The Greek Mind Greek Religion Humanism Symbolism Gods

The Greek Mind

Greek Religion & Humanism Symbolism: Gods represent abstract concepts Gods seen as a separate, superior human-like race of immortals Humanistic Culture: no priesthood widest latitude of freedom for the individual Humanistic Principles: • ananke – “what has to be” - even the gods must obey this universal law • moira – a personal pattern of life / an individual’s potential • hubris – overreaching pride brings doom Destiny’s Wildcards: free will accident divine intervention

BEWARE!

EARLY GREEK PHILOSOPHERS e • Thales (625 -545 B. C. ) Water is the Primary Substance ospherical Earth floats on water all things are full of “God” removed individual Gods from nature oheavenly objects solid are material objects, not gods onatural causes: nature is impersonal ocontemporary Hebrews, Zoroastrians, Buddhists, Daoists conclude the same thing Gods reserved for concern with spiritual welfare of man founded Ionian school at Miletus • Anaximander (611 -547 B. C. ) the “Boundless” is the Primary Substance (not definable) “Boundless” cannot be perceived things are born not from one substance, but each from its own particular principles Fire added to list of basic substances

Greek Schools of Material Philosophy Ionians EVERYTHING IS IN A STATE OF CONSTANT CHANGE • UNIVERSE COMPOSED OF ONE SINGLE ELEMENT • BOUNDLESS – LOGOS • CONCLUSIONS BASED ON THE FIVE SENSES • Herakleitos (535 -475 B. C. ) • there is no being; everything is in a state of becoming • Fire is the basic element • Logos is the guiding force behind all change • the quest for “What is Real? ” is done with the senses, not the mind

Greek Schools of Material Philosophy Pythagoreans Pythagoras • ALL RELATIONSHIPS IN THE UNIVERSE CAN BE EXPRESSED NUMERICALLY • HARMONY OF THE COSMOS • CONCLUSIONS BASED SOLELYON THE MIND • TRANSCENDENTALISM / TRANSMIGRATION • Pythagoras (582 -500 B. C. ) numbers and geometry provided a conceptual model of the universe quantities and shapes determine the forms of natural objects relationship between geometry (shape) and arithmetic (quantity) music: pleasant tones in integer relationships numerology and mysticism • numbers and shapes influence natural and human affairs symmetry and perfection • symmetry refers to something which is unchanged after an action • symmetry, beauty, truth, perfection, simplicity are all related concepts • deeply linked in aesthetics and in art Pythagorean Universe • Ouranos = Earth and sub lunar sphere • Cosmos = movable heavens bounded by sphere of fixed stars • Olympos = home of the gods founded mystic brotherhood devoted to mathematical speculation and religious contemplation men and women admitted on equal terms all property and ideas held in common mathematical discoveries kept secret from outsiders

Greek Schools of Material Philosophy eleatics Parmenides • WHATEVER IS REAL MUST BE PERMANENT AND UNCHANGING • SENSES CANNOT BE TRUSTED • THE MIND CAN ARRIVE AT THE TRUTH WITHOUT THE SENSES Early Athenians Democritos • THEORY BASED TOTALLY ON THE MIND • ALL MATTER CONSISTS OF ATOMA • THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ATOMA IN THE UNIVERSE • CONSERVATION OF MATTER AND ENERGY NEVER CHANGES

Apocryphal

SOCRATES (469 ? – 399 BC) DID HE EXIST OR NOT? ONLY REPORTS FROM STUDENTS PLATO AND XENOPHON • SOCIAL GADFLY • CONSCIENCE OF ATHENS – PROMOTES SELF-EXAMINATION • LOVED BY INTELLECTUAL STUDENTS, HATED BY POLITICIANS • SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR CORRUPTING YOUTH • THE GOAL OF A GOOD LIFE IS HAPPINESS • HAPPINESS IS ATTAINED THROUGH KNOWLEDGE

