Philosophers Socrates, 469-399 Believed that one arrives at the truth by questioning the assumptions...
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Transcript of Philosophers Socrates, 469-399 Believed that one arrives at the truth by questioning the assumptions...
Ancient Greek Philosophy
PhilosophersSocrates, 469-399
Believed that one arrives at the truth by questioning the assumptions on which all things are based
Plato, 428-347Student of Socrates
Aristotle, 384-322Student of Plato“THE” philosopher by Medievalists
Greek Philosophy & Its OriginsPhilosophy = love of wisdomMesopotamians and
Egyptians contemplated how the natural world around them worked
Early Greeks (time of Homer, c.800 BCE) used mythological stories to explain the natural world
7th Century BCE – Greeks looked for new, more practical explanations
Socrates (469-399 BCE)What little we know comes from his
students, Plato and Xenophon, and his enemy, Aristophanes
Humble birthWrote nothing downFounded no formal school – taught in the
agoraBelieved material things would not bring
happinessDied for his principles
Socratic Philosophers
So Many Questions…What should we do? (i.e. how should we
behave)What is the meaning of life?What is the meaning of happiness?Is perfection possible?What constitutes the good or just life?What is virtue?How should a man best conduct his life?
ExerciseFor each statement ask as many follow up
questions as you can with your table group. Record questions that were brainstormed
Statement #1 – Only people over the age of 21 should be allowed to drink
Statement #2 – The United States should abolish the sale of firearms to the public
Socratic MethodMethod of elenchus (i.e. rigorous
questioning technique)Designed to “sting” people into realizing
their own ignoranceProvoke genuine intellectual curiosity
True knowledge gained only by constantly questioning assumptions that underly all we doTo achieve truth is to engage in a permanent
state of critical thinking
Socratic Method ExampleQ: So you think that the gods know
everything/A: Yes, because they are gods.Q: Do some gods disagree with others?A: Yes, of course they do. They are always
fighting.Q: So gods disagree about what is true and
right?A: I suppose they must do.Q: So some gods can be wrong sometimes?A: I suppose that is true.THEREFORE the gods cannot know
everything!
The only life worth living is a
good life.
I can only live a good life if I really know
what ‘good’ and ‘evil’ are.
‘Good’ and ‘evil’ are not relative; they are absolutes that can only be found
by a process of questioning and
reasoning.An
unquestioning life is one of ignorance without morality.
In this way, morality and
knowledge are bound together.
The life which is unexamined is
not worth living.
Socrates’ EndAlcibiades, Socrates’ pupil, betrayed fellow
Athenians by defecting to Sparta in Peloponnesian War
Socrates scapegoated by Alcibiades’ actions, accused of “not believing in the gods” and “corrupting the youth”
Tried and sentenced to deathRefused to plead for lesser punishment
Wanted his punishment to be free meals for the rest of his life
This was usually only given to state heroesForced to drink poison hemlock and died
LegacySocrates used the claim of wisdom as his moral basisChief goodness consists in the caring of the soul
concerned with moral truth and understanding“Wealth does not bring goodness, but goodness
brings wealth and every other blessing, both to the individual and to the state”
“Life without examination (dialogue) is not worth living”
“I am a citizen, not of Athens or of Greece, but of the world”
“I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance”He would want you to evaluate society and your own
life regularly!