WARM UP: WHAT IS AN EPIC? WHO WROTE THE FIRST TWO?

9/05/08

OBJECTIVE:IDENTIFY AND EXAMINE GREEK PHILOSOPHY.

Agenda

Warm Up

PPT

Posters

Wrap Up

Philosophy Socrates, Plato, and AristotleStoics, Skeptics, and Epicureans

What is Philosophy?

The Greeks, especially in Athens, placed great importance on intellect. Intellect is the ability to learn

and reason.

Philosophers used the power of mind and reason to understand natural events.

Much of what we know today is based on the thoughts and studies of the Greeks.

Socrates

Socrates spent his time going through Athens asking people questions.

These questions would take a person step-by-step to a final conclusion.

Some thought learning how to think a reason was great!

Some thought examining why you believe something was dangerous. Socrates was sentenced to death for corrupting the

youth, denying the gods, and trying to overthrow the government.

Plato

Plato is why we remember Socrates, he was a student and wrote down what he said.

Plato traveled to Egypt and Italy after Socrates death.

He then set up a school to train government leaders. The school lasted 900 years. Thought democracy was

rubbish.

He is the first political scientist and sought truth.

Aristotle

One of Plato’s students.

First to classify animals. Reptiles, birds, mammals, ect…

Went further with reasoning. Athenians are Greeks. Socrates is an Athenian. Therefore, Socrates is Greek. Duh!

Schools of thought

Stoics Wanted to reach inner peace. Be moderate with everything. They would go home and do homework, because it was

assigned.

Skeptics We can’t be certain on anything, so we can’t know what is

right or wrong. Just leave it all to the gods… no point in trying to figure it out.

Epicureans Eat, drink, and be merry. Don’t want anything, because it’ll make you sad if you don’t

get it. They would go home and play video games all day, instead of

HW.