Download Characteristics of the Greeks

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Characteristics of the Greeks
I.
Expansionism
A. Define expand: to increase the extent, number, volume, or scope of.
B. Who is Alexander the Great? Alexander III of Macedon (20/21 July
356 – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great,
was a king of Macedon, a state in northern Greece. By the age of
30, he had created one of the largest empires in ancient history,
stretching from the Ionian Sea to the Himalayas. He was
undefeated in battle and is considered one of the most successful
commanders of all time.
II.
Individualistic
A. Define individualist: Rely on yourself; One that pursues a markedly
independent course in thought or action.
B. Define anthropomorphic: Described or thought of as having a human
form or human attributes.
C. What are the following Greek Gods or Goddesses known for throughout
Greek history?
1. Aphrodite? The Greek goddess of love and beauty.
2. Apollo? The Greek and Roman god of sunlight, prophecy, music,
and poetry.
3. Athena? The Greek goddess of wisdom.
4. Hades? The Greek god of the underworld.
5. Poseidon? The Greek god of the sea.
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6. Zeus? The king of the gods and husband of Hera in Greek
mythology.
III. Intellectual Curiosity
A. Define philosophy: Pursuit or love of wisdom; a discipline comprising as
its core logic, values, reason, aesthetics, ethics, metaphysics, and
epistemology.
1. Who was Socrates? A classical Greek Athenian philosopher.
Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an
enigmatic figure known chiefly through the accounts of later
classical writers, especially the writings of his students Plato and
Xenophon, and the plays of his contemporary Aristophanes. Many
would claim that Plato's dialogues are the most comprehensive
accounts of Socrates to survive from antiquity. Through his
portrayal in Plato's dialogues, Socrates has become renowned for
his contribution to the field of ethics, and it is this Platonic
Socrates who also lends his name to the concepts of Socratic
irony and the Socratic Method, or elenchus.
2. Who was Plato? A classical Greek philosopher, mathematician,
student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder
of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning
in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his
student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the foundations of Western
philosophy and science.
3. Who was Aristotle? A Greek philosopher and polymath, a student
of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover
many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater,
music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics,
biology, and zoology. Together with Plato and Socrates (Plato's
teacher), Aristotle is one of the most important founding figures
in Western philosophy. Aristotle's writings were the first to
create a comprehensive system of Western philosophy,
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encompassing morality and aesthetics, logic and science, politics
and metaphysics. Aristotle's views on the physical sciences
profoundly shaped medieval scholarship, and their influence
extended well into the Renaissance, although they were ultimately
replaced by Newtonian physics.
B. Define science: The state of knowing; knowledge as distinguished from
ignorance or misunderstanding.
1. Who was Democritus? Father of Modern Science; the Laughing
philosopher Greek philos; formulated an atomic theory for the
cosmos.
2. Who was Hippocrates? Father of Medicine; Greek physician.
IV.
Humanistic
A. Define humanism: A belief that humans can do anything; a doctrine,
attitude, or way of life centered on human interests or values;
especially a philosophy that usually rejects supernaturalism and
stresses an individual's dignity and worth and capacity for selfrealization through reason.
B. Define Spartan: A native or inhabitant of ancient Sparta; a person of
great courage and self-discipline.
V.
Perfectionist
Define perfectionist: To be perfect; the doctrine that the perfection of
moral character constitutes a person's highest good; a disposition to
regard anything short of perfection as unacceptable.
VI.
Idealistic
A. Define idealism: Optimist; a theory that the essential nature of
reality lies in consciousness or reason; a theory that only the
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perceptible is real; a theory that only mental states or entities are
knowable; optimist.
B. Define Athenian: Athenians believed that individuals should be free as
long as they acted within the laws of Greece. This allowed them the
opportunity to excel in any direction they chose. Individuality, as
the Greeks viewed it, was the basis of their society. The ability to
strive for excellence, no matter what the challenge, was what the
Athenians so dearly believed in. This strive for excellence was the
method from which they achieved such phenomenal accomplishments.
These accomplishments astound us to this day. They also believed in
the balance of mind and body. Although many of them strove to
become soldiers and athletes, others ventured into philosophy,
drama, pottery and the arts. The two most important concepts
which the ancient Greeks followed were found inscribed on the great
shrine of Delphi, which read "Nothing in excess" and "Know thyself.”
This philosophy greatly impacted the Greek civilization. Athens was
the intellectual center of Greece.
VII. Political Decentralization
A. Define political: Of or relating to government, a government, or the
conduct of government.
B. Define decentralization: The dispersion or distribution of functions and
powers; specifically: the delegation of power from a central authority
to regional and local authorities.
C. Define monarchy: King; undivided rule or absolute sovereignty by a
single person; a government having a hereditary chief of state with
life tenure and powers varying from nominal to absolute.
D. Define oligarchy: Government by the few; a government in which a
small group exercises control especially for corrupt and selfish
purposes.
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E. Define tyranny: Oppressive power; a government in which absolute
power is vested in a single ruler; dictatorship.
F. Define democracy: Government by the people, especially rule of the
majority; a government in which the supreme power is vested in the
people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system
of representation usually involving periodically held free elections.
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