TheGreekMind

Greek Religion & Humanism

Symbolism: Gods represent abstract concepts

Gods seen as a separate, superior human-like race of immortals

Humanistic Culture: no priesthood

widest latitude of freedom for the individual

Humanistic Principles:

•ananke – “what has to be” - even the gods must obey this universal law

•moira – a personal pattern of life / an individual’s potential

•hubris – overreaching pride brings doom

Destiny’s Wildcards: free will accident

divine intervention

BEWARE!

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•Thales (625-545 B.C.)Water is the Primary Substance

ospherical Earth floats on water all things are full of “God”removed individual Gods from nature

oheavenly objects solid are material objects, not gods onatural causes: nature is impersonal ocontemporary Hebrews, Zoroastrians, Buddhists, Daoists conclude the same thing

Gods reserved for concern with spiritual welfare of manfounded Ionian school at Miletus

EARLY GREEK PHILOSOPHERS

• Anaximander (611-547 B.C.) the “Boundless” is the Primary Substance (not

definable) “Boundless” cannot be perceived things are born not from one substance, but each from

its own particular principles Fire added to list of basic substances

Greek Schools of Material Philosophy

Ionians

EVERYTHING IS IN A STATE OF CONSTANT CHANGE

•UNIVERSE COMPOSED OF ONE SINGLE ELEMENT

•BOUNDLESS – LOGOS

•CONCLUSIONS BASED ON THE FIVE SENSES

•Herakleitos (535-475 B.C.)

• there is no being; everything is in a state of becoming

• Fire is the basic element

• Logos is the guiding force behind all change

• the quest for “What is Real?” is done with the senses, not the mind

•Pythagoras (582-500 B.C.) numbers and geometry provided a

conceptual model of the universe quantities and shapes determine the

forms of natural objects relationship between geometry (shape)

and arithmetic (quantity) music: pleasant tones in integer

relationships numerology and mysticism

• numbers and shapes influence natural and human affairs

symmetry and perfection• symmetry refers to something which is

unchanged after an action• symmetry, beauty, truth, perfection,

simplicity are all related concepts• deeply linked in aesthetics and in art

Greek Schools of Material Philosophy

PythagoreansPythagoras•ALL RELATIONSHIPS IN THE UNIVERSE CAN BE EXPRESSED NUMERICALLY•HARMONY OF THE COSMOS•CONCLUSIONS BASED SOLELYON THE MIND•TRANSCENDENTALISM / TRANSMIGRATION

Pythagorean Universe• Ouranos = Earth and sub

lunar sphere• Cosmos = movable heavens

bounded by sphere of fixed stars

• Olympos = home of the gods founded mystic brotherhood

devoted to mathematical speculation and religious contemplation

men and women admitted on equal terms

all property and ideas held in common

mathematical discoveries kept secret from outsiders

Greek Schools of Material Philosophy

eleaticsParmenides•WHATEVER IS REAL MUST BE PERMANENT AND UNCHANGING

•SENSES CANNOT BE TRUSTED

•THE MIND CAN ARRIVE AT THE TRUTH WITHOUT THE SENSES

Early Athenians

Democritos•THEORY BASED TOTALLY ON THE MIND

•ALL MATTER CONSISTS OF ATOMA

•THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ATOMA IN THE UNIVERSE NEVER CHANGES

•CONSERVATION OF MATTER AND ENERGY

Apocrypha

Apocryphal

SOCRATES(469 ? – 399 BC)

DID HE EXIST OR NOT?

ONLY REPORTS FROM STUDENTS PLATO AND XENOPHON

•SOCIAL GADFLY

•CONSCIENCE OF ATHENS – PROMOTES SELF-EXAMINATION

•LOVED BY INTELLECTUAL STUDENTS, HATED BY POLITICIANS

•SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR CORRUPTING YOUTH

•THE GOAL OF A GOOD LIFE IS HAPPINESS

•HAPPINESS IS ATTAINED THROUGH KNOWLEDGE

MORALS AND METHODOLOGY HAVE PROFOUND INFLUENCE ON PLATO, ARISTOTLE, THE CYNICS, THE

STOICS

SOCRATIC METHOD – DIALECTIC

•USE OF INCREASINGLY SHARP QUESTIONS TO REVEAL THE TRUTH

•QUEST FOR GENERAL DEFINITIONS THROUGH RATIONAL ARGUMENT

•SEEKS A PURELY OBJECTIVE UNDERSTANDING OF SUCH CONCEPTS AS JUSTICE, LOVE, AND VIRTUE

•VIRTUE IS MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICES BASED ON REASON

•VICE IS THE RESULT OF IGNORANCE

P l a t o( 427 – 347 BC )• Student of Socrates

• early writings are dialogues with Socrates as principle speaker.

