Greek Philosophy

Impact and Diffusion

• What does “Impact” mean?– 5.the force exerted by a new idea, concept,

technology, or ideology: the impact of the industrial revolution. ~ www.dictionary.com

– Think of how a meteor makes an IMPACT on the world… it changes things… an IMPACT on society changes how things were and how things will be in the future.

– These philosophers impact us still today!!

• What about DIFFUSION?– 4. The spread of linguistic or cultural practices or

innovations within a community or from one community to another. ~ www.dictionary.com

– Think of an air freshener. You can spray in one place, but eventually, it will spread throughout the air… it will DIFFUSE.

– The impact of these philosophers DIFFUSED into all cultures that followed.

• Socrates– Most of what we know about

him is from his students– focused on the examination of

ethics and virtue– believed the best way for

people to live was to focus on self-development rather than the pursuit of material wealth

– said his wisdom was limited to an awareness of his own ignorance

• The “Socratic Method”– To solve a problem, it would be

broken down into a series of questions

– The answers to which gradually distill the answer you seek.

– "I know you won't believe me, but the highest form of Human Excellence is to question oneself and others."

• Ethics and Virtue

• Wisdom is limited to one’s awareness of ignorance

• Socratic Method

• So how would that IMPACT the Greek society and us today?

• Plato– A student of Socrates– Primary writer about Socrates’

success– Wrote “The Republic” as a

history of Socrates’ philosophers, and is considered to be a reflection of his own philosophy

• “The Republic”– People are living in a “cave”– What we perceive as real

material objects as just shadows of the real thing

– If anyone gets out of the cave they see the “light” and the real world

– They become ridiculed when they come back to tell of the real world

• View of Government– People need a “Philosopher

King” -- describes them as "those who love the sight of truth"

– According to Plato, a state will overall decline from an aristocracy (rule by the best) to a timocracy (rule by the honorable), then to an oligarchy (rule by the few), then to a democracy (rule by the people), and finally to tyranny (rule by one person, rule by a tyrant)

• Allegory of the Cave

• Philosopher Kings

• So how would that IMPACT the Greek society and us today?

• Aristotle– A student of Plato and a

teacher of Alexander the Great

– first to create a comprehensive system of Western philosophy, encompassing morality and aesthetics, logic and science, politics and metaphysics.

– “Natural philosophy” dealt with the real world Influenced Scientific Method

• Aristotle– ethics is a practical science

virtue ethics– virtue has to do with the

proper function of a thing – City (gov’t) is created not to

avoid injustice or for economic stability , but rather to live a good life

• Comprehensive Western Philosophy

• Natural Philosophy

• Virtue Ethics

• So how would that IMPACT the Greek society and us today?

• Your Assignment:–Summarize the IMPACT of each of the

three philosophers

–Combine them to explain the overall IMPACTS of Greek Philosophy

–Explain how the impact DIFFUSED to the rest of Greek Culture and Today’s Culture.