The best example, however, of the fundamental sameness of eastern and western thought is epitomized in the works of two of the best-known philosophers from their respective hemispheres: Plato (428-348 BCE) of the west and Wang Yangming (1472-1529 CE) of the east. `Ancient Philosophy' is the first of four volumes in Anthony Kenny's `A New History of Western Philosophy' recently published by Oxford University Press. Ancient Greek Civilization and its Influences on the Western Way of Life. He was originally a sculptor who seems to have also had a number of other occupations, … The Athenian philosopher Plato (c.428-347 B.C.) Socrates of Athens (l. c. 470/469-399 BCE) is among the most famous figures in world history for his contributions to the development of ancient Greek philosophy which provided the foundation for all of Western Philosophy.He is, in fact, known as the "Father of Western Philosophy" for this reason. In the western world, philosophy traces its beginnings to the ancient Ionian city of Miletus, the richest city in the ancient Greek world. Western civilization and its ideologies have been influenced by Greek philosophy and its thinking since its inception back in the 4 th and 5 th century BCE. From Thales, who is often considered the first Western philosopher, to the Stoics and Skeptics, ancient Greek philosophy opened the doors to a particular way of thinking that provided the roots for the Western intellectual tradition. In … The word philosophy comes from two Greek roots meaning “the love of wisdom.” Thus philosophers are (supposed to be) lovers of wisdom. Here, there is often an explicit preference for the life of reason and rational thought. For those unfamiliar with the author, Kenny is a leading contemporary scholar that has previously written noteworthy texts on Aquinas, Descartes, and Wittgenstein amongst others. innate Morality. is one of the most important figures of the Ancient Greek world and the entire history of Western thought. Ancient Greek Philosophy.