Tag: Ancient philosophy

The notion of a "balance of nature" stretches back over two millennia to the ancient Greeks and was not invented by a single person, but rather evolved through the contributions of many thinkers over centuries. The idea itself has undergone dramatic shifts in interpretation, challenging the simple concept of a static equilibrium.

The modern term 'vegan' was coined in 1944, and archaeological evidence confirms that no entire ancient tribe practiced a purely vegan lifestyle, though many groups subsisted on predominantly plant-based diets for various reasons.

Hippocrates, the revered father of Western medicine, was the first physician known to treat illness as a natural process rather than a divine punishment. A central tenet of his philosophy was the profound importance of what did Hippocrates believe about food, emphasizing its role in maintaining health and equilibrium.

While the term 'vegan' was coined in 1944, the philosophical arguments against animal exploitation are far older. This raises the question: were any philosophers vegan before the term existed, or have modern thinkers been the first to adopt this stance?