greek thinkers

greek thinkers

1. objectives

   • Analyze the political and philosophical ideas of classical Greek thinkers, including those of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle
   • Evaluate the influence of classical Greek political thought on modern institutions of law and government
   • Identify the impact of innovations and ideas from classical Greek scientists and mathematicians
   • Analyze the artistic, architectural, and literary achievements of ancient Greece

2. philosophers

   • challenged the belief that events were caused by the whims of gods. Instead, they used observation and reason to find causes for events
   • explored many subjects
     • music
     • mathematics
     • logic
     • ethics and morals
   • Socrates
     • much of what we know comes from his student, Plato
     • no writing
     • Socrates Method
       • asked people about their beliefs and challenged their answers
       • was seen as a threat to the Athenians
     • put on trial at the age of 70
       • he offered a calm and reasoned defense, but they sentenced him to death
   • Plato
     • distrust of democracy because of Socrates' death
       • fled Athens for 10 years
     • emphasized importance of reason like socrates
     • set up a school called the Academy
       • taught and wrote about his own ideas
     • wrote book called the Republic
       • vision of an ideal state
         • the state should regulate every aspect of its citizens' lived in order to provide for their best interest
           • three classes
             • workers
             • soldiers
             • philosophers
               • elite class
                 • both men and talented women
                   • take military training and raise their children in communal centers
               • philosopher-king would have highest authority
   • Aristotle
     • Plato's most famous student
     • suspicious of democracy like Plato
       • could lead to mob rule
     • favored rule by a strong and virtuous leader
     • good conduct = pursuing the "golden mean"
     • reason = guided force for learning
     • set up school called Lyceum
       • study of all branches of knowledge
       • European universities 1500 years later were based on the works/ideas of aristotle

3. art and architecture

   • architects sought to convey a sense of perfect balance to reflect the harmony and order of the universe
   • the Parthenon
     • temple dedicated to goddess Athena
     • simple rectangle w/ tall columns supporting gently sloping roof
       • delicate curves and placement of columns adds dignity and grace
   • many buildings throughout the world have incorporated Greek architectural elements in their designs
   • greek sculptors developed a new style that emphasized natural forms of humans
     • portrayed gods goddesses athletes and famous men in their most perfect graceful form
   • only greek paintings to survive are on pottery
     • offer intriguing views of everyday greek life
       • women carry water from wells
       • warriors race into battle
       • athletes compete in javelin contests

4. literature

   • epic poems of homer
     • poet Sappho sang of love and beauty of her island home
       • poet Pindar celebrated victors of athletic contests
   • drama
     • religious festivals to honor Dionysus
     • Plays were performed in large outdoor theaters with little or no set
     • Greek dramas were often based on popular myths and legends
     • Great Athenian playwrights
       • Aeschylus
         • Oresteia
           • showed a powerful family torn apart by betrayal, murder, and revenge
             • even the powerful could be subject to horrifying misfortune and the wrath of the gods could bring down even the greatest heroes
       • Sophocles
         • Antigone
           • explored what happens when an individual's moral duty conflicts with the laws of the state
           • a young woman whose brother has been killed leading a rebellion. King Creon forbids anyone to bury the traitor's body. When Antigone buries her brother anyway, she is sentenced to death. She defiantly tells Creon that duty to the gods is greater than human law.
       • Euripides
         • Like Sophocles, Euripides survived the horrors of the Peloponnesian War
         • The Trojan Women
           • suggested that people, not the gods, were the cause of human misfortune and suffering
             • he stripped war of its glamour by showing the suffering of women who were victims of the war
       • wrote tragedies
         • to stir up and then relieve the emotions of pity and fear
       • Aristophanes
         • wrote comedies
         • Lysistrata
           • shows the women of Athens banding together to force their husbands to end a war against Sparta

5. historians

   • Herodotus
     • Father of History
     • wrote The Persian Wars
     • his writings reflected his own view that the war was a clear moral victory of Greek love of freedom over Persian tyranny
     • importance of research
   • Thucydides
     • wrote about the Peloponnesian War
       • vividly described the war's savagery and corrupting influence on all those involved
         • tried to be fair to both sides
     • need to avoid bias