Greek Power Point1.4 Segment 1

Harmony:Harmony:An Interdisciplinary An Interdisciplinary

Approach to Approach to Ancient Greek Ancient Greek Philosophy & Philosophy &

TheaterTheater

OVERVIEW:OVERVIEW:

Course Course Literature &Literature &

HistoryHistory

YOUR GOALS ARE YOUR GOALS ARE TOTO Understand the historical context of the Theban plays.

Understand the factors that influenced the thinking of Ancient Greek society.

Understand the influence of Greek philosophy and mathematics on Western thought.

Understand the purpose and importance of aesthetics regarding fine art, sculpture, architecture, and music.

Apply what you have learned to an analysis of the Theban plays..

.

Age-Old Age-Old Profound QuestionsProfound Questions

What is Real and What is Not?What is Real and What is Not?

Why Are We Here?Why Are We Here?

How Did We Get Here?How Did We Get Here?

Where Are We Headed?Where Are We Headed?

.

The Big Bang(s)(s)

Asking Age-Old Asking Age-Old Profound QuestionsProfound Questions

Has occurred as long as humankind has had the Has occurred as long as humankind has had the ability to reason.ability to reason.

Has propelled civilization forward.Has propelled civilization forward.

Could lead to our destructionCould lead to our destruction……depending on how we act on their answers.depending on how we act on their answers.

.

What is Philosophy?

PHILOSOPHYPHILOSOPHY

Asks Life’s Most Asks Life’s Most Fundamental Profound Fundamental Profound QuestionsQuestions

Profound QuestionsProfound Questions

Are often simple

YET…YET…

Are philosophically “deep.”

..

.

Their AnswersTheir Answers

Are sometimes simple

YET…YET…

Often paradoxical

or even unknowable.

..

.

But the important But the important thing is…thing is…

That we NEVER

STOPSTOP

Asking them of ourselves

And our culture.

..

.

“ “ The The UNEXAMINED UNEXAMINED LIFELIFE is not worth is not worth living. ” living. ”

SocratesSocrates before his death in 399 B.C. before his death in 399 B.C.

PHILOSOPHY:PHILOSOPHY:

The Six BranchesThe Six Branches

Q: Can you name at Q: Can you name at

least two?least two?

PHILOSOPHY’s PHILOSOPHY’s Bodhi Tree:Bodhi Tree:

. Logic

. Logic

Ethics

Ethics

. Epistemology

. Epistemology

Aesthetics .

Aesthetics .

Politics

PoliticsMetaphysics .

Metaphysics .

Aesthetics

Aesthetics

WHAT IS BEAUTYBEAUTY?

WHAT IS TRUTHTRUTH?

Epistemology

Epistemology

WHAT FORM FORM OF OF GOVERNMENTGOVERNMENT IS BESTIS BEST?

Politics

Politics

WHAT IS REALITYREALITY?

Metaphysics

Metaphysics

WHAT IS RIGHTRIGHT?

Ethics

Ethics

WHAT IS GOOD

THINKINGTHINKING?

Logic

Logic

And the And the GranddaddyGranddaddyof allof allProfound Profound Questions …Questions …

What is…What is…

How Did We Get Here?

How Did We Get Here?

How Did We Get Here?

How Did We Get Here?

SocratesSocrates

How Did We Get Here?

How Did We Get Here?

And..

Art Art ShmartShmart

QQ:: Why Should We Care About Why Should We Care About

BEAUTYBEAUTY in Light of Those in Light of Those Other Big Questions?Other Big Questions?

Aesthetics

Aesthetics

Q: Why Should We Care About Q: Why Should We Care About AestheticsAesthetics in Light of These in Light of These

Bigger Questions?Bigger Questions?

A: Because the Former A: Because the Former Helps Us Answer The Latter.Helps Us Answer The Latter.

““Beauty is Truth and Truth Beauty is Truth and Truth beauty. beauty.

That is all ye know on Earth That is all ye know on Earth and all ye need to know.”and all ye need to know.”

John Keats (1795-1821)Romantic Period

Two pts. to Keats for Two pts. to Keats for using CHIASMUS to using CHIASMUS to emphasize the final emphasize the final importance of “all ye importance of “all ye need” to know in life.need” to know in life.

STYL

E AL

ERT!

STYL

E AL

ERT!

CHIASMUSCHIASMUS

From the Greek letter “CHI” From the Greek letter “CHI” written aswritten as

BeautyBeauty Truth Truth

Truth Truth BeautyBeauty

CHIASMUSCHIASMUS

Two pts. to YOU if you are the first to Two pts. to YOU if you are the first to raise your hand and identify the type of raise your hand and identify the type of verbal omission Keats uses to elevate his verbal omission Keats uses to elevate his style to suit the loftiness of his meaning.style to suit the loftiness of his meaning.

““Beauty is Truth and Truth Beauty is Truth and Truth beauty…”beauty…”

BONUS

!

BONUS

!

