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Greek Philosophy and Art I.Introduction

• A. Why study Greek philosophy?
  • 1.different from other philosophical systems set up by now
    • a. rationality at its base
    • b. interested in the plight of the individual human
    • c. interested in "loving wisdom" for its own sake and for society's
  • 2.basis for most western philosophy until now
  • 3.therefore most likely to be related to philosophy as we know it
    • a. it asks the big questions:
    • b. who are we?
    • c. why are we here?
    • d. what is knowledge?
  • 4.would help to develop religious systems of the future (ie. Christianity)
    • a. Stoics a good example of this
    • b. emphasized strong moral independence based on strict discipline of the body and personal bravery
• B. would provide the basis for philosophy and science in Europe and America
• C. Four Principles of Greek Thought
  • 1. Strong interest in formal political theory
  • 2. Art and sculpture glorified human achievement, beauty of the ideal human form
  • 3. Drama, philosophy an art emphasized human striving
  • 4. Philosophical and scientific tradition emphasized logic in understanding natural world
    • a. emphasis on understanding natural order led to great advances in math and geometry

II. Socrates--Plato--Aristotle

• A. Socrates (469-399)
  • 1.Truth is something pursued, not uncovered. Sought through the dialectic.
  • 2.created the Socratic method--learning based on conversation, questions and answers
  • 3. Concerned primarily with ethics - ethical knowledge could be gained by rational reflection on goals and consequences
  • 4. Believed that doing good comes from knowing good - "Virtue is knowledge"
  • 5.Thus asked, "what is wisdom? who is wise?"
  • 5.therefore questioned Athenian society of the day
    • a. a wise man knows that he knows nothing
    • b. wisdom, therefore, must be a goal of every person
    • c. no one was wise in Athens, since they all thought they were!
  • 5.if someone else is not wise, you cannot fight that--you must suffer under it
  • 6.put to death--made to kill himself
• B. Plato (429?-347)
  • 1.Socrates student
  • 2.went the next step--"what is real in the world and what is not?"
  • 3.humans only see shadows of reality (the cave) - is skeptical about ordinary language and perception 
  • 4.humans need to understand, however, the absolute, perfect Forms of reality
    • a. could be the Form of a chair
    • b. could be the Form of a Republic, or of the Good
    • c. knowledge of these true Forms required study - thus only an intellectual elite should rule
    • c. the perfect Republic would be run by philosopher-kings who based action on wisdom
      • 1.under them would be the warriors who based action on courage
      • 2.under them would be the masses who based action on desire
• C. Aristotle (384-322)
  • 1.Plato's student (Alexander's teacher)
  • 2.found Plato to be a little obscure--what was the good of a perfect Form if you couldn't ever see it?
  • 3.based his philosophy on inductive reasoning - more trusting of common sense, language, and perception
  • 4.first the observed world, then decide what that means - inductive reasoning. To draw general conclusions from many examples.
  • 5.rational observation of governments (158 of them) led Aristotle to say that a democratically-based republic made the most sense
  • 6.created the beginning of the Western scientific system--based on observations, not Forms
  • 7. Developed an ethical system based on traditional Greek ideas of moderation.
  • 8. But his faith in common sense, language and perception stifled doubt, and thus progress.
  • 9.Aristotelian system would be the most important western scientific system until Newton (1647)!

III. Greek art

• A. Source of many of our own artistic ideas
• B. Based on the human form in its perfection (later also very realistic)
  • 1. Art and literature very human centered
  • 2. Intent on understanding human nature both in its ideal form and flawed reality
  • 3. Much Greek drama focused on tragedy, stories of the precariousness of human virtue
• C. Based on building in its perfection
• D. therefore tried to find the most mathematically perfect, beautiful sculpture, pottery, or temple
• E. basis of most of our architecture in the USA
  • 1.either a descendant of Greek system
  • 2.or a rebellion against it
• F.also, of course, incredibly beautiful in its own right

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