"Ancient Greek philosophy arose in the 6th century BC. Philosophy was used to make sense of the world using reason."
Examines the philosophical works of ancient Greek thinkers, including Plato, Aristotle, and Epicurus, and their contributions to fields such as ethics, metaphysics, and politics.
Pre-Socratic Philosophy: The philosophy of the earliest Greek thinkers before the work of Plato and Aristotle. These philosophers were interested in fundamental questions about the nature of reality, such as what basic substance everything is made of, and how change occurs.
Plato's Theory of Forms: A central concept in Plato's philosophy which posits that there is a realm of Forms or Ideas that exist beyond the physical world, and are more real than material objects.
The Socratic Method: A style of philosophical inquiry developed by Socrates, which involves asking a series of probing questions to uncover the underlying assumptions and contradictions in someone's beliefs.
Aristotle's Metaphysics: Aristotle's treatise on the ultimate nature of reality, which includes the concept of the Prime Mover, who is responsible for moving all things in the universe.
Ethics and Virtue: The study of morality and values, as well as the cultivation of good character traits. Greek philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato believed that the ultimate goal of ethics was to cultivate wisdom and virtue in individuals.
Epistemology: The study of the nature of knowledge and belief. Ancient Greek philosophers had various theories about the nature of knowledge and how we can acquire it, such as the deduction and induction methods.
Logic and Reasoning: The study of how to reason in a logical and systematic manner, and the principles of sound argumentation. Greek philosophers like Aristotle were influential in the development of logic and reasoning.
Sophistry: A school of thought that emerged in ancient Greece, which focused on rhetoric and the art of persuasion. Sophists were seen as controversial figures because they were thought to place more emphasis on winning debates than discovering truth.
Physics and Cosmology: The study of the laws of nature and the origins of the universe. Early Greek philosophers, such as Thales and Anaximander, attempted to understand the physical world around them by using logic and observation.
Hellenistic Philosophy: A period of philosophical thought that emerged after Alexander the Great's conquest of Greece. This period includes schools of thought such as Epicureanism, which focused on the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain, and Stoicism, which emphasized personal virtue, rationality, and self-control.
Ancient Greek Mythology: The study of the gods and myths of ancient Greece, which were often used by Greek philosophers as allegories for understanding philosophical concepts.
Philosophy of Language: The study of language and its relationship to thought and reality. Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle were interested in the nature of language and its ability to accurately convey truth.
Presocratic philosophy: Philosophical thought that existed before Socrates. It mainly focused on nature, fundamental principles, and basic elements of the universe.
Classical philosophy: A philosophy that deals with the broad questions of human existence, such as ethics, aesthetics, and metaphysics.
Hellenistic philosophy: A philosophy that emerged during the Hellenistic period, influenced by Eastern philosophical traditions, such as Stoicism, Epicureanism, and Skepticism.
Socratic philosophy: Socrates' method of questioning and examining assumptions in order to discover truth.
Platonic philosophy: The philosophy of Plato, which elucidates the theory of Forms and explores questions about metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and aesthetics.
Aristotelian philosophy: The philosophy of Aristotle, which delves into various fields of knowledge, such as ethics, metaphysics, politics, biology, and physics.
Skeptic philosophy: A philosophy that claims that knowledge is impossible, and that opinion or belief is a more appropriate response to the world.
Stoic philosophy: A philosophy that emphasizes detachment from emotions and acceptance of one's fate as a way of achieving inner peace.
Epicurean philosophy: A philosophy that places pleasure as the human being's highest end, and advocates for a life free from pain and fear.
Cynic philosophy: A philosophy that advocates living modestly and disregarding social conventions inorder to achieve inner freedom.
"It dealt with a wide variety of subjects, including astronomy, epistemology, mathematics, political philosophy, ethics, metaphysics, ontology, logic, biology, rhetoric, and aesthetics."
"Greek philosophy has influenced much of Western culture since its inception, and can be found in many aspects of public education."
"Alfred North Whitehead once noted: 'The safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato'."
"The extent of this influence is widely debated. The classicist Martin Litchfield West states, 'contact with oriental cosmology and theology helped to liberate the early Greek philosophers' imagination; it certainly gave them many suggestive ideas. But they taught themselves to reason.'"
"Subsequent philosophic tradition was so influenced by Socrates as presented by Plato that it is conventional to refer to philosophy developed prior to Socrates as pre-Socratic philosophy."
"The periods following this, up to and after the wars of Alexander the Great, are those of 'Classical Greek' and 'Hellenistic philosophy,' respectively."
"Greek philosophy continued throughout the Hellenistic period and later evolved into Roman philosophy."
N/A (The paragraph does not explicitly mention specific philosophers.)
"[Greek philosophy] can be found in many aspects of public education" during these periods.
"It dealt with a wide variety of subjects, including... political philosophy, ethics... biology..."
"It dealt with a wide variety of subjects, including... mathematics."
"It dealt with a wide variety of subjects, including... biology."
"It dealt with a wide variety of subjects, including... aesthetics."
"The European Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment."
"It dealt with a wide variety of subjects, including... logic."
"Philosophy was used to make sense of the world using reason."
"But they taught themselves to reason. Philosophy as we understand it is a Greek creation."
"It dealt with a wide variety of subjects, including... rhetoric."
"Greek philosophy has influenced much of Western culture since its inception, and can be found in many aspects of public education."