Greek Philosophy

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Greek Philosophy
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Socrates

• 469 BCE 399 BCE
• Wrote nothing all of his teachings come from
  the Socratic Dialogues recorded by Plato, his
  student.
• Unlike sophists (professional philosophers of the
  day), her never took money for teaching or
  started a school.
• Challenged tradition by following the argument
  wherever it led.

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Socrates

• Attempting to use reason and logic to solve
  practical questions about the world and human
  existence.
• Concern for the individual (versus the good of
  the state)
• Questioning of traditional values
• Public places to put his ideas right into
  peoples faces.
• Gained a loyal following and bitter enemies

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Plato

• 427 BCE 347 BCE
• Socrates loyal student recorder/writer of all
  that survives about Socrates.
• Founded the Academy, the first Western
  university dedicated to education and
  research
• Mathematics, law, political theory
• Produce experts for service of the state

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Platos Theory of Forms

• Existence of a higher dimension
• This dimension holds perfect Forms of all things
  we perceive in our world through sensation
• Highest and most fundamental reality
• Only through philosophy and contemplation can we
  understand these Forms

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Platos Theory of Forms

• Perfect Forms of everything exist in this other
  world chairs, horses, beauty
• Forms are invisible, eternal and unchanging
• Ex. A person is beautiful only because we
  understand what beauty is in the abstract.
• Abstract thought becomes more powerful and
  important than physical world

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The Cave
http//platosallegory.com/
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Aristotle

• 384 322 BCE
• Platos most gifted pupil
• At first loyal, then breaking from teachers
  views
• Created own school, Lyceum, in 335 BCE
• Rival philosophy to Platos
• Platonist vs. Aristotelian

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Aristotle

• Wrote on every serious topic of the time
• Psychology, physics, mathematics
• Series of books that each deal with a different
  discipline
• Metaphysics, Physics, Poetics, Rhetoric
• His philosophies, combined with Christian
  Doctrine, remain the philosophical stance of the
  Catholic Church even today
• the master of those who know - Dante

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Aristotle vs. Plato

• Plato postulated that there were two separate
  dimensions
• Only reach the ideal through philosophy
• Theory of Forms
• Aristotle maintained that forms were present in
  the objects around us
• No split between realities we can see them
• Less out there lends itself to scientific
  research and classification