““Beauty is Truth and Beauty is Truth and Truth beauty. Truth beauty.

That is all ye know on That is all ye know on Earth and all ye need to Earth and all ye need to

know.”know.”

John Keats (1795-1821)Romantic Period

If you know BEAUTY, you know

TRUTH.

If you know TRUTH, you can begin to understand life’s

profound questions.

If A = B

and

B = C…

Then A = C

Transitive Transitive Property of Property of

EqualityEquality

THEREFORE:

If Beauty is Truthand

Truth is Beauty…

Art Says…

THEN:

To behold and to study me

is

To know all.

Art Says…

Aristotle says,Aristotle says,

By the way…By the way…

I perfected the logical

syllogism as a method for discovering

TRUTH.

IF, THEN…IF, THEN…

Aristotle says,Aristotle says,

F.Y.I. … F.Y.I. …

The Big Bang(s)The Big Bang(s)

ANCIENT GREEK PERIODANCIENT GREEK PERIOD

Theban PlaysTheban PlaysOedipus, OaC, AntigoneOedipus, OaC, Antigone

HIGH MIDDLE AGESHIGH MIDDLE AGES

Dante’s Dante’s InfernoInferno

The Merchant of VeniceThe Merchant of VeniceRomeo & JulietRomeo & Juliet

RENAISSANCE / ELIZABETHANRENAISSANCE / ELIZABETHAN

ROMANTIC PERIODROMANTIC PERIODA Tale of Two CitiesA Tale of Two Cities

(Setting)(Setting)

VICTORIAN PERIODVICTORIAN PERIODA Tale of Two CitiesA Tale of Two Cities

Silas MarnerSilas Marner

MODERN PERIODMODERN PERIODWest Side StoryWest Side Story12 Angry Men12 Angry Men

POST-MODERN PERIODPOST-MODERN PERIOD

Self-Help BookSelf-Help Book

History has MOTION.

George Friedrich Hegel George Friedrich Hegel German PhilosopherGerman Philosopher

1770-18311770-1831

POLITICS

POLITICS

POLITICS

POLITICS

History has always had MOTION.

Even since the beginning of the universe.

(1879-1955)

History is a series of waves

in which civilizations

undulate back and forth.

Light

Sound

Matter

"It followed from the special theory of relativity that mass and energy are both but different manifestations of the same thing -- a somewhat unfamiliar conception for the average mind. Furthermore, the equation E is equal to m c-squared, in which energy is put equal to mass, multiplied by the square of the velocity of light, showed that very small amounts of mass may be converted into a very large amount of energy and vice versa. The mass and energy were in fact equivalent, according to the formula mentioned above. This was demonstrated by Cockcroft and Walton in 1932, experimentally."

(1879-1955)

With each new synthesis, history and civilization

come closer to perfection– now that’s progress!

OrderOrder eventually arises eventually arises

fromfrom Chaos Chaos

G.F. Hegel G.F. Hegel German PhilosopherGerman Philosopher1770-18311770-1831

ANOTHER METAPHORANOTHER METAPHORPHOR PROGRESSPHOR PROGRESS

Pirsig’s Pirsig’s RatchetRatchet

Pirsig 'Lila' ch. 11:

“A DYNAMICDYNAMIC advance is meaningless unless it can find some STATICSTATIC pattern with which to protect itself from degeneration back to the conditions that existed before the advance was made.

Evolution can't be a continuous forward movement. It must be a process of ratchet like steps in which there is a DYNAMICDYNAMIC movement forward up some new incline and then, if the result looks successful, a STATIC latching-on of the gain that has been made; then another DYNAMICDYNAMIC

advance, then another STATIC latch.”

PR

OG

RE

SS

PR

OG

RE

SS

TIMETIME

Post

-Mod

ern

Era

Post

-Mod

ern

Era

Post

-Mod

ern

Era

Post

-Mod

ern

Era

OR…OR…

Post-Modern Era

Post-Modern Era

Post-Modern Era

Post-Modern Era

MAN…

E + D = E + D =

XX

Pyongyang has

issued a series of

threats, including

one to "destroy

the earth" if the

US resorted to

nuclear war

against it.

Nuclear Strike Threat Grows

“Rogue nations could have ICBMs sooner than U.S. planners thought.”

John Gittings in Hong Kong John Gittings in Hong Kong and Suzanne Goldenberg in and Suzanne Goldenberg in

WashingtonWashingtonTuesday December 24, 2002Tuesday December 24, 2002

The GuardianThe Guardian

ETHICS

ETHICS

IvyIvy

MikeMike

The Next Big Bang?The Next Big Bang?

OrderOrder fromfrom ChaosChaosThe Greek Ideal

Egypt, Late 5th DynastyEgypt, Late 5th Dynasty

Relief depicting men, women, and children Relief depicting men, women, and children suffering from severe famine. suffering from severe famine.

Neo-Assyrian relief, war scene

Giza

Egyptian Sphinx