ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Pitirim of Porphyry

Hey kiddo, do you know what a philosopher is? Well, Pitirim of Porphyry was a philosopher who lived a very long time ago, even before you were born! He was very smart and thought a lot about life and how we can live it in the best way possible.

Pitirim of Porphyry believed that there were different levels of understanding in life, like when you learn to count or read. He said that the first level was called "sensory perception" and that's when we use our five senses (like seeing, smelling, or touching) to understand things. The second level was called "reasoning" and that's when we use our brains to think and figure out more complex things. Finally, he said there was a third level called "mystical experience" where we can understand things that can't be seen or touched, like love or imagination.

Pitirim of Porphyry also believed that we shouldn't just focus on ourselves, but should try to understand other people too. He thought that if we understand different perspectives, we could bring more happiness to the world.

So, Pitirim of Porphyry was a wise philosopher who believed in understanding the world in different levels and trying to understand others. Even though he lived a long time ago, we can still learn from his ideas and apply them to our lives today!