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Greco-Roman Traditions

Jeffrey L. Richey, Ph.D.

GSTR 220-BWestern Traditions I

Berea College

Fall 2004

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FOUNDATIONS OF GREEK CIVILIZATION

• Beginning around 2800 BCE, various Eastern Mediterranean islands and coastal regions develop traditions of civilization

• Following Homeric “Dark Age” (c. 1100-750 BCE) of famine and war, Greek colonization of Mediterranean leads to development of polis (self-governed settlement and its surrounding countryside) as most important unit of Greek civilization

• Polis of Athens becomes dominant after defeating Persia (c. 490-470 BCE)

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5th CENTURY BCE ATHENS

• Athens’ power, stability, democratic institutions, and wealth enable artists and intellectuals to thrive

• 3 cardinal values emerge:1. Humanism -- Is there anything

more wonderful on earth, our marvelous planet, than the miracle of man? (Sophocles)

2. Naturalism – The chief good is life according to nature. (Zeno of Citium)

3. Skepticism -- The unexamined life is not worth living. (Socrates)

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PLATO (429-347 BCE)

• Student of executed philosopher Socrates (469-399 BCE) and founder of the “Academy”

• Hopes to improve society by uniting wisdom and power in the “philosopher-king”

• Themes of Platonic thought:1. Dualism – appearances (sensory,

temporary, imperfect) versus reality (ideational, eternal, perfect)

2. Pre-existence and immortality of the soul

3. The good as goal of all persons4. God/s as good, wise, and knowable

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ARISTOTLE (384-322 BCE)• Non-Athenian student of Plato and

founder of the “Lyceum,” rival school

• Unlike Plato, rejects abstract ideals as guides for life and embraces empirical inquiry as best path to wisdom

• Happiness can be achieved by cultivating one’s virtue (arête) – inborn characteristics of human excellence that can be developed through education

• “Moderation in all things”: virtue = balance – e.g., a deficit of courage leads to cowardice, while an excess leads to foolhardiness

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EPICURUS (341-270 BCE)

• Founder of “The Garden,” where Epicureanism is taught

• Epicurean views of:1. Fate – no such thing; everything

occurs completely by chance interactions in a purely physical universe

2. God(s) – no active role in human affairs; may not exist at all

3. Happiness – defined as freedom from anxiety; best achieved through avoidance of public responsibility and simple living

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ZENO OF CITIUM (335-263 BCE)

• Founder of Stoicism (after stoai, public “porches” beneath which he teaches)

• Stoic views of:1. Fate – determined by the logos

(reason) of the universe, thus natural and acceptable

2. God(s) – identical with logos, nature, and one’s individual intellect

3. Happiness – defined as preservation of one’s natural state; best achieved through obedience to God/logos/nature/fate

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PLOTINUS (204-270 CE)• Greek-speaking Egyptian who

teaches “neo-Platonism” in Rome• Asserts that humans, as eternal

souls in temporary bodies, come into contact with crude matter and forget their origins in “the One” (an entity unknowable through ordinary reason, completely self-sufficient, totally transcendent, and the source of all things)

• Through cultivation of virtue, philosophical training, and spiritual contemplation, the soul may regain its lost unity with the One

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THE HELLENISTIC WORLD

• Philip II, king of Macedonia, defeats Athens in 338 BCE

• Alexander the Great (356-323 BCE), Philip II’s son and Aristotle’s student, conquers remainder of Greece as well as most of north Africa and west Asia by 326 BCE

• Legacies of Alexander:1. Revival of monarchy in Greece2. “First globalization”3. Establishment of Hellenistic

(Greek) culture as primary point of access to power and status in ancient Western world

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FOUNDATIONS OF ROMAN CIVILIZATION

• The Italian peninsula:1. Easy access to maritime trade

routes2. Climate and topography favorable

for agriculture3. Central location in ancient

Mediterranean world

• Greek colonization of Italy (700s BCE) leads to establishment of Rome as urbanized, democratic polis or “republic” (509-31 BCE)

• Republican Rome in constant conflict with neighbors because of expansionist policies

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ROMAN PHILOSOPHY• While most Romans regard

religion as the ancient source of Rome’s power and prosperity, some are skeptical about, or even critical of, the polytheistic, ritual-oriented religion of the state

• Many educated Roman men turn to Greek-inspired philosophy for practical wisdom (prudentia)

• Most popular philosophical movements among Romans:

1. Epicureanism2. Stoicism3. Neo-Platonism

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Extent of Roman Territory, c. 44 BCE