• coined term “philosophy” – love of knowledgeWHAT IS REAL?

uses Pythagorean and Eleatic principle of unchangeability

Allegory of the Cave:

•Reality consists of Forms (Abstract Ideas) that cannot be grasped by the senses.

•Forms are independent, unchanging, and eternal.

•They have no creator.

•What we sense are mere shadows of these Platonic Absolutes.

•The human soul relates to these forms, and is therefore trapped in its physical body.

DOCTRINE OF ETHOS

•Since the arts (especially music) are transcendent, their main purpose is to promote ethical behavior.

•For this reason, he condones censorship of the arts.

MUSICAL PREFERENCES

•Dorian Mode played with the Lyre.

•Phrygian Mode played with the Aulos

THE REPUBLICTreatise on Government and the Nature of Justice.

(obsessed with justice after Socrates’ death)

Plato formulates a highly advanced society.

Nature determines that there are different classes of people.

Specialization according to class and occupation.

•Society should be ruled by the intellectual / guardian class of Philosopher-Kings.

•Each class should be educated only to the level it needs to function and be happy.

•The Arts should be strictly controlled.

•Both wealth and poverty should be banished.

•Guardians and Soldiers should be forbidden property.

•All other classes should hold individual, NOT community property.

•There should be social mobility, decided during childhood.

JUSTICEIf everyone has there proper place in society, no-one’s rights will be interfered with.

REALITY•In the “Ring of Gyges” section, Plato shows that this ideal society cannot exist.

•Justice can only be approached by the Golden Mean – a balance between intellect and human nature.

Aristotle (384 – 322 BC) born in Macedonia

• Plato’s greatest student at the Academy• founds his own school – The Lyceum

a Peripatetic school• lacks Plato’s vivid imagination

• father’s medical background gives him a foundation based on

empiricism (observation and sense experience)• writings are enormous

(even though only ½ have survived)

most are in the form of lecture notes

Influence: Teacher of Alexander the Great

Foundation of Philosophy during the Middle Ages

System of logic still used today

•Politics - forms of human association•Poetics – scientific analysis of the arts•Rhetoric - the theory and practice of eloquence, whether spoken or

written•Organon - (“instrument”) - logic•Metaphysics – nature of being and reality•Ethics – human behavior, character and intelligence as they relate to

happiness•Physics - natural science, astronomy, meteorology, plants, and

animals

Field of Aesthetics –

The Poetics – guidelines for what constitutes fine art

Greek techne (craft) – art is the making of somethingArt imitates NatureNature always seeks the highest good

Tragedy is the highest art form

• Aristotelian Unities – Time / Place / Plot• Protagonist must have a “tragic flaw” leading to downfall• Six elements: Plot, Character, Diction, Thought, Spectacle,

Melody

Field of Logic - rules for chain of reasoning that

would, if followed, never lead from true premises to false conclusions

syllogism – tool of deductive reasoning

“All humans are mortal”“All Greeks are humans”

therefore “All Greeks are mortal”

“EN” “TELOS” “ECHAIA”within purpose having

FIRST CAUSE UNMOVED MOVER GOD

Reality – Aristotle follows the IONIAN tradition uses senses – scientific observation Abstract Idea and Physical Substance must coincide Reality is a constant progression of substance and form

ENTELECHE“Having Purpose Within”

By nature, all things have an inner goal to fulfill.All things move toward perfection.

The cause of this process is the ultimate perfection:

“GOD” is the only instance of pure form separated from matter.

The Good Life –All things, including humans, seek to attain the highest good.

SUMMUM BONUM [genikotero kalo]

Since humans are “rational animals” – they use their minds to fulfill this goal.

Therefore, human perfection is a rational process.

Virtue is a sign of this perfection.

Extremes in virtue, however are bad.

The GOLDEN MEAN is the ideal balance.

The ideal life is one of CONTEMPLATION.