Greek Philosophy and Literature

Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of right, wrong, good, and bad
Greek philosophers and thinkers have been asking the questions of good vs. evil for over 2,000 years
The word Philosophy means “Love of wisdom"
Philosophy is trying to explain the world without telling myths and beliefs in gods
Instead, philosophy is explaining things in nature and life with logic (making real sense of things based on evidence)

Socrates was a philosopher from Athens
His focus of study was on ethics (the study of right and wrong)
His style of teaching was based on asking deep probing questions, like "What is justice?"
He was known for his question-and-answer technique known as the Socratic Method
The leaders of Athens did not think highly of him
The leaders of Athens did not like that he was not basing his ideas on the Greek gods
Athenian leaders did not like that he was influencing young Athenians and encouraging them to rebel against the status quo (that was things were traditionally done)
Socrates was accused of teaching against Greek ideals and was found guilty (he was put to death as punishment)

Plato was a student of Socrates
He became one of Greece's most influential philosophers (his influence has reached many corners of the globe)
Plato's main philosophy was a belief in that our world was a shadow of a superior world
Plato was not a believer in democracy, instead, he believed that philosopher-kings should rule
Plato started an elite learning academy in order to teach his philosophies to others
Aristotle, the philosopher, was one of his students

Aristotle was a student of Plato
Aristotle was the tutor of Alexander the Great
Aristotle believed in examining the world, closely, to better understand it
He categorized everything : biology, law, physics, and politics
This categorization allowed humans to study each discipline, or subject, with more detail and specialization (this led to professions in law, medicine, politics, etc.)
His academy, the Lyceum, where student studied many different subjects
All three great Greek philosophers (Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle) influenced our thinking in math, philosophy, science, etc. throughout the western world (this legacy of critical thinking is still used today)

Not Homer Simpson, but Homer the great Greek poet, was one of the most popular writers of poetry
His poetry is a combination of drama and narrative
He used mythical beasts, meddling gods, and adventurous heroes
One of Homer’s Poems is the Iliad, the story of the Trojan War
His other epic poem is the Odyssey
Today, his stories still entertains modern readers
Aesop was another great Greek writer
Aesop was a slave who wrote fables (short stories) which had animals as the main characters
His fables taught lessons, or morals
Aesop's fables are still very popular today (The Fox and The Grapes, The Tortoise and The Hare, etc.)

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