SOCRATIC METHOD – DIALECTIC • USE OF INCREASINGLY SHARP QUESTIONS TO REVEAL THE TRUTH • QUEST FOR GENERAL DEFINITIONS THROUGH RATIONAL ARGUMENT • SEEKS A PURELY OBJECTIVE UNDERSTANDING OF SUCH CONCEPTS JUSTICE, LOVE, AND VIRTUE AS • VIRTUE IS MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICES BASED ON REASON • VICE IS THE RESULT OF IGNORANCE MORALS AND METHODOLOGY HAVE PROFOUND INFLUENCE ON PLATO, ARISTOTLE, THE CYNICS, THE STOICS

P l a t o( 427 – 347 BC ) • Student of Socrates • early writings are dialogues with Socrates as principle speaker. • coined term “philosophy” – love of knowledge WHAT IS REAL? uses Pythagorean and Eleatic principle of unchangeability Allegory of the Cave: • Reality consists of Forms (Abstract Ideas) that cannot be grasped by the senses. • Forms are independent, unchanging, and eternal. • They have no creator. • What we sense are mere shadows of these Platonic Absolutes. • The human soul relates to these forms, and is therefore trapped in its physical body.

DOCTRINE OF ETHOS • Since the arts (especially music) are transcendent, their main purpose is to promote ethical behavior. • For this reason, he condones censorship of the arts. MUSICAL PREFERENCES • Dorian Mode played with the Lyre. • Phrygian Mode played with the Aulos

THE REPUBLIC Treatise on Government and the Nature of Justice. (obsessed with justice after Socrates’ death) Plato formulates a highly advanced society. Nature determines that there are different classes of people. Specialization according to class and occupation. • Society should be ruled by the intellectual / guardian class of Philosopher-Kings. • Each class should be educated only to the level it needs to function and be happy. • The Arts should be strictly controlled. • Both wealth and poverty should be banished. • Guardians and Soldiers should be forbidden property. • All other classes should hold individual, NOT community property. • There should be social mobility, decided during childhood. JUSTICE If everyone has there proper place in society, no-one’s rights will be interfered with. REALITY • In the “Ring of Gyges” section, Plato shows that this ideal society cannot exist. • Justice can only be approached by the Golden Mean – a balance between intellect and human nature.

Aristotle (384 – 322 BC) born in Macedonia • Plato’s greatest student at the Academy • founds his own school – The Lyceum a Peripatetic school • lacks Plato’s vivid imagination • father’s medical background gives him a foundation based on empiricism (observation and sense experience) • writings are enormous (even though only ½ have survived) most are in the form of lecture notes • Politics - forms of human association • Poetics – scientific analysis of the arts • Rhetoric - theory and practice of eloquence, whether spoken or written • Organon - (“instrument”) - logic • Metaphysics – nature of being and reality • Ethics – human behavior, character and intelligence as they relate to happiness • Physics - natural science, astronomy, meteorology, plants, and animals Influence: Teacher of Alexander the Great Foundation of Philosophy during the Middle Ages System of logic still used today

Field of Aesthetics – The Poetics – guidelines for what constitutes fine art Greek techne (craft) – art is the making of something Art imitates Nature always seeks the highest good Tragedy is the highest art form • Aristotelian Unities – Time / Place / Plot • Protagonist must have a “tragic flaw” leading to downfall • Six elements: Plot, Character, Diction, Thought, Spectacle, Melody

Field of Logic - rules for chain of reasoning that would, if followed, never lead from true premises to false conclusions syllogism – tool of deductive reasoning “All humans are mortal” “All Greeks are humans” therefore “All Greeks are mortal”

Reality – Aristotle follows the IONIAN tradition uses senses – scientific observation Abstract Idea and Physical Substance must coincide Reality is a constant progression of substance and form ENTELECHE “Having Purpose Within” “EN” within “TELOS” purpose “ECHAIA” having By nature, all things have an inner goal to fulfill. All things move toward perfection. The cause of this process is the ultimate perfection: FIRST CAUSE UNMOVED MOVER GOD “GOD” is the only instance of pure form separated from matter.

The Good Life – All things, including humans, seek to attain the highest good. SUMMUM BONUM [genikotero kalo] Since humans are “rational animals” – they use their minds to fulfill this goal. Therefore, human perfection is a rational process. Virtue is a sign of this perfection. Extremes in virtue, however are bad. The GOLDEN MEAN is the ideal balance. The ideal life is one of CONTEMPLATION.