Greek History & Philosophers

Greek History & Philosophers

Vocabulary • Philosophy • Philosopher • Sophist • Socratic Method

Greek Philosophers • The word “Philosophy” comes from the Greek word for love of wisdom • Greek Philosophy led to the study of history, political science, science, & Mathematics.

Greek Philosophers • Philosophy- Study of the nature & meaning of life. • Philosopher- Thinker who seeks wisdom and ponders questions of life.

Greek Philosophers • Many philosophers were teachers • Pythagoras- taught his students that the universe followed the same laws that governed music & numbers • He thought all relationships in the world could be expressed numerically.

Sophists • Sophists- were professional teachers in ancient Greece. • Traveled from city to city and made a living teaching others • Sophists did not believe the gods & goddesses influenced people.

Socrates • Socrates- An Athenian sculpter whose true love was philosophy. • He was a critic of Sophists. • What we know about Socrates was left behind in the writings of his students.

Socrates • He believed in absolute truth. • He believed all knowledge was within each person. • He invented the Socratic Method- asking pointed questions to force people to use reason & to see things for themselves.

Socrates • Some Athenians considered the Socratic method a threat to their power. • This brought about open debate until after the Peloponesian War when debate was no longer trusted.

Socrates • In 399 BC Athenian leaders accused Socrates of encouraging young people to rebel against the state. • He would be found guilty and sentence to death. • He then drank poison to carry out his sentence.

Plato • Plato was a student of Socrates. • He wrote The Republic explaining his ideas about government. • Plato thought a pure democracy was not a good idea, that people did not make good sensible decisions

Plato • In the Republic he divided people into 3 catagories: • Philosopher-kings • Warriors • All other people.

Aristotle • Plato created a school in Athens known as the Academy. • His best student was Aristotle. • Aristotle wrote more than 200 books covering government to astronomy.

Aristotle • In 355 BC Aristotle opened his own school called the Lyceum. • Aristotle taught the “Golden Mean”- people should not do things in excess.

Aristotle • Aristotle helped advance science encouraging people to use their senses to make observations. • Aristotle studies the governments of 158 different places.

Aristotle • He was always looking for the best form of government. • In his book Politics, he divided government into 3 types: • Gov. by one person • Gov. by a few people • Gov. by many people

Aristotle • Aristotle noticed that government by the few was ran by the rich • Government by many was ran by the poor. • Aristotle thought there should be a mix of both. • Aristotle shaped what would become the American government, p.5

Greek Historians • In the ancient world most places did not write about history. • In 435 BC a Greek named Herodotus wrote the history of the Persian Wars. • He tried to separate fact from legend.

Greek Historians • He asked questions and checked the truthfulness of sources. • Western Historians consider him the Father of History.

Greek Historians • Many historians consider Thucydides the greatest historian of the ancient world. • He fought in the Peloponesian War & wrote The History of the Peloponesian War.

Greek Historians • Thucydides saw politics & war as events of humans not of the gods like Herodotus.

Greek History & Philosophers