was, in part, a drive to develop concept-based explanations, which not only explained why things are the way they are, but explained it in a way which used reason instead of narrative, which used abstractions instead of concrete details.
In some situations, it is possible for myth-based and logos-based explanations to coexist. A true myth can give a specific and historical narrative to explain a certain state of affairs, while philosophy can explain the same state of affairs conceptually.
