Foundations of Philosophy: Ancient Greek Philosophy PDF

Foundations of Philosophy Ancient Greek philosophy Dr Mateusz Pietryka  Myth vs Philosophy The nature of reality and the beginning of the world Man should strive to know the nature of the and man are explained by myth, which cannot be world a...

Foundations of Philosophy Ancient Greek philosophy Dr Mateusz Pietryka  Myth vs Philosophy The nature of reality and the beginning of the world Man should strive to know the nature of the and man are explained by myth, which cannot be world and its origins reinterpreted or questioned Truth is not given forever, it can be questioned The world of gods is connected to the world of men The world is governed by the laws of nature Lack of awareness of the passage of time (eternal Gaining knowledge means freedom now) Philos-Sophia 'love' (φίλος) [of] 'wisdom' (σοφία) The Greek Miracle - a sudden leap from an understanding of the world based on myth to an understanding of the world based on reason. Mycenaean culture Polis culture XVIII - X BC VIII BC - II AD “Palace economy” Polis as the basis of social One leader or group of leaders organization Writing and reading available to Citizens participate in the life of the small group of scribes state/city (meetings in the agora) The rise of “natural philosophers” A group of philosophers originating from Ionia (modern-day Turkey) begin to develop mathematical, medical, astronomical, linguistic and other sciences. Their point of focus is the natural world: movement, change, cause and effect. They discover that nature is governed by an order that humans can comprehend and describe.  Thales of Miletus (c. 624-546 BC) Thales sees the rules of being/existence in nature, not in gods. He states that water is the fundamental substance of the universe. World is full of gods, but god are not necessary to explain how the world works. ”Water is the first principle of everything.”  Anaximenes of Miletus (c. 586-526 BC) The main principle of universe is air. Air is in constant motion and can take different densities, all things are made of air. Anaximenes develop a scientific approach to understanding the world. ”Just as our soul, which is air, holds us together, so breath and air surround the whole cosmos.”  Heraclitus (c. 540-480 BC) Fire as the most important principle of life and its purpose. War is a positive phenomenon, just like fire it brings harmony to the universe. Panta rhei - “Everything flows”. The fundamental nature of reality is change. "You could not step twice into the same river.”  Xenophanes (c. 570-478 BC) Gods exist, but people have a wrong idea about them. Each culture creates gods in its own image, both in appearance and behavior. ”But if horses or oxen or lions had handsor could draw with their hands and accomplish such works as men,horses would draw the figures of the gods as similar to horses, and the oxen as similar to oxen, and they would make the bodiesof the sort which each of them had.”  Atomism (c. 570-478 BC) It is impossible to divide matter infinitely, so there must be some material that creates everything. World must consists of indivisible bodies called atoms. ”By convention sweet is sweet, by convention bitter is bitter, by convention hot is hot, by convention cold is cold, by convention color is color. But in reality there are atoms and the void.” Democritus  Sophists (c. 570-478 BC) Thinkers that marked a thematic turn from cosmic matters to political matters, which were continued by subsequent Greek philosophers. They were called “merchants of knowledge” as they took payments for their teachings. Socrates All philosophy before Socrates is called “pre- Socratic”. (469-399 BC) Cognition comes not from experiencing. but from thinking itself. Socratic method - dialogue between individuals that uses questioning to stimulate critical thinking and bring everyone closer to the truth Daimonion - a moral compass, an inner voice that allows people to decide, which actions are morally wrong. "The unexamined life is not worth living." Plato Plato's dialogues are seen as a masterpiece of literature. (c. 424-348 BC) The metaphor of cave - world cannot be known empirically, because there is a a higher, invisible reality (dualism). People live in cave that is merely a reflection of that perfect reality. The real world is the world of ideas that are eternal and unchanging. Only the smartest people can know the world of ideas. An ideal state consists of three classes: rulers (guardians), warriors (auxiliaries), and producers. Citizens of such a state should be characterized by virtues of wisdom, courage, moderation, and justice. Writing weakens people’s memory.  A student of Plato and tutor of Alexander the Aristotle Great. We learn about the world through empirical (384-322 BC) observation. Hylomorphism - reality consists of matter (hyle) and form (morphe), where matter is the potential for something to exist and form is the actualization of that potential. Monotheistic concept of an impersonal deity - God that moves the universe, but has no interes in human affairs. Aristotle's God is the ultimate purpose of the universe. Zōon politikon - man is a “political animal”, in order to flourish must live in the polis. “All men by nature desire to know.” Hellenistic philosophy Decline of Greek city-states and crisis of the democratic system marks the philosophical transition from the political themes to ethical questions and individual pursuit of happiness. Epicureanism Epicurus (341-270 BC) Every pleasure is good, and every pain is evil. But not every pleasure should be chosen and not every pain should be avoided. Eudaimonia - human flourishing, achieved by: 1. Limiting desires to natural and necessary ones 2. Cultivating friendships and social relationships 3. Gaining knowledge to dispel fears 4. Practicing moderation in all things Cynism Diogenes (c. 412-323 BC) Rejection of conventional desires, wealth, power, and fame as unnecessary and potentially corrupting. Freedom from societal constraints and norms. Autarkeia - Self-sufficiency achieved by asceticism. Skepticism Pyrrho of Elis (c. 365-275 BC) Knowing the truth about reality is hardly likely. The best thing man can do is to suspend judgment to achieve a state of mental peace. Conservatism - people should live according to tradition, customs and laws. “The things themselves are equally indifferent, and unstable, and indeterminate, and therefore neither our senses nor our opinions are either true or false.” Eusebius of Caesarea summarizing the thought of Pyrrho Stoicism Zeno of Citium (c. 334-262 BC) Cosmopolitanism - rejection of the idea of citizenship as a defining principle, advocating for the idea of “citizens of the world”. Universe is governed by a divine, rational principle. People shoud live in harmony with nature. God as an active, organizing principle of the universe. Neoplatonism (3rd century AD) Renewal of Plato's teachings by philosophers such as Plotinus and Proclos. “Theologization” of philosophy. God as the original cause of the world, spiritual nature of the world. Ecstatic state - state of illumination and union with God, achieved through contemplation.  Antiquity vs Christianity Cyclical form of history, eternal return. Gods don’t History is linear and means constant approach to have to be the creators of the world or take God. God created everything. He cannot be fully interest in the world. Their actions are rational. comprehended by reason.  Ancient philosophy - dictionary Arche Physis Logos Arche - The fundamental Natural world, nature Word or Reason or Logic. substance or principle from Sometimes something which everything originates underlying rational structure of true universe Cosmos Episteme Sophia World as an order system, Knowledge (science, Wisdom, highest knowledge working in harmony philosophy) Eudaimonia Arete Catharsis Well being, being happy Virtue, the excellence of Purification or cleansing, someone’s character especially of emotions — Raphael, “The School of Athens”