Chapter 8 Lesson 2 "The Greek Mind"

One type of thinker was involved in creating a new body of knowledge. These thinkers were known as philosophers, the body of knowledge they created is called philosophy. Philosophy is a Greek word that means love of wisdom. Through philosophy, Greek philosophers helped develop the study of many subjects, including history, political science, biology, and logic, where the study of reasoning. Many Greek philosophers were teachers, a group of philosophers known as the sophists traveled from polis to palace. They made a living by teaching the sophists taught many subjects, including mathematics, science, and history. However, they were best known for teaching rhetoric or the art of public speaking and debate. Sophists did not believe that the gods influenced human actions. They also rejected the idea of absolute right or wrong. 

For the sophists a way of life that was right for one person might be wrong for another. The sophists not only challenge Greek traditions, but they also accepted money for their teaching. Other Greek philosophers did not approve of this practice. Many Greeks also thought the sophists lacked ideas, ideals, and values. Critics claim the sophists taught students to win arguments rather than to seek truths. Although a sculptor by training, Socrates loved philosophy. He lived in Athens and spent most of his time teaching. Socrates did not leave a written record of his beliefs. Information about him is found in his students writings. These writings reveal that Socrates was a harsh critic of the sophists. Unlike the sophists, Socrates believed in absolute truth and that all real knowledge was within each person. In his search for truth, Socrates created a new way of questioning called the socratic method. 

Today, many university professors use the socratic method when they teach. Socrates did not lecture, instead he asked pointed questions and waited for his students to respond. He wanted students to find the answers for themselves and form their own opinions. Some Athenian leaders believe that the socratic method was dangerous. At one time, Athens had allowed its people to speak freely. They could publicly question their leaders. However, when Athens lost the Peloponnesian war, its new rulers limited this freedom. The Athenians no longer trusted open debate. This method of discussion, however, was exactly what Socrates thought was necessary. He continued to teach his students. In three 99 BC, city leaders, fearing his influence, arrested Socrates. They charged that he had urged young people to rebel against the government. 

A jury found Socrates guilty and sentenced him to death. Following the verdict of the court, Socrates was given the opportunity to leave Athens and live. Instead, he stayed. Surrounded by his students and friends, Socrates gave his last speech. He said that he was living under the city's laws as a result he stated he was committed to obeying them, Socrates then drank poison to carry out the jury sentence and died. The two Greek philosophers you may have heard of are Plato and Aristotle. The philosopher Plato was one of Socrates students. Plato became a teacher and founded a school in Athens called the academy. Unlike Socrates, Plato recorded his ideas and writing. One work Plato wrote was the republic. It presented his plan for an ideal society in government. In the republic, Plato organized society into three groups at the top were philosopher kings. They ruled through logic and wisdom. Warriors, the second group defended society from attack using force. The third group included the rest of the people. Their role was to produce society's food, clothing, and shelter. They lacked the wisdom of the kings and the courage of the warriors. 

Plato believed that an ideal society must have a just and reasonable government. In the republic, Plato noted his dislike of Athenian democracy. He wrote that the common people did not think for themselves and that they could be easily influenced into making foolish decisions. Plato believed that philosopher kings were intelligent and well educated. He felt these kings would place the needs of the community ahead of their own. Plato wanted only these philosopher kings to govern the citizens of Greece. Despite his distrust of the common people, Plato was willing to grant more rights to women. He believed that women should have the same opportunities for education and jobs that men have. Another great thinker of ancient Greece was Aristotle. He wrote more than 200 works on topics such as government astronomy and political science. In three 35 BC, Aristotle started a school called the lyceum. At this school, he taught his students that the golden mean, the mean is the middle position between two extremes. 

