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PhilosophersSocrates, 469-399
Believed that one arrives at the truth by questioning the assumptions on which all things are based
Plato, 428-347Student of Socrates
Aristotle, 384-322Student of Plato
“THE” philosopher by Medievalists
Greek Philosophy & Its OriginsPhilosophy = love of wisdomEncouraged development of skills in rhetoric = the art of skillful speakingMesopotamians and Egyptians contemplated how the natural world around them workedEarly Greeks (time of Homer, c.800 BCE) used mythological stories to explain the natural world7th Century BCE – Greeks looked for new, more practical explanations
Socrates (469-399 BCE)What little we know comes from his students, Plato and Xenophon, and his enemy, Aristophanes
Humble birth
Wrote nothing down
Founded no formal school – taught in the agora
Believed material things would not bring happiness
Died for his principles
So Many Questions…What should we do? (i.e. how should we behave)
What is the meaning of life?
What is the meaning of happiness?
Is perfection possible?
What constitutes the good or just life?
What is virtue?
How should a man best conduct his life?
ExerciseFor each statement ask as many follow up questions as you can with a partner. Record questions that were brainstormed on the
Statement #1 – Only people over the age of 19 should be allowed to drink
Statement #2 – Canada should abolish the sale of firearms to the public
Socratic MethodMethod of elenchus (i.e. rigorous questioning technique)
Designed to “sting” people into realizing their own ignorance
Provoke genuine intellectual curiosity
True knowledge gained only by constantly questioning assumptions that underly all we do
To achieve truth is to engage in a permanent state of critical thinking
Socratic Method Example
Q: So you think that the gods know everything/
A: Yes, because they are gods.
Q: Do some gods disagree with others?
A: Yes, of course they do. They are always fighting.
Q: So gods disagree about what is true and right?
A: I suppose they must do.
Q: So some gods can be wrong sometimes?
A: I suppose that is true.
THEREFORE the gods cannot know everything!
Socrates’ EndAlcibiades, Socrates’ pupil, betrayed fellow Athenians by defecting to Sparta in Peloponnesian War
Socrates scapegoated by Alcibiades’ actions, accused of “not believing in the gods” and “corrupting the youth”
Tried and sentenced to death
Refused to plead for lesser punishmentWanted his punishment to be free meals for the rest of his life
This was usually only given to state heroes
Forced to drink poison hemlock and died
LegacySocrates used the claim of wisdom as his moral basis
Chief goodness consists in the caring of the soul concerned with moral truth and understanding
“Wealth does not bring goodness, but goodness brings wealth and every other blessing, both to the individual and to the state”
“Life without examination (dialogue) is not worth living”
“I am a citizen of the world”
“I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance”
He would want you to evaluate society and your own life regularly!
Plato (429-347 BCE)The “idealist” or “utopian” or “dreamer”
Born into a wealthy family in the second year of the Peloponnesian War
Name means “high forehead”
Student of Socrates
Left Athens when Socrates died but
returned to open a school called the Academy
in 385 BCE
Wrote 20 books, many in the dialectic style
(a story which attempts to teach a specific
concept) with Socrates as the main character
Plato’s IdeasIdealist, believes in order and harmony, morality and self-denial
Immortality of the soul
Virtue as knowledge
Theory of Forms – the highest function of the human soul is to achieve the vision of the form of the good
Anti-Democratic PlatoRejected democracy because it had condemned Socrates
Most perfect form of government: “Philosopher Kings” (i.e. very smartest) rule over an essentially communistic society
Why Philosopher Kings?
Plato believed they alone possess the intellectual capacity to achieve the highest form of human contemplation
Such penetrating powers of insight necessary to distinguish between truth (i.e. that which is eternal and unchanging and therefore is “really real”) from that which is untrue (changeable stimuli received by our faulty instruments of perception that serve to trick us into thinking that something is in fact “real”)
Plato’s ImpactPlato’s thinking on the immortality of the soul, his conception of a world beyond the sensory and his god-like form of good have very much shaped Christian thinking on God, the soul, and an afterlife
Nietzsche called Christianity “Plato for the people”
Famous Quotes from Plato‘If particulars are to have meaning, there must be universals.’
