1. Greek Philosophy
Imagine living 15,000 years ago! How do you explain natural events?
Science?
Religion?
Philosophy?
Man has a need to understand, predict, and control nature

2. Idea that nature is alive  animism spirits live in everything
Greek Philosophy
Problem – no science or philosophy -
So, what do you do?
Religion, of course!
Humans give nature human attributes  anthropomorphism
sky is angry, happy, etc.
Idea that nature is alive  animism
spirits live in everything

3. Greek Philosophy
If nature was alive and had human traits  humans could appease or control nature through magical rituals
Early religion – not about morality!
Explain and control nature!
Find out what would make the gods happy!

4. Greek Philosophy Greeks wanted their religion to do 3 things
- explain nature
- explain the passions that make people lose self-control
- how to gain benefits such as long life, good fortune, and abundant harvests

5. Greek Philosophy 2 major religious thoughts in Greek religion Olympian
gods of Homer
no souls, therefore no immortality
nature was orderly, rational
live life to its fullest
Dionysiac-Orphic
soul needs redemption
sought liberation of soul to go back to its divine form in the heavens with the gods
Which makes the most sense?

6. Greek Philosophy
When man began looking for more natural explanation of nature over the supernatural, philosophy is born!
Philosophy – Love of Wisdom
first philosophers sought natural explanation of universe
Miletus in Asia Minor – 600 BCE
sought “physis” – basic substance of universe
things in the universe consist of natural substances and are governed by natural principles - not by the whims of the gods
universe is therefore knowable and within our understanding!!
- Thales – first philosopher

7. Greek Philosophy - sought substance needed for all life
- therefore - WATER
Is water the basic substance?
most important contribution of Thales was critical tradition
encouraged students to question their teachers
build upon their work
Anaximenes – sought substance that was boundless, infinite
AIR

8. “No man steps into the same river twice.”
Greek Philosophy
- next on the list - Heraclitus
- impressed by the fact everything in nature is in constant state of flux – so what causes the most change in things?
FIRE
nothing ever is – everything is in a process of becoming
world is made of polar opposites  need to know darkness to know what is light
night-day, up-down, life-death, etc.
“No man steps into the same river twice.”

9. Greek Philosophy
Democritus – looked for the tiniest thing in universe – thing that could not be divided nor changed
Atom
first atomic theory
no modern scientific instruments
made world rational and lawful
BUT HE WAS WRONG LIKE ALL THE OTHERS!
- They begin journey looking for rational explanation of nature

10. Greek Philosophy
the most interesting of early Greek philosophers – Pythagoras
Pythagorean theorem
a² + b² = c²
- numbers & numerical relationships, while abstract, were nonetheless real and exerted an influence on the empirical world!!
NUMBERS
world of numbers existed independently of the empirical world and could be known in its pure form only through reason
nothing is perfect in real, empirical world  no true right triangles but Pythagorean Theorem works perfectly in the abstract!!

11. Greek Philosophy perhaps most influential philosopher of all time
understanding of this perfect, abstract world lay beyond our senses and could only be embraced by reason!!
proposed that the universe was dualistic in nature; i.e., there are two parts in nature
one was abstract, permanent, and intellectually knowable by reason
the other was empirical, changing, and known through the senses
sensory experience cannot provide real knowledge

12. “Man is the measure of all things.”
Greek Philosophy
Who was right?
None!... at least about the physis
Many truths, therefore much confusion!
Rise of the Sophists – “wandering teachers”
Not one truth, but many truths
truth was relative
trained people in grammar, logic, and rhetoric
argue both sides of an argument
goal of life was to get wealth, gain social prestige, and political power
Protagoras –
“Man is the measure of all things.”

13. “No man steps into the same river once”
Greek Philosophy
truth depends on the perceiver rather than on physical reality
perceptions vary w/ previous experiences of the perceiver
what is considered true will be culturally determined b/c culture influences one’s experience
to understand why a person believes as he/she does, one must understand the person!!
“No man steps into the same river once”

14. Truth was real and absolute, not relative!
Greek Philosophy
Socrates ( BCE) - philosopher and teacher
born in Athens and lived entire life there
left no writings – we know of him from his students
agreed with Sophists about experience being important
disagreed about what constituted the Truth
Truth was real and absolute, not relative!
- used inductive reasoning to find the truth
sought to discover general principles from examining isolated examples  go from specifics to formulate generals
“What do all instances of truth have in common?”

15. Greek Philosophy
taught students to question authority – ask questions  Socratic method
angered leaders of Athens
charged with corrupting the youth and not respecting the gods
- found guilty and sentenced to death
- given chance to take exile from Athens
Declined!
evil arises from ignorance
“Know thyself.”
“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
“No man knowingly does evil.”
- devoted to finding truth, goodness, beauty

16. Greek Philosophy
Plato ( BCE) - born in Athens to wealthy & prominent family
student of Socrates
left Athens after death of Socrates
returned in 387 and founded the Academy (school of philosophy & science)
wrote in dialogues - characters discuss philosophical problems & argue issues
most important work was the Republic
Theory of Forms
things may change but their forms do not
forms can only be known by the intellect; true knowledge is the knowledge of forms
ultimate reality is truth

17. The Allegory of the Cave
Greek Philosophy
The Allegory of the Cave

18. Cave –
Prisoners –
Shadows –
Chains -
Man setting prisoners free –
Ascent –
Upper World –
Sun –

19. Abstract World
Eternal
Permanent
Intellect
Perfect
Real
Material World
Temporal
Changing
Senses
Imperfect
Not as real

20. Greek Philosophy Plato’s Republic – Utopia Philosopher-kings  rulers
Guardians  defenders of society
Citizens  workers – provide for the needs of society
Smart – understood truth
Strong
Needs guidance

21. Greek Philosophy
Aristotle ( BCE) - entered Plato’s age 18 and remained for 20 years
- regarded as Plato’s most learned student
tutored Alexander the Great
returned to Athens in 334 and founded Lyceum
charged with disrespecting the gods in 323
- went into exile – died following year
agreed w/ Plato & Socrates about forms but not about its significance
more concerned with reason and logic
father of many disciplines  logic, literary analysis, botany, biology, etc.
should study metaphysics (science of things that do not change) and physics

22. Greek Philosophy
everything in the universe consist of both form and matter
no such thing as unformed matter or unmattered form
need to understand natural world
Four Principle Causes of all things:
material cause - matter or “stuff” things are made of
formal cause - a thing’s essence or “whatness”
efficient cause - what brings things into being
final cause – end or purpose of things
- believed that to achieve happiness, man must avoid extremes & find the mean