Ancient Greece Philosophy

Greek Philosophy

• Around 6th Century BC, there was a shift from accepting myths as truth to learning how to reason with everyday encounters

• Greek philosophy led to the study of history, political science, science and mathematics

• Greek thinkers tried to answers the BIG questions

• ‘Sophists’ were professional teachers that traveled to ancient Greece and made a living by teaching others

Socrates 469-399 BCE• Was a critic of Sophists• Athenian sculptor• Although he left no writings behind, we

are able to learn about him through the writing of his students

• Believed that an absolute truth existed• Creator of the Socratic Method• People accused Socrates of teaching

young Athenians to rebel against the state

• Socrates was found guilty and sentenced to death in 400 B.C.

Plato 428-348 BCE• Was a student of Socrates• Started out with a career in politics, but

left when he realized that politicians weren’t truthful

• Started his own university, ‘The Academy’• Was all about ‘ideas’ as truth• Constant struggle for humans is discovering

the reality of the world by balancing what you know to be true and what the physical world is showing you to be true

Plato on Government• Plato’s book, The Republic

• Thought that the best people should be chosen to rule the state, not through voting

• Described his ideal government by dividing it into three groups: • Philosopher kings who ruled using wisdom

and logic• Warriors defended the state from attack• The rest of the population driven by desire

(not wisdom) and produced food, shelter, clothing

• Believed men and women should have the same education and equal chance to have the same jobs

Aristotle 384-322 BCE

• Student of Plato• Wrote more than 200 books

on a wide range of topics• Opened a school called the

Lyceum. Here, he taught students that a person should do nothing in excess

Aristotle on Government

• In his book, Politics, Aristotle divided the governments in three types• Government by one person (monarchy or

tyrant)• Government by a few people (aristocracy or

oligarchy)• Government by many people (democracy)

• He thought the best type of government was run by a mixture of rich and poor

Something to Think About…

How did Aristotle’s ideas of

government differ from Plato’s?

Allegory of the Cave• What is an allegory?• The Cave

• What is Plato trying to illustrate?

• What is the meaning/message?

• How does Plato’s writing relate to the modern world?Watch: Plato’s Allegory of the Cave in 60 Seconds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAu-CNSh9F0