Works of Greek Philosophy

The works of early Greek philosophers have had a tremendous impact on Western culture. Beginning in ancient Greece, philosophers sought rational explanations for creation. They puzzled over their place in the universe and where life came from. Their focus was the role of reason and inquiry.

The thoughts of ancient Greeks combined politics, science, art, and philosophy into one view of the world. Their aim was to develop a habit of critical thinking. They worked to understand in natural terms what things are made of and how they function.

In the Greek colony Miletus, a group of thinkers worked together to show that the world came from a single place. One of the early thinkers of this group was Thales, who taught that everything comes from water. In addition, he also applied his method to objects that changed into some other object. One example of this was shown with Lodestone and amber. When rubbing these two items together, they attracted each other - i.e. magnetism. It is still a major part of science today!

His student Anaximander believed that this explanation was too simple. To him, everything evolved from fragments, which included the hot, the cold, the wet, and the dry. Anaximenes believed vapor or mist was at the heart of everything. With this idea came the thought that breath or spirit was the highest representation of life.

Socrates was the most influential thinker of his time. He sought genuine knowledge and questioned everything. Socrates wrote nothing down, so his teachings have been communicated by his students. His student Plato presented some of the work of Socrates as dialogues. An example is Euthyphro, a conversation between Socrates and a young man that attempts to define piety. Socrates was ultimately put on trial, charged with undermining state religion and corrupting the young. Socrates continued to honor what he believed in, even though it cost him his life.

Plato was a devoted follower of Socrates. The speech Socrates delivered in his own defense was written in Plato’s work Apology. Some of Plato’s best work focused on the final days of Socrates. Plato founded the Academy in Athens, which was the first institution of higher learning in the Western World. Plato’s dialogues have been used to teach a wide range of subjects including mathematics, philosophy, logic, and rhetoric. Other writings of Plato include Meno and The Republic.

Aristotle was a student of Plato and a teacher of Alexander the Great. His works contain the earliest formal study of logic. He wrote many treatises and dialogues, but it is believed that most of his writings have been lost, and only about a third of the works of Aristotle have survived.

Epictetus taught that philosophy was a way of life. He believed that external events are the result of fate, and that suffering results from trying to control what can’t be controlled. Learn more about the life of Epictetus.

These are a few of the great thinkers of Greece that paved the way for generations to come. Their works pervaded all aspects of Greek culture from government to Greek clothing. It is because of their efforts to explore life in a rational way that Greece is often referred to as the birthplace of Western culture.

Written by GreekForMe.com - Makers of Greek License Plates