Greek Philosophy II
I) Greek Philosophy II
C) Socrates
1) Dialectic - defining a better definition through
a series of well placed questions
2) Ethics
i) why we should not hurt others
a) we never get away with
hurting others, we would only put a mark on our soul or minds
1) harms our ability
to think clearly
2) if we keep lying
we lose sight of the truth
3) Personal Example
i) believed in an inner voice that told
one what to do (conscious)
a) listened to that little voice
b) was put to death rather than
denying what he knew to be true
4) Influence on students
i) influenced many people, including
Plato
D) Plato
1) Plato was at 1st a wrestler (was the ideal man
in Greece, strong mind and body)
2) he was a key figure in preserving the teachings
of Socrates
i) wrote the dialogs of Socrates
ii) he built upon the teachings of Socrates
- ethics
3) Ethics (wrote the Republic) ... expanding on
the ideas of Socrates
i) extends justice from the individual
point of view to that of a society
a) describes the 1st political
utopia - perfect political system - just society
4) Religion...expands the ideas of Socrates
i) physical world was unimportant....
ideas were important... ideas of the physical world
a) physical chair dies,
but the idea of the chair will always live on
ii) says that everything comes from
one god - one of the first monotheist
iii) everyone will face a day of judgment
in the end
* Notice the resemblance between Christianity and the teaching of Plato
* Was fundamental in breaking in the idea of a single god, which would
later allow Christianity to flourish
5) Students and Plato's influence
i) established a formal school (Academy)
a) attracted the best students
from all around Greece
E) Aristotle - Student of Plato
1) contributions to science, politics and literature
i) believed that thirst for knowledge
is the greatest desire
ii) believed everything has a purpose
(telos)
a) its purpose is what makes
it unique
b) humans ability to reason
is its uniqueness, people are put on earth to reason
iii) classified as much as he could
into groups
a) created biology and zoology
iv) classified governments ( wrote the
book Politics)
a) describes real societies
(City governments of Greece)
b) Groups them into democracy,
aristocracy....etc.
1) gives the
pro's and con's of each type of government
v) Physics
a) put people on the right
track to find truths
vi) literature
a) classified literary types
such as poems etc.
vii) established a school called the
Lyceum
F) Diogenes (cynicism)
1) to lead a happy life one must live like a dog
i) don't worry about material possessions
a) only had 3 possessions,
cup, bag for food, and a staff in old age
ii) don't worry about shelter
a) hung around the public
buildings / was the original homeless man
iii) don't worry about dignity (don't
care what others think of you)
a) don't worry about others
dignity either, many people who have respect do not deserve it
iv) Alexander asks if he can do any
thing for Diogenes
a) Diogenes says "Move out
of my sunlight"
*Diogenes asks who is afraid of what is good?
2) Dogs know how to handle disappointment
i) starts praying to Zeus "to get used
to disappointments"
3) Don't expect too much from human beings
i) very few people are honest and good
men
4) Used his sense of humor to approach bad situations
i) probably saved him from being killed
by men who wanted respect
G) Stoics (created by Zeno in 314 b.c.)
1) built around the idea of cycles - all events
repeat each other
2) believed in ethics (treat people right)
3) helped people with suffering
i) people suffer because they want
ii) tells people to want not
iii) apatheia - ability to handle all
challenges
H) Epicurean
1) Helped people overcome fears
2) said that death is merely the dismembering of
atoms
3) why care if the body dies, you don't know that
it is dying
4) people should concentrate on pleasure
i) problems- most pleasure causes pain....ie...drinking
ii) best pleasure is learning, there
is no pain associated with that