The Golden Age of Greek Philosophy

Pre-Socratics, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle

Pre-Socratics
Philo, sophia pre-Socratics: What is the fundamental unity of all things?
Thales of Miletus (624-548 BC): water Anaximenes (6th century BC): air Empedocles (493-433 BC): earth, air, fire, water Heracleitus (550-475 BC): logos; rational principle underlying all flux

Pythagoras (582-500 BC): ultimate reality, like mathematics, is grasped in the mind only

Socrates (469-399 BC)

Famous teacher of Plato Socratic method: through dialogue, asking questions Sentenced to death for blasphemy and corrupting the youth by Athenian polis

Plato (428/27 BC 348/47 BC )

Questions
What are the implications of Plato's theory of forms for beliefs about the world and human beings? for beliefs about the gods? How does the Greek concept of the Good compare to the Hebrew God? How do Greek philosophers reflect agonistic values? How does Aristotle's philosophy differ from that of Plato? What are the defining features of the ideal city, according to Plato's Republic?

Aristotle (384-322 BC)

Unlike Plato, believed that knowledge begins with the senses Things are categorized according to their likenesses and differences (e.g.: a human being is a rational animal) Teleology (telos) Syllogistic logic Fourfold theory of causation

Questions from the Textbook

How do the concerns of modern scientists compare to those of the ancient Greek philosophers? What are the implications of Plato's theory of forms for beliefs about the world and human beings? for beliefs about the gods? How does the Greek concept of the Good compare to the Hebrew God? How do Greek philosophers reflect agonistic values? How does Aristotle's philosophy differ from that of Plato? What are the defining features of the ideal city, according to Plato's Republic?

Questions on the Sources

Mitylinean debate, from Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War: Evaluate the arguments for and against maintaining the death sentence against the Mitylineans. What is the basis for each position? Cleon delivers a critique of Athenian democracy, and a characterization of the Athenian empire. How does his view compare to the ideal articulated by Pericles earlier in the war? Plato's Symposium In the section we are reading for today, we encounter five speeches on love: those of Phaedrus, Pausanias, Eryximachus, Aristophanes, and Agathon. Pick any two of these speeches and analyze them as best you can. Do the five speeches conflict with one another, or build on one another? Explain your answer. Socrates hasnt given his speech yet, but hes been part of the conversation. What do we learn so far about Socrates character and beliefs?