Greek

Philosophers
 Greek Philosophers
Philosophers – “lovers of wisdom”
Sophists – “workers of wisdom”
– Teachers

phileo = love
sophia = wisdom

If sophia = wisdom and moron = fool, then a sophomore is a “wise fool.”

 Thales of Miletus
636-546 B.C.
 Earliest known philosopher
 Studied Egyptian and
Babylonian astronomy and
mathematics
 Believed that the universe was
controlled by fixed laws
 Basic element – water.
 Got rich with olive presses!
 Pythagoras
582-500 B.C.
 The universe could only be
understood thru numbers.
 Sun, moon, and earth revolved
around a central fire.
 Each planet produces a tone!
 Famous for the Pythagorean
Theorem: a2 + b2 = c2
 Pythagoras
582-500 B.C.
c2
a2
b2

 Pythagorean Theorem: a2 + b2 = c2
 Protagoras
485 - 410 B.C.
 Most famous of the Sophists
 Believed that reason and
knowledge should be used to
achieve a comfortable, safe, and
happy life.
 Teachings to equip citizens for life
in the polis:
1. Public speaking – oratory and rhetoric
2. Politics
3. Grammar – language
4. The art of being respectable

 Plato named one of his dialogues

after him.
 Hippocrates
460-377 B.C.
 Founded a school of medicine
 Rejected that sickness comes
from the gods
 Careful observations of
symptoms
 Acute
 Chronic
 “Holistic” healing
 Hygiene
 Diet
 Curative powers of nature
 The Hippocratic Oath
 Democritus
460? - 360 B.C.
 Developed the atomic theory.
 Taught that the universe was
formed out of chaos through
the joining of atoms of like
shape and size.
 Atoma = indivisible particles.
 “the laughing philosopher”
 Euclid
c.300 B.C.
 One of the most prominent
mathematicians
 Wrote The Elements
 Widely used till about 1903.
 2nd only to the Bible in numbers
of translations, publications, and
study
 Greek – Arabic – Latin
 Said to Ptolemy: “There is
No Royal Road to
geometry!”
 Archimedes
287 - 212 B.C.
 Greek mathematician – Geometry
 War machines and other devices
 Theory of buoyancy - “Eureka!”
 Law of the lever
 Archimedean screw
Archimedean Screw
Modern application of the Archimedean Screw
 The Three Most Famous
Philosophers

Socrates Plato Aristotle

 Socrates
469 - 399 B.C.
 Critic of the Sophists
 Encouraged students to think
 Left no writings – skeptical
 Dialectic method
 Conversational
 Based upon reason and logic
 Popular among the youth
 a “gadfly” in Athens
 Placed on trial for impiety and
corrupting the youth
 Was executed in 399 – drank poison
hemlock
 Socrates
469 - 399 B.C.

“The unexamined
life is not worth
living.”
- Socrates -
 Socrates
469 - 399 B.C.

Socratic Method:
I. Admit ignorance.
II. Never rely on tradition.
III. Continuously question.
IV. Formulate your own opinions.
V. Test your opinions with others.
 Socrates
469 - 399 B.C.
 Socrates’ dialectic method was a
departure from earlier
philosophers.
 Earlier philosophers were
interested in the nature of the
universe and basic elements.
 Socrates’ approach was more
rigorous and was the forerunner of
logic.
 Most famous student: Plato
 Socrates
469 - 399 B.C.

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”

 Plato
427 - 347 B.C.
 Preserved and perpetuated
the work of Socrates
 Most important source of
info on Socrates
 Founded the Academy
 Wrote dialogues
 Universal Forms was a recurring
theme
 The Republic – most important
dialogue
“Those things which are
beautiful are also difficult.”
 Aristotle
384 - 322 B.C.
 Most famous student of
Plato
 Most famous teacher of
Alexander the Great
 Developed Logic as a field
of study
 Devised a complex system of
classification
 Used in biology
 Views on Government
 Aristotle
384 - 322 B.C.
 Views on Government
 3 Good Governments:
 Monarchy
 Aristocracy
 Democracy
 3 Bad Governments:
 Tyranny
 Oligarchy
 Mob Rule
 Aristotle
384 - 322 B.C.
 “All things in moderation”

 “Man is by nature a
political animal.”
Alexander the Great
356 -323 B.C.
Alexander the Great
356 -323 B.C.