Greek Philosophers PDF

Review! Most Notable Ancient Greek Philosophers  THALES of Miletus- The First Greek Philosopher Thales was born around 624 BC in the city of Miletus in Asia Minor and was part of the new wave of thinkers trying to determine how the cosmos was constructe...

Review! Most Notable Ancient Greek Philosophers  THALES of Miletus- The First Greek Philosopher Thales was born around 624 BC in the city of Miletus in Asia Minor and was part of the new wave of thinkers trying to determine how the cosmos was constructed. This was the philosophical branch of metaphysics. Thales was a Monist, meaning that he considered a single element to be the main building block of the cosmos.  THALES of Miletus- The First Greek Philosopher Thales reached this hypothesis by considering what a cosmological building block would need to be. He determined that it should be capable of changing and moving. It had to be essential to life and it had to be something that every part of the universe could be made from. In his observations, Thales decided that water could fill all these criteria.  THALES of Miletus- The First Greek Philosopher He was one of the first thinkers to consider explanations about the natural world. THE MILESIAN SCHOOL Pythagoras The Father of Mathematics Pythagoras was part of the next wave of presocratic Greek philosophers. Pythagoras believed mathematics offered a harmonious and rational way of explaining the workings of the cosmos. Pythagoras The Father of Mathematics He was one of the first ancient Greek philosophers to use deductive reasoning to make his conclusions, which was a monumental shift in how thinkers formed theories. Pythagoras The Father of Mathematics Famous for the Pythagorean Theor em PROTAGORAS The Relativist Greek Philosopher Protagoras’s experience as a lawyer taught him a fundamental principle; every argument has two sides, and both may hold equal validity. This introduced the idea of subjectivity to the concept of belief. For Protagoras, it was the character of the person who held a belief that determined its worth. PROTAGORAS The Relativist Greek Philosopher Because he believed that everything was relative depending on your individual point of view, Protagoras considered that absolute truth was unattainable. SOCRATES The Father of Western Thought Socrates believed that knowledge was the ultimate good and that pursuing knowledge was vital to living a good, virtuous life. SOCRATES The Father of Western Thought Socrates argued that good and evil were absolute and that only throu gh pursuing knowledge can we lea rn the difference. To Socrates, igno rance was the ultimate evil. SOCRATES The Father of Western Thought Socrates developed the Socratic M ethod, which involved taking some one’s basic idea and asking a seri es of questions to expose any cont radictions or flaws.  PLATO The Most Famous Ancient Greek Philosopher Plato was a founding figure of Western thought. Born in 427 BC, Plato was a prolific writer. Through books like the Republic and the Symposium and the founding of his Academy, Plato’s ideas survived to influence generations of thinkers.  PLATO The Most Famous Ancient Greek Philosopher Plato theorized that a transcendent World of Ideas contained the perfect Forms of every object on Earth. When we see a table in our physical world, it is an imperfect copy of the Form of a table. To illustrate this, Plato used the “Allegory of the Cave.” ARISTOTLE The Greek Philosopher who Tutored Alexander Aristotle studied under Plato at the Academy. ARISTOTLE The Greek Pholosopher who Tutored Alexander Like Plato, Aristotle wanted to figure out ho w we attain knowledge. However, Aristotle rejected Plato’s theory of the Forms in favo r of a more empirical approach. Aristotle be lieved we gain knowledge from the evidence that we observe in the world around us EUDAIMONIA Questions ? BLIND ITEM  first Greek Philosopher THALES OF MILETUS  known for his "Allegory of the Cave" PLATO  student of Plato and rejected his Theory of Forms PLATO Father of Western Thought SOCRATES  "Everything in this world is governed by Mathematics." PYTHAGORAS Questions ?