Ancient Greek history, Hesiod and Socrates

• Ancient Greek history is divided into: the Greek Bronze Age (3000–1100 BCE), the Greek Dark Ages (1100–800 BCE), the Archaic Period (800–490 BCE), the Classical Period (490–323 BCE), and the Hellenistic Period (323–30 BCE).

Hesiod (~750 BCE–~650 BCE)

• He is known as the award-winning author of Theogony and Works and Days.
• He is a major source for Greek mythology, as well as Greek farming practice and astronomy.
• According to Herodotus, his version of Greek religion united all of Greece.
• He places himself in his work.
• He opposes the warrior ethics of the Bronze Age, and maintains that justice wins in the end.
• Theogony describes Chaos as the first entity, followed by Earth, Tartarus, and Eros (Love).

Socrates (469–399)

• His ethics placed virtue above all else.
• In epistemology, he was known for skepticism and believed the pursuit of knowledge is valuable and that acknowledging our ignorance is essential for inquiry
• He used the method of elenchus.
• He was known for Socratic irony, aloofness, and naivete.
• He lived in Socratic poverty and ataraxia.
• He believed in the daimon (divine sign).
• He thought a lover of inquiry must follow his beloved wherever it may lead him.

Toy Argument

• Tools are useless for those without the knowledge of using them
• Some tools are useful
• If a tool is useful, its value comes from the knowledge of how to use it.
• Knowledge is valuable.
• Valuable things are valuable either as useful tools or in themselves.
• If knowledge is valuable as a tool, its value is due to knowledge of how to use it
• This creates an infinite regress.
• Knowledge is valuable in itself

The Major Pre-Socratics

• Thales (~625–545 BCE)
• Anaximander (~610–545 BCE)
• Anaximenes (~585–525 BCE)
• Xenophanes (~570–480 BCE)
• Pythagoras (~570–495 BCE)
• Heraclitus (6th–5th century BCE)
• Parmenides (6th–5th century BCE)
• Zeno (~490–430 BCE)
• Anaxagoras (~500–425 BCE)
• Empedocles (~495–435 BCE)
• Democritus (~460–370 BCE)

Euthyphro

• Asks, "Tell me then, what is the pious?"

An overview of Ancient Greek history, including the Bronze Age, Dark Ages, Archaic Period, Classical Period, and Hellenistic Period. Focus on Hesiod's contributions to Greek mythology and Socrates' ethics and epistemology. Theogony describes Chaos as the first entity.