III Greeces Golden Age A Philosophers Search for

III. Greece’s Golden Age

A. Philosophers Search for the Truth • Philosophers – “Lovers of wisdom” • Great thinkers determined to find the truth • Believed the universe was put together in orderly ways with absolute laws • Logic and reason can help people understand these laws

B. Socrates • One of the most important thinker in history • Wanted everyone to question themselves and their moral duty • Famous for his Socratic Method • Laid much of the foundation for Western education

Say What? • “The only thing I can be sure of is my own ignorance” • “The unexamined life is not worth living” • “There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance”

• Socratic Method – Question-and-answer approach to teaching • 399 BC – Found guilty of “corrupting the youth of Athens” • Sentenced to death – Drank poison (hemlock) instead of leaving Athens

C. Plato • Student of Socrates • Later wrote down the beliefs of his teacher • Founded a school for philosophers known as the Academy • Most famous book The Republic • Detailed his vision of the perfect society • Charged with same crime as his teacher, but chose to leave Athens and live

Plato

D. Aristotle • Student of Plato • Developed what later became known as the Scientific Method • Many of the ideas of these three people laid the framework for Western education

E. Pericles (495 BC-429 BC) • Led Athens for 32 years • Respected general and statesman • Age of Pericles – (461 to 429 BC) – Called this because Pericles domination of public life in Athens

Teaching of Pericles

3 Goals for Athens • (1) Strengthen Athenian democracy • (2) Hold and strengthen the Empire • (3) Glorify Athens

Achieving his goals • Created direct democracy • Formed Delian League after the Persian Wars to strengthen the navy • Also used money from the Delian League to beautify Athens.

Delian League

Symbol of the Delian League

The Parthenon

Name this Building?

Close Up of the Parthenon

F. Drama and History • Created drama as a form of expression and entertainment • 2 Types Tragedy and Comedy • Herodotus – First person to record history • Thucydides - Believed that history reoccurs and studying the past helps you understand the present.

Comedy and Tragedy

G. Athens and Sparta Go to War • Peloponnesian Wars (423 BC – 404 BC) – Series of battles between Athens and Sparta • Athens had the better navy • Athens has early victories but is struck with widespread plague during the war’s second year • Sparta had the better army • Results in an Athens” defeat and losing its empire, wealth, and power