CHOW Exam #1

Gilgamesh

King of Uruk; divine and human; seeks Utnapishtim to escape the gods sending the flood.

Source: Epic of Gilgamesh

Utnapishtim

Survivor of the flood; the gods tell him to build a boat and he and his wife receive immortality; wise old man.

Source: Epic of Gilgamesh

Noah

A well-known figure from Genesis, The Bible.

Source: Genesis (Moses...?)

Job

A character from the Book of Job in The Bible.

Source: Job

Honor/Timé

Your moral worth within your society; measured by how powerful others think you are and if you are a good warrior.

Source: The Iliad (Homer)

Victory/Niké

Seen as individual or personal; exemplified by Achilles drawing out from battle to show his power.

Source: The Iliad (Homer)

Areté/Virtue

The excellence of a thing, inclining us to act in good and rational ways.

Source: The Iliad (Homer)

Rhapsodes

Individuals who recited epic poetry in ancient Greece, keeping the story of the Iliad alive.

Source: The Iliad (Homer)

Helen

Daughter of Zeus, captured by Paris, causing the start of the Trojan War.

Source: The Iliad (Homer)

Achilles

Demigod and greatest warrior among the Greeks.

Source: The Iliad (Homer)

Hector

Prince of Troy, commander of the Trojan army; counterbalance to Achilles.

Source: The Iliad (Homer)

Paris

Trojan prince whose actions bring about the Trojan War; portrayed as attractive but irresponsible.

Source: The Iliad (Homer)

Oedipus

King of Thebes; a slave to fate; kills his father and marries his mother, suffering from miasma.

Source: Oedipus Rex (Sophocles)

Creon

Oedipus's uncle; becomes king of Thebes after Oedipus's downfall.

Source: Oedipus Rex (Sophocles)

Jocasta

Queen of Thebes, Oedipus's mother and wife; horrified by fate and hangs herself.

Source: Oedipus Rex (Sophocles)

Thebes

City struck by a plague at the beginning of Oedipus Rex.

Source: Oedipus Rex (Sophocles)

Sphinx

Mythical creature, guardian of Thebes that presents a deadly riddle to travelers; Oedipus solves the riddle and the Sphinx destroys itself ending the curse of Thebes.

Source: Oedipus Rex (Sophocles)

Socrates

A Greek philosopher from Athens; the Apology is Plato's account of Socrates' trial in 399BC - charged with not believing in the city gods and corrupting the youth of Athens; focused on ethics, virtue and the nature of knowledge.

Source: Apology (Socrates)

Pythia

Priestess of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi in ancient Greece, famous for serving as the oracle of Delphi; said no one was wiser than Socrates.

Source: Apology (Socrates)

Chaerophon

A devoted Athenian companion of Socrates; asked Pythia if anyone is wiser than Socrates.

Source: Apology (Socrates)

Meletus

One of Socrates' accusers; thinks Socrates is impious and that he is corrupting the youth.

Source: Apology (Socrates)

Philosopher kings

Individuals who love wisdom, seek truth, and rule not for personal gain but for the good of the city.

Source: Phaedo (Plato)

Myth of the metals

Also called the 'Noble Lie', the rulers of the city tell citizens they are born from the earth, making them children of the city itself. Gold are destined to be philosophers-kings, silver→warriors, bronze or iron → producers (artisans, merchants).

Source: Plato's Republic (Plato)

Polis/City

Greek for 'city-state'; central political unit of ancient Greece, self-governing city; Plato used it as a means to explore justice, order and the good life.

Source: Plato's Republic (Plato)

Telos/Final cause

The ultimate purpose or perfection of something's existence; Aristotle believed this was happiness.

Source: Politics (Plato)

Doctrine of causality

Everything that begins to exist has a cause. Aristotle claimed there were four causes: Material (what something is made of→ carbon), Efficient (the agent or process that brings it about→ the sculptor), Formal (the form or pattern → the shape of the statue), Final telos (the purpose or end→the reason the statue was made).

Source: Politics (Plato)

Doctrine of the mean

Virtue is found in mean or middle between two vices of excess and deficiency. The virtuous person chooses the reasonable, balanced response; e.g. courage is the mean between recklessness and cowardice, generosity is the mean between wastefulness and stinginess.

Source: Ethics (Plato)

Ergon/Function

What is the highest good for human beings? That's the ergon or the function. Every being has an ergon. A knife is meant to cut.

Source: Ethics (Plato)

Eudaimonia/Happiness

Having a good spirit; happiness is an activity of the soul in accord with virtue; human excellence.

Source: Ethics (Plato)