Prodicus is a figure from ancient Greek philosophy, known primarily as a Sophist. He lived around the 5th century BCE and was based in the city of Ceos (modern-day Kea). Prodicus is particularly recognized for his contributions to ethical philosophy and language, especially in the areas of semantics and the distinction between words and their meanings. One of Prodicus's most notable teachings is the idea that language is a tool for communication that can be manipulated to influence understanding and perception.
Philo of Byzantium was a Greek engineer and inventor who lived around the 3rd century BCE, during the Hellenistic period. He is best known for his work in mechanics and engineering, particularly for his contributions to the study of machines and automata. Philo's writings included descriptions of various mechanical devices, including tools and machines that utilized principles of leverage, pulleys, and hydraulics.
Parmenides was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher from the ancient city of Elea, active in the 5th century BCE. He is best known for his poem "On Nature," which is a foundational text in Western philosophy. In this work, Parmenides presents his central philosophical ideas, particularly concerning the nature of reality and being.
Ocellus lucanus, commonly known as the ocellate stag beetle, is a species within the family Lucanidae. Stag beetles are noted for the distinctive antler-like mandibles in males, which they utilize during mating displays and combat with other males. Ocellus lucanus is characterized by its glossy body and typically dark coloration. They can be found in various habitats, often in forested areas where they may feed on decaying wood or plant matter.
Leucippus is a name associated with a few different contexts, typically within ancient philosophy and science. 1. **Philosopher**: Leucippus (c. 5th century BCE) was an ancient Greek philosopher who is often credited as one of the founders of atomism. Along with his student Democritus, he proposed that everything in the universe is composed of small, indivisible particles called "atoms.
Heraclitus was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher from Ephesus, who lived around 535-475 BCE. He is best known for his doctrine of change being central to the universe, encapsulated in his famous statement, "You cannot step into the same river twice." This idea reflects his belief that everything is in a state of flux and that permanence is an illusion.
Epicurus was an ancient Greek philosopher who lived from 341 to 270 BCE. He founded the school of philosophy known as Epicureanism, which is based on the pursuit of happiness and the attainment of a pleasurable life through the cultivation of wisdom, friendship, and moderation. Epicurus believed that the greatest good was to seek pleasure and avoid pain, but he defined pleasure in a nuanced way.
Anaximander was an ancient Greek philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer who lived in the 6th century BCE, specifically from around 610 to 546 BCE. He was a pre-Socratic thinker and a pupil of Thales, often regarded as one of the early figures in Western philosophy. Anaximander is best known for his work in cosmology, geography, and biology.
Ancient Greek atomist philosophers were thinkers in the 5th century BCE who proposed early theories about the nature of matter that laid the groundwork for later scientific concepts of the atom. The two most prominent figures in this school of thought were **Leucippus** and his student **Democritus**.
"Planisphaerium" typically refers to a type of celestial map or star chart that presents a two-dimensional representation of the night sky. The term can also relate to specific tools or devices used for celestial navigation, such as star globes or planispheric astrolabes.
"On Sizes and Distances" is a work attributed to the ancient Greek astronomer Hipparchus, who lived in the 2nd century BCE. While the original text is lost, it is known through references and quotations by later scholars and commentators. This work is significant because it deals with the relative sizes and distances of celestial bodies, particularly the Moon and Sun, in relation to the Earth.
"Euclid's Data" is a work attributed to the ancient Greek mathematician Euclid, known primarily for his contributions to geometry. This particular text focuses on the nature and properties of geometric concepts, particularly concerning the conditions necessary to deduce certain propositions and relationships from given data. The work is notable for its exploration of the concept of data in the sense of what is assumed or given in a geometric problem.
The Archimedes Palimpsest is a medieval manuscript that contains the only known copies of several works by the ancient Greek mathematician and physicist Archimedes. The palimpsest is particularly notable for its historical and scientific significance, as it features texts that had been lost to history until its discovery. The manuscript dates back to the 10th century and originally contained Archimedes' writings, but it was later overwritten by a Christian text in the 13th century.
