GREEK THINKERS WHAT IDEAS DID THE GREEKS DEVELOP TO EXPLAIN THE WORLD AROUND THEM?

GREEK THINKERS WHAT IDEAS DID THE GREEKS DEVELOP TO EXPLAIN THE WORLD AROUND THEM?

PHILOSOPHY (GREEK FOR LOVE OF WISDOM ) Investigation or thinking about truths and principles of knowledge or conduct A system of principles for guidance in practical affairs

BACK TO: THE GOLDEN AGE OF GREECE During the Golden Age, art, architecture, and literature flourished. Thinkerswere pondering deep questions about truth. They were developing the study of Science and Mathematics. Greek thinkers (philosophers) helped develop the study of history, political science, biology, and logic.

THE SOPHISTS A group of philosophers known as Sophiststraveled from polis to polis. They made their living by teaching. They taught many subjects but were known for teaching rhetoric ( the art of public speaking and debate). Sophists did not believe that the gods influenced human actions. They rejected the idea of right or wrong saying what was right for one might be wrong for another. The Sophistsaccepted money for teaching. Many Greeks thought the Sophistslacked ideals and taught students to win arguments instead of seek truth.

SOCRATES Socratesloved philosophy. He lived in Athens and spent most of his time teaching. He did not leave a written record of his beliefs so information about him is found in his students writings. Socrates was a harsh critic of the Sophists. He believed in absolute truth. He created a new way of questioning called the Socratic Method. Using this method, he did not lecture but asked pointed questions and waited for the students to respond. He wanted students to find the answers for themselves and form their own opinions.

DANGEROUS Some Athenian leaders believed that the Socratic Method was dangerous. New rulers limited the freedom of speech and questioning their leaders. Socratescontinued to teach his students with debate and discussion. In 399 BCE the city leaders of Athens were afraid of Socrate sinfluence and arrested him. They charged him with urging young people to rebel against the government. A jury found him guilty and sentenced him to death.

Following the verdict, Socrateswas given the choice to leave Athens and live, or stay and die. He stayed. Then Socratesgave his last speech. He said he was living under the city s laws and he would obey them. Socrateswas given a cup of poison hemlock to drink and he died.

Why do you think Socrates stayed in Athens and drank the poison? Explain the Socratic method.

PLATO Platowas one of Socrates students. Platobecame a teacher and founded a school in Athens called The Academy. Platorecorded his ideas in writing. Platowrote The Republic. In this work he presented his plan for an ideal society and government. In The Republic, Platoorganized society into three groups. At the top were philosopher kings-they ruled with wisdom and logic. Warriors were the second group they defended society from attack with force. The third group included the rest of the people. Their role was to produce food, clothing and shelter for society.

Platobelieved an ideal society must have a just and reasonable government. In The Republic, he declared his dislike of Athenian democracy. He thought common people did not think for themselves and made foolish decisions. The philosopher-kings would be intelligent and well-educated, and would place the needs of the community ahead of their own needs. Plato wanted only these kings to govern Greece. Platobelieved women needed more rights. He felt women should have the same education and jobs that men have.

Would Plato approve of the American system of government? Explain your answer. Why did Plato dislike Athenian democracy?

ARISTOTLE Aristotlewas another great thinker of ancient Greece. He had been a student of Plato. He wrote more than 200 works on topics such as government, astronomy, and political science. In 335 BCE, he started a school called the Lyceum. He taught his students the golden mean. The mean is the middle position between two extremes. The idea of the golden mean is that people should live moderately. For example, do not eat too little or too much. Eat enough to stay well. Aristotlehad many interests, including science. He studied the stars, plants, animals, and recorded what he observed. He classified living things according to their similarities and differences. This was a step toward modern Science.

Aristotlealso wrote about government. He studied and compared governments of different city-states and hoped to find the best political system. In his book,politics, he divided governments into three types: monarchy, oligarchy, and democracy. He thought the best government had features of all three. His ideas influenced the way Europeans and Americans thought about government. The authors of the U. S. Constitution believed Aristotle s idea that no one group should have too much power.