Download Ancient Greek Philosophers

ANCIENT GREEK
PHILOSOPHERS
Socrates




470-399BC
Laid the foundation for Western philosophy
Became known as the “wisest man in all of Greece”
Most of what is known about Socrates is derived
from information of different sources.




Plato
Xenophone
Aristophanes
Aristotle
Socrates



Socrates was critical of Athenian democracy, and
preached to his students, that a monarchy was
preferable.
He praised the laws and government of Sparta
When his students began betraying Athens to
Sparta, this became a catalyst for the trial against
Socrates.
Plato’s Apology


In the defense of Socrates, contained in the Apology by
Plato, Socrates questioned the men of Athens about
their knowledge of good, beauty, and virtue. Finding
they knew nothing and yet believed themselves to know
much, Socrates came to the conclusion that he was only
wise only in so far as he knew nothing. This made the
prominent Athenians look foolish, turning them against
him.
He was found guilty of corrupting the youth, inventing
new deities (heresy), and disbelieving in the divine (
atheism).
Death of Socrates




He was sentenced to die by drinking a silver goblet
of hemlock.
Socrates turned the pleas of his disciples to attempt
an escape from prison.
According to the Phaedo, Socrates had a calm
death.
According to Plato and Xenophone, Socrates had an
opportunity to escape, as his followers were able to
bribe the guards. But Socrates did not want to
leave Athens.
The Death of Socrates

Socrates refused to escape for several reasons:




1. He believed that such a fight would indicate a fear of death,
which he believed that no true philosopher has.
2. Even if he did leave, he, and his teaching would not fare
better in another country.
3. Having knowingly agreed to live under the city’s laws, he
implicitly subjected himself to the possibility of being accused of
crimes by its citizens and judged guilty by its jury.
So…at age 70 Socrates was put to death.
Socratic Method





Answering a question with a question
A method of inquiry, known as the Socratic method
was probably his most important contribution.
It allows for the examination of key moral concepts
such as Good and Justice.
It was first described by Plato in the Socratic
Dialogues.
He is believed to be the father of political
philosophy and ethics or moral philosophy.
Socrates beliefs




“Wisdom is limited to an awareness of ones own
ignorance”
He believed that the best way for people to live was to
focus on self-development, rather than the pursuit of
material wealth.
Concentrate more on friendships and a sense of true
community.
He stressed that “virtue was the most valuable of all
possessions; the ideal life was spent in search of the
Good. Truth lies beneath the shadows of existence, and
that it is the job of the philosopher to show the rest how
little they really know.”
Beliefs continued:




To truly be good and not just act with “right
opinion”; one must come to know the unchanging
Good in itself.
“Ideals belong in a world that only the wise amn
can understand”
He also discussed reincarnation and the mystery
religions
He objected to democracy
Plato



427-347 BC
Real name is Aristocles
Founder of the Academy
Plato’s Writings


Plato wrote in dialogue
Some of his famous works were:




Socrates Death
The Trial of Socrates
The Republic
The Allegory of the Cave
The Republic


This was a dialogue on the ideal government
He believed that society has a three class structure;



1. Productive class- The workers
2. Protective class- The soldiers
3. Governing class- The rulers
 He believed that a person with sound reason and wisdom
should govern- Therefore it should be a “philosopher king”,
that is someone “who loves the sight of truth.”
 He also addresses the education system in The Republic,
therefore producing the philosopher king.
Plato’s themes





The conflict between nature and convention, concerning
the role of heredity and environment on human
intelligence and personality. (Nature vs. nurture)
The distinction between knowledge and true belief.
He believed oral communication was far better than the
written form.
Metaphysical dualism- That the world is divided into
two forms. (Intelligible – Soul and the Perceptual –
body)
Also the idea of Good from what is really good.
The Academy


At the age of 40, founded one of the earliest
organized schools in Western civilization-The
Academy
It eventually closed by Justinian I of Byzantium, who
saw it as a threat to Christianity.
Aristotle





384-322BC
Student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the
Great
He was a polymath ( a person who excelled in
many subjects)
At the age of 10, he became an orphan and
placed under the guardianship of his Uncle.
At age 18, he attended The Academy
The Lyceum




In 336BC, Aristotle opened his own school The
Lyceum.
This is after he tutored Alexander the Great
He believed that philosophy was also a science of
that which is “actual”
He thought that in order to become “good”, one
could not simply study what virtue is; one must
actually be virtuous. The ultimate goal in life was
called the Highest Good.
Metaphysics

The 5 elements
 Fire-
which is hot and dry
 Earth- which is cold and dry
 Air- which is hot and wet
 Water- which is cold and wet
 Aether- which is the divine substance that makes up the
heavenly spheres and heavenly bodies. ( stars and
planets)
Thoughts







