Greek philosophy and culture

(pgs 117-121)

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

Socratic Philosophers

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

1. Identify each of the following:Socrates

Aristotle

Plato

2. Define the following:rhetoric

3a. Why did Plato reject democracy as a form of government?

3b. Describe Plato’s ideal government.

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

1. Identify each of the followingParthenon

Aeschylus

Sophocles

Euripides

Herodotus

Thucydides

2. Define each of the followingTragedy

Comedy

3. What standards of beauty did Greek artists follow?

4a. How were Greek plays performed?

4b. What themes did Greek playwrights explore?