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Ancient Greek Philosophy

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Page 1: Philosophers Socrates, 469-399 Believed that one arrives at the truth by questioning the assumptions on which all things are based Plato, 428-347 Student

Ancient Greek Philosophy

Page 2: Philosophers Socrates, 469-399 Believed that one arrives at the truth by questioning the assumptions on which all things are based Plato, 428-347 Student

PhilosophersSocrates, 469-399

Believed that one arrives at the truth by questioning the assumptions on which all things are based

Plato, 428-347Student of Socrates

Aristotle, 384-322Student of Plato“THE” philosopher by Medievalists

Page 3: Philosophers Socrates, 469-399 Believed that one arrives at the truth by questioning the assumptions on which all things are based Plato, 428-347 Student

Greek Philosophy & Its OriginsPhilosophy = love of wisdomMesopotamians and

Egyptians contemplated how the natural world around them worked

Early Greeks (time of Homer, c.800 BCE) used mythological stories to explain the natural world

7th Century BCE – Greeks looked for new, more practical explanations

Page 4: Philosophers Socrates, 469-399 Believed that one arrives at the truth by questioning the assumptions on which all things are based Plato, 428-347 Student

Socrates (469-399 BCE)What little we know comes from his

students, Plato and Xenophon, and his enemy, Aristophanes

Humble birthWrote nothing downFounded no formal school – taught in the

agoraBelieved material things would not bring

happinessDied for his principles

Page 5: Philosophers Socrates, 469-399 Believed that one arrives at the truth by questioning the assumptions on which all things are based Plato, 428-347 Student

Socratic Philosophers

Page 6: Philosophers Socrates, 469-399 Believed that one arrives at the truth by questioning the assumptions on which all things are based Plato, 428-347 Student

So Many Questions…What should we do? (i.e. how should we

behave)What is the meaning of life?What is the meaning of happiness?Is perfection possible?What constitutes the good or just life?What is virtue?How should a man best conduct his life?

Page 7: Philosophers Socrates, 469-399 Believed that one arrives at the truth by questioning the assumptions on which all things are based Plato, 428-347 Student

ExerciseFor each statement ask as many follow up

questions as you can with your table group. Record questions that were brainstormed

Statement #1 – Only people over the age of 21 should be allowed to drink

Statement #2 – The United States should abolish the sale of firearms to the public

Page 8: Philosophers Socrates, 469-399 Believed that one arrives at the truth by questioning the assumptions on which all things are based Plato, 428-347 Student

Socratic MethodMethod of elenchus (i.e. rigorous

questioning technique)Designed to “sting” people into realizing

their own ignoranceProvoke genuine intellectual curiosity

True knowledge gained only by constantly questioning assumptions that underly all we doTo achieve truth is to engage in a permanent

state of critical thinking

Page 9: Philosophers Socrates, 469-399 Believed that one arrives at the truth by questioning the assumptions on which all things are based Plato, 428-347 Student

Socratic Method ExampleQ: So you think that the gods know

everything/A: Yes, because they are gods.Q: Do some gods disagree with others?A: Yes, of course they do. They are always

fighting.Q: So gods disagree about what is true and

right?A: I suppose they must do.Q: So some gods can be wrong sometimes?A: I suppose that is true.THEREFORE the gods cannot know

everything!

Page 10: Philosophers Socrates, 469-399 Believed that one arrives at the truth by questioning the assumptions on which all things are based Plato, 428-347 Student

The only life worth living is a

good life.

I can only live a good life if I really know

what ‘good’ and ‘evil’ are.

‘Good’ and ‘evil’ are not relative; they are absolutes that can only be found

by a process of questioning and

reasoning.An

unquestioning life is one of ignorance without morality.

In this way, morality and

knowledge are bound together.

The life which is unexamined is

not worth living.

Page 11: Philosophers Socrates, 469-399 Believed that one arrives at the truth by questioning the assumptions on which all things are based Plato, 428-347 Student

Socrates’ EndAlcibiades, Socrates’ pupil, betrayed fellow

Athenians by defecting to Sparta in Peloponnesian War

Socrates scapegoated by Alcibiades’ actions, accused of “not believing in the gods” and “corrupting the youth”

Tried and sentenced to deathRefused to plead for lesser punishment

Wanted his punishment to be free meals for the rest of his life

This was usually only given to state heroesForced to drink poison hemlock and died

Page 12: Philosophers Socrates, 469-399 Believed that one arrives at the truth by questioning the assumptions on which all things are based Plato, 428-347 Student
Page 13: Philosophers Socrates, 469-399 Believed that one arrives at the truth by questioning the assumptions on which all things are based Plato, 428-347 Student

LegacySocrates used the claim of wisdom as his moral basisChief goodness consists in the caring of the soul

concerned with moral truth and understanding“Wealth does not bring goodness, but goodness

brings wealth and every other blessing, both to the individual and to the state”

“Life without examination (dialogue) is not worth living”

“I am a citizen, not of Athens or of Greece, but of the world”

“I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance”He would want you to evaluate society and your own

life regularly!