Live life in moderation
Achieve the Ultimate Good
The good of the many, outweigh the good of the few
A friend to all is a friend to none
All men by nature desire knowledge
Even when laws have been written down, they ought not
always to remain unaltered.
Good habits formed at youth make all the difference.
Happiness depends upon ourselves.
Diogenes- “The Cynic”




It was said of Diogenes that throughout his life he
“searched with a lantern in the daylight for an honest
man.” And though Diogenes apparently did not find an
honest man, he had, in the process, “exposed the vanity
and selfishness of man.”
He was a pupil of Antisthenes who founded the cynics.
Cynics held contempt for ease, wealth and the
enjoyments of life.
Diogenes took this to heart- his clothing was the
coarsest- his food the plainest- and his bed was the
bare ground.
Cynicism



Like Socrates, the Cynics believed that VIRTUE was
the greatest good.
The purpose of a cynic was to expose the follies of
their times, as well as the timeless foibles of
humankind.
“A cynic is a spy who aims to discover what things
are friendly or hostile to man; after making
accurate observations, he then comes back and
reports the truth.”
Cynics-today



“a person disposed to find fault.”
A person who does not believe in sincerity or
goodness of human motives and actions.
A person who is very sarcastic and a fault finder.
Diogenes Quotes






The vine bears three kinds of grapes: the first of
pleasure, the second of intoxication, the third of disgust.
We have two ears and one tongue so that we would
listen more and talk less.
I know nothing, except the fact of my ignorance.
I am not an Athenian or a Greek, but a citizen of the
world.
He who has the most is most content with the least.
Dogs and philosophers do the greatest good and get
the fewest rewards.
More thoughts




As a matter of self-preservation, a man needs good
friends or ardent enemies, for the former instruct
him and the latter take him to task.
It takes a wise man to discover a wise man.
The foundation of every state is the education of its
youth.
Diogenes would introduce himself by saying, “I am
Diogenes the dog. I nuzzle the kind, bark at the
greedy and bite scoundrels.”
Skeptics-Pyrrho



Pyrrho denied practically everything: he believed
objective knowledge is impossible to achieve and
that one should free oneself from opinions, passions,
be calm at mind and soul and totally turn one’s
back on the world.
To Pyrrho, life and death was one and the same.
When crossing a street…he never looked around,
and if a wagon came against him he did not turn
back, constantly being rescued by friends and
disciples. Even so, Pyrrho lived to be at least 90.
Pyrrho
Western Skepticism



Pyrrho found peace by admitting to ignorance and
seeming to abandon the criterion by which
knowledge is gained.
He never found a philosophy school which he felt
was correct.
Knowledgeable ignorance- is arrived through the
application of logical reasoning and exposition of
its inadequacy. The distinction between “being”
and “appearing”.
Skeptics





…Wanted a “peace of mind”
…Would pit one philosophy against another
philosophy to undermine the belief in that
philosophy.
They believed there was no need to believe in the
purpose of life, justice, divinity and soul.
They believed that science does not require belief
and faith, so should the philosopher.
They wanted to cultivate distrust.
Epicurus- Epicurianism




Opened a school –”the Garden”
Emphasized moderation of desires and cultivation
of friendships.
This philosophy, he believed could liberate one from
fears of death and the supernatural, and can teach
us how to find happiness in almost any situation.
He died at the age of 72, being never married or
having children.
Beliefs







Rejected an afterlife.
When the body dies the soul disintegrates.
Do believe in gods.
Saw religion as a source of fear.
Purpose of life is a peace of mind, happiness and
pleasure.
Seek pleasure and avoid pain.
We must exercise ourselves in the things which bring
us happiness.
Other thoughts


No need to eat, drink and be merry if tomorrow
you will have a headache.
The greatest good in Epicureanism is a tranquility
derived by the absence of agitation.
Quotes:



It is impossible to live a pleasant life without living
wisely and honorably and justly, and it is impossible
to live wisely and honorably and justly without
living pleasantly.
Chance seldom interferes with the wise man: his
greatest and highest interests have been, are, and
will be, directed by reason throughout his whole life.
Out of all the means which wisdom acquires to
ensure happiness throughout the whole of life, by
far the most is friendship.
Zeno-Stoicism


Philosophy
Following the ideas of the Academics, Zeno divided
philosophy into three parts: Logic (a very wide
subject including rhetoric, grammar, and the theories
of perception and thought); Physics (not just science,
but the divine nature of the universe as well); and
Ethics, the end goal of which was to achieve
happiness through the right way of living according
to Nature.