Greece II

Greece Part 2

  • Terms 

    • Etymology: study of the origin and meaning of words 

      • Philos: love of “something” 

      • Sophie: wisdom 

      • Moros: fools who think they are wise 

    • Epistemology: the study of how knowledge is acquired 

    • Empiricism: date/evidence-based

    • Rationalism: the rational reason for something  (a=b, b=c, a=c)

      • Deduction: logical reasoning for rules 

      • Induction: what we use to learn new things “create rules” 

    • Metaphysics” the logic behind physics “the game within a game”, and physics within physics, often deal with religion 

      • Answers the questions that physics can't answer 

  • Pythagoras (580-507) 

    • “The nature of the world is mathematical, everything is math” 

  • The Sophists (450)

    • Group of philosophers in Athens 

    • Protagoras - most famous member 

      • “Man is the measure of all things” 

        • Gods and animals do not matter 

        • If man is the measure of all things then man can never be wrong 

  • Socrates (469-399)

    • Believes in asking questions 

    • Socratic Method - examination 

      • Shows someone how complete something is by making them explain it 

      • Not meant just towards other people, but also meant for yourself 

    • was told he was the wisest of men from the Oracle of Delphi 

      • Doesn't think he is that wise 

    • Says Philosophers should not fear death 

  • Plato (428-347), Socrates student 

    • Algery of the Cave 

      • People who escape “the cave” are the smartest and should be the leaders, the others should be the workers 

    • Tries to tell people that there is a reality bigger than what we know/ what we can see 

      • But he is wrong 

    • The reality of what you see is a reflection of the idea of something you have in your mind 


Reality 

Appearance 

The one 

The many

Intelligible world 

Physical world 

Discoverable through reason 

Know it through our senses 

Universal & Eternal 

Changing and untrustworthy 

Realm of perfect forms 

Pale reflection/shadows 

Where the soul resides 

Where the body resides 

  • Plato thinks men and women are equal 

  • Aristotle (384-322)

    • Empiricism: data/evidence 

    • Lyceum: school of Aristotle 

    • Telos 

      • End or purpose of a thing 

      • Telos of humans is Eudaimonia- existential happiness 

    • Eudaimonia- understand why you exist on this planet 

    • Prime Mover: Aristotle calls the prime mover god 

    • Aristotle has influenced Christianity 

    • Aristotle’s concept of the Golden Mean 

      • A good balance of deficiency (-) and excess (+) 

      • For example: if you have too much courage it is rashness (+) and too little courage is cowardness (-), you need a balance of both to have courage 

  • The Delian League (477): an alliance between Greek states

    • Sparta drops out very fast 

    • 450 Persian Peace- a treaty made with the Persians to stop fighting 

    • Factions 

      • Pro Sparta- Cimon 

      • Anti Sparta - Pericles 

    • Cimon wants to build a relationship with Sparta 

    • In 462 there is an earthquake in Sparta and the helots(Sparta’s prisoners/slaves) try to take over 

    • Cimon ostracized - 461

      • Tries to go to Sparta to help but is turned away 

      • Got kicked out of Athens for 10 years for being a threat 

    • Pericles is now a leader in Athens in 461 BC

    • Athens doesn't want the Delian league to end 

      • Using the money from the allies to rebuild Athens

      • If it ends they won’t have the money to rebuild anymore 

    • The Athens want to find another enemy to fight to keep the Delian league alive 

    • Athens turn the Delian League into the Athenian Empire 

  • Pericles (461-429) 

    • 446 Euboean revolt - they want to leave the Delian League 

      • Athens tries to get them to stay, after saying they want to leave, so Athens conquers they so they could not leave 

    • 445- 30 year peace with Sparta treaty signed (does not work) 

    • Thucydides comes to power but then gets ostracized 443

    • Stategoi: the generals