Principle, order, beauty and symmetry in greek research “about nature” or physis

Abstract

Philosophical reflection in relation to nature or physis cannot be separated from the human being because it encompasses everything. The human being and its creation (culture, technique, etc.) is part of nature. In this sense, the Greek notion of physis is understood in connection with different levels of knowledge. The study’s methodology corresponds to a non-experimental documentary analysis based on qualitative models. The conceptual framework proposed by Greek philosophers is based on the Greek notions arché and cosmos. We reconstruct fragments of the thought of Anaximander, Pythagoras and Aristotle, among others, to arrive at notions of principle, order, symmetry and beauty. Finally, we draw a brief outline of how these notions have transformed up until the birth of modern science in the 16th century, in that order.