"Works by Euclid" typically refers to the mathematical texts attributed to the ancient Greek mathematician Euclid, who is often called the "Father of Geometry." His most famous work is the "Elements," a comprehensive compilation of the knowledge of geometry of his time, organized into thirteen books. The "Elements" covers various topics, including: 1. **Plane Geometry**: Basic concepts such as points, lines, angles, triangles, and circles.
"Works by Archimedes" refers to the collection of mathematical and scientific writings attributed to the ancient Greek mathematician and engineer Archimedes of Syracuse, who lived from approximately 287 to 212 BC. Archimedes is renowned for his contributions to mathematics, particularly in geometry, calculus, and the understanding of the principles of leverage, buoyancy, and hydrostatics.
Syllogism is a form of logical reasoning that uses deductive reasoning to arrive at a conclusion based on two premises. It consists of three parts: a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion. The structure of a syllogism allows for the deduction of a conclusion that logically follows from the premises. Here’s a classic example of a syllogism: 1. Major Premise: All humans are mortal. 2. Minor Premise: Socrates is a human.
Stoic logic is a part of the philosophical system developed by the Stoics, a school of philosophy that began in ancient Greece and flourished in Rome. The Stoics, including notable figures such as Zeno of Citium, Chrysippus, Seneca, and Epictetus, were primarily concerned with ethics, epistemology, and the nature of the universe, but they also developed a sophisticated system of logic.
Pseudo-Zeno typically refers to a philosophical concept or argument that is inspired by or analogous to Zeno's paradoxes, particularly in their structure or implications but does not fit squarely within the original framework of Zeno's philosophy. Zeno of Elea, a Greek philosopher, is well-known for his paradoxes that challenge our understanding of motion and change, such as the famous "Achilles and the Tortoise" paradox.
The Problem of Future Contingents is a philosophical issue that deals with the nature of truth and reference concerning statements about the future, particularly those that are contingent—meaning that their truth value is not determined. The central question is whether propositions about the future, which may or may not come to pass, can be said to have a definite truth value at the present moment.

Pinned article: Introduction to the OurBigBook Project

Welcome to the OurBigBook Project! Our goal is to create the perfect publishing platform for STEM subjects, and get university-level students to write the best free STEM tutorials ever.
Everyone is welcome to create an account and play with the site: ourbigbook.com/go/register. We belive that students themselves can write amazing tutorials, but teachers are welcome too. You can write about anything you want, it doesn't have to be STEM or even educational. Silly test content is very welcome and you won't be penalized in any way. Just keep it legal!
We have two killer features:
  1. topics: topics group articles by different users with the same title, e.g. here is the topic for the "Fundamental Theorem of Calculus" ourbigbook.com/go/topic/fundamental-theorem-of-calculus
    Articles of different users are sorted by upvote within each article page. This feature is a bit like:
    • a Wikipedia where each user can have their own version of each article
    • a Q&A website like Stack Overflow, where multiple people can give their views on a given topic, and the best ones are sorted by upvote. Except you don't need to wait for someone to ask first, and any topic goes, no matter how narrow or broad
    This feature makes it possible for readers to find better explanations of any topic created by other writers. And it allows writers to create an explanation in a place that readers might actually find it.
    Figure 1.
    Screenshot of the "Derivative" topic page
    . View it live at: ourbigbook.com/go/topic/derivative
  2. local editing: you can store all your personal knowledge base content locally in a plaintext markup format that can be edited locally and published either:
    This way you can be sure that even if OurBigBook.com were to go down one day (which we have no plans to do as it is quite cheap to host!), your content will still be perfectly readable as a static site.
    Figure 5. . You can also edit articles on the Web editor without installing anything locally.
    Video 3.
    Edit locally and publish demo
    . Source. This shows editing OurBigBook Markup and publishing it using the Visual Studio Code extension.
  3. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook-media/master/feature/x/hilbert-space-arrow.png
  4. Infinitely deep tables of contents:
    Figure 6.
    Dynamic article tree with infinitely deep table of contents
    .
    Descendant pages can also show up as toplevel e.g.: ourbigbook.com/cirosantilli/chordate-subclade
All our software is open source and hosted at: github.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook
Further documentation can be found at: docs.ourbigbook.com
Feel free to reach our to us for any help or suggestions: docs.ourbigbook.com/#contact