The idea of the golden mean is that people should live moderately. For example, individuals should not eat too little or too much. Aristotle classified living things according to their similarities and differences. Aristotle's methods were an important step in the development of modern science. Like Plato, Aristotle also wrote about government. He studied and compared the governments of different city states and hoped to find the best political system in his book politics. Aristotle divided governments into three types. The first was monarchy or rule by one person. The second was oligarchy, which is ruled by a few people, the third type was democracy or rule by many. Aristotle believed the best government had features of all three. A chief executive was served as head of state, a council or legislature would assist this leader and be supported by the people. Aristotle's ideas influence the way Europeans and Americans thought about government. 

The authors of the United States Constitution, like Aristotle, believed that no one person or group should have too much power. Why did Plato dislike Athenian democracy? Now, on this slide, it says page two 80, but in our textbook, it's page two 22. Check it out under Plato's ideas. There's a summary here, but that's worth rereading as it will be on your quiz. In many ways, the ancient Greeks were like most people living at that time. They believed that legends and myths were true. People did not analyze events in order to explain the past. Then in four 35 BC, the Greek thinker herodotus wrote a history of the Persian wars. Herodotus wrote that the gods played a role in historical events. However, he made a great effort to separate fact from fiction. Like a news reporter, he questioned many people to get information. But then he investigated the truthfulness of these sources. Because of herodotus's careful research, many European and American historians consider him the father of history. Another famous historian of ancient Greece was through sated us, he was a general in the Peloponnesian war. 

The two Greek great Greek city states of Athens and Sparta fought in this conflict, which lasted nearly 30 years. The scientists considered this war to be a major event in world history after the war, he wrote the history of the Peloponnesian war. Unlike herodotus, the city deus rejected the idea that the gods affected human history, the city does believe that only people made history in his writing the Citadel tried hard to be accurate and impartial. The Senate has acted like a modern roving reporter. He visited battle sites, and he also carefully examined documents. In addition, he accepted only actual eyewitness reports of events. The scientists did not just state the facts. He also explored the causes and effects of events. He believed that future generations could learn from the past. Moreover, as a historian, he wanted to leave behind the ideas and commentary so that others could learn. For example, in the history of the Peloponnesian war, the sightedness wrote, he wrote of a warning to Sparta and I quote, and yet Sparta, you still delay. 

You fail to see that peace stays long as with those who show their determination not to submit to injustice. Your habits are old fashioned as compared with those of Athens. It is the law as an art, so in politics that improvements will win out. Avan says made greater progress than you on the path of innovation. Innovation. That is from the history of the Peloponnesian war. The ancient Greeks developed many scientific ideas. These ideas have influenced scientific thinking for centuries. An ancient times, most people thought their gods controlled nature. Early Greek scientists had a different idea. They thought that natural events could be explained logically and that people could discover the causes of these events by using reason. 

The first important Greek scientist was thales of born in the mid 600s BC, thales studied astronomy and mathematics. He did not have telescopes and other instruments that science used today. They least made discoveries and developed theories by observing and thinking. Another Greek scientist, Pythagoras, taught his pupils at the universe followed the same laws that govern music and numbers. He believed that all relationships could be expressed in numbers. As a result, he developed many new ideas about mathematics. Most people know his name because of Pythagorean theorem that is still used in geometry today. It is a way to determine the length of the sides of a triangle. Greek scientists also studied medicine where the science of treating diseases. 

Hypocrites, hippocrates was a physician in ancient Greece who was regarded as the father of medicine. He believed diseases came from natural causes. Most people at that time thought evil spirits cause diseases. Hypocrites traveled all over Greece to help the sick. He used new ideas to diagnose different illnesses. He also discovered his own treatments to help cure sick people. Hippocrates created a list of rules about how doctors should use their skills to help patients. His rules are listed in the Hippocratic oath, the oath says that doctors should do their best to help the patient. It also says they should protect the patient's privacy. Today, doctors around the world still promise to honor the Hippocratic oath. This check on learning is about the father of history. 

You can guarantee in a history class, you're going to see this on the quiz. So I would go back, ignore this page number that