‘The soul of man is immortal and imperishable’
‘What we call learning is only a process of recollection’
Aristotle (384-322 BCE)The “real” or “encyclopedist” or “inspired common sense” or “the prince of those who know”
Studied under Plato at the Academy
Son of a Macedonian doctor, returned home to become the teacher of Alexander of Macedon for three years, beginning in 343 BCE
Later returned to Athens to open
school called the Lyceum in 335 BCE
Aristotle, continuedBelieved in the Golden Mean
i.e. all things follow the middle course; by avoiding extremes, one will enjoy a maximum of happiness and a minimum of pain
Called the “encycolpedist” as he had a profound love of order
Numerous fields of scientific study he either invented or contributed to:
Logic, biology, zoology, botany, psychology, chemistry, astronomy, cosmology, metaphysics, ethics, political theory, constitutional history, history of sport
Aristotle, continuedFounder of scientific method
A valid and reliable process by which all scientific analyses of a given phenomenon could take place
Led to explosive advances in the Greek scientists’ capacity to conduct scientific researchMiddle Ages’ scholars felt Aristotle knew almost as much as God, therefore called him “The Philosopher”“Everything that depends on the action of nature is by nature as good as it can be.”“All men by nature desire to know.”“Every action must be due to one or other of seven causes: chance, nature, compulsion, habit, reasoning, anger, or appetite.”
Elements of the Art of RhetoricEthos = Ethics
Appeal based on the trustworthiness/character of the speaker
Relies on the reputation of the author
Logos = LogicAppeal based on logic or reason
Found primarily in scholarly articles and corporate financial reports
Pathos = Pathetic, sympathy, empathyAppeal based on emotion
Found in advertisements
The more people react without full consideration for the “why,” the more effective an argument can be
Although it can be manipulative, it is the cornerstone of moving people to action
Legacy of Greek PhilosophersTaught us how to think
Provided a great deal of insight into the natural world
Provided many of the most profound and meaningful answers to the great philosophical questions that have befuddled humans since the dawn of civilization
Provided a comprehensive, valid, and reliable method by which we could test whether or not a given idea is true
ArchitectureParthenon
Most famous building in Greece
Dedicated to goddess Athena
Designed to convey a perfect sense of balance to reflect the harmony and order of the universe
Greek architecture admired for centuries
Many US building adopted different kinds of Greek columns
ArtIdealism = every object on Earth has an ideal form
Sculpture
450 B.C. – Greek sculptors developed a sculpting technique that used more natural poses
Realistic (life-like) and idealistic
Painting
Pottery
Paintings on vases
Designed to fit vase perfectly
Depicted views of Greek life
Poetry and DramaGreeks set a ‘standard’ for poetry
Began with Homer
Europeans refer to it as ‘The Classic Style’
Most important contribution of Greeks = Drama
First plays evolved out of religious festivals
Plays performed outdoors in large theaters; little to no scenery; actors wore elaborate costumes and masks; all male casts; chorus sang/chanted between scenes
Often based on popular myths and legends; discussed moral and social issues and explored relationship between people and gods
Drama continued…Tragedies
Plays that told stories of human suffering that usually ended in disaster
Greatest tragedy playwrights: Aeschylus
Wrote The Oresteia; series of 3 plays about murder and crime within a family; told how pride can bring misfortune and how gods can bring down the greatest of heroes
Sophocles
Wrote Antigone; explores what happens when an individual’s moral duty conflicts with the laws of the state
Euripides
Wrote The Trojan Women; stripped war of its glamour by showing the suffering of women who were victims of the war; showed that people were the cause of human misfortune
Drama continued…Comedies
Humorous plays that mocked people or customs
Greatest playwright
Aristophanes
Wrote Lysistrata, tells what happens when the women of Athens force their husbands to end a war against Sparta
Writers of HistoryApplied observation, reason, and logic to the study of history
Herodotus
Called the “Father of History”
Wrote The Persian Wars; reflected his view that the war was a clear moral victory of Greek love of freedom over Persian tyranny
Invented conversations and speeches for historical figures
Writers of History continued…Thucydides
Wrote about the Peloponnesian War
Described its savagery and corrupting influence on all those involved