Foundations of Philosophy: Ancient Greek Thought

Foundations of Philosophy: Ancient Greek Thought

• Ancient Greek philosophy emerged as a departure from mythological explanations of the world.
• Mythological explanations of the world and human origins were not questioned.
• Ancient Greek philosophers sought to understand the world through reason and observation.
• Greek philosophers believed in a natural order, and sought to discover the laws that governed it.

Myth vs. Philosophy

• Myth relied on supernatural explanations while philosophy questioned these.
• Myth provided explanations of reality's origins, human existence, and nature.
• The nature of reality and the beginnings of the world were explained by myths, which weren't open to reinterpretation or questioning.
• Mythologies often linked the world of gods with the world of men.
• A lack of awareness of the passage of time was a key component of myth.

Philos-Sophia

• "Philos" means "love" and "Sophia" means "wisdom".
• The "Greek Miracle" marked a shift in understanding the world from myth to reason.
• This shift was marked by a rapid development of philosophical thought in Ancient Greece.

Mycenaean & Polis Cultures

• Mycenaean culture (18th - 10th century BCE) was characterized by "Palace economies" under a single or small group of leaders.
• Writing and reading were limited to a small group of scribes.
• The polis culture (8th century BCE - 2nd century CE) was based on social organization.
• Citizens participated in political life through meetings in the agora.

The Rise of "Natural Philosophers"

• Natural philosophers emerged in Ionia (present-day Turkey).
• They focused on understanding the natural world, including movement, change, cause, and effect.
• Natural philosophers believed that the natural world was governed by an order that humans could understand and describe.

Thales of Miletus (c. 624-546 BCE)

• Thales believed that water was the fundamental substance of the universe.
• He believed that natural laws governed existence, not gods.
• The world contained gods, but gods were not necessary to explain how the world worked.

Anaximenes of Miletus (c. 586-526 BCE)

• Anaximenes proposed that air was the fundamental principle of the universe.
• Air, being in constant motion, could take on different densities.
• Anaximenes developed a scientific approach to understanding the world's workings.

Heraclitus (c. 540-480 BCE)

• Heraclitus believed that fire was the fundamental principle from which all other things came.
• Change and a constant state of flux underlie the universe.
• He proclaimed "Panta rhei" ("everything flows").

Xenophanes (c. 570-478 BCE)

• Xenophanes challenged the idea that gods were in human form.
• He observed that different cultures created gods in their own image.

Atomism (c. 570-478 BCE)

• Atomism postulated that matter was made of indivisible particles (atoms).
• There was an empty space between atoms - "the void".
• This contrasted with earlier ideas that matter had infinite divisibility.

Sophists (c. 570-478 BCE)

• Sophists were teachers who focused on practical skills rather than abstract knowledge.
• They were often critics of existing social and political institutions.
• The Sophists moved Greek philosophy away from abstract cosmology to examining political matters.

Socrates (469-399 BCE)

• Socrates focused on ethics and knowledge.
• He used the Socratic method, which involved rigorous questioning to stimulate critical thinking.
• The unexamined life is not worth living.

Plato (c. 424-348 BCE)

• Plato, a student of Socrates, developed the Theory of Forms.
• He argued that the physical world is a shadow of a more perfect world of Forms.
• He used the allegory of the cave to explain this.
• He also explored idealized political systems.

Aristotle (384-322 BCE)

• Aristotle, a student of Plato, emphasized observation and empirical evidence.
• He developed the concept of hylomorphism.
• He believed in a monotheistic God guiding the universe's operations, but without involvement in daily affairs.
• Aristotle viewed humans as "political animals," with a need for community.

Hellenistic Philosophy

• The decline of the Greek city-states affected philosophy.
• Hellenistic philosophy shifted toward individual ethical questions and the pursuit of happiness.

Epicureanism (341-270 BCE)

• Epicureanism advocated for a life focused on pleasure and the avoidance of pain.
• Pleasure itself was defined as freedom from physical and mental disturbances.
• A method of obtaining happiness involved restricting desires to natural and necessary ones, cultivating friends, and gaining knowledge about external threats.

Cynicism (c. 412-323 BCE)

• Cynicism rejected conventional values like wealth and power.
• It advocated for self-sufficiency (autarky) through asceticism.
• Essentially, they aimed for freedom from social constraints through a rejection of societal norms.

Skepticism (c. 365-275 BCE)

• Skeptics questioned the possibility of attaining reliable knowledge.
• Advocated for suspending judgment to achieve mental peace.
• They felt that accepting traditions, customs, and laws were a more practical approach.

Stoicism (c. 334-262 BCE)

• Stoicism emphasized living in harmony with nature.
• Stoics believed in a divine, rational principle governing the universe.
• They advocated for cosmopolitanism and a sense of living in harmony with nature.

Neoplatonism (3rd century CE)

• Neoplatonism revived Plato's ideas, but focused on a mystical path.
• God was presented as the ultimate source of all existence.
• This path to understanding God involved contemplation.

Antiquity vs Christianity

• Antiquity viewed history as cyclical or based on the concept of eternal return.
• Christianity viewed history as linear.
• In Christianity, God had created the universe for a specific purpose (not simply accepting natural laws).
• Christian beliefs emphasized that humans were not simply part of nature, but had spiritual aspects.

Ancient Philosophy - Dictionary

• Key terms and their definitions from ancient Greek philosophy. (Includes: Arche, Physis, Logos, Cosmos, Episteme, Sophia, Eudaimonia, Arete, Catharsis)

Explore the transition from mythological explanations to philosophical inquiry in Ancient Greece. This quiz delves into the key principles of Greek philosophy, including its emphasis on reason and observation. Understand how ancient philosophers sought to explain the natural order of the world and the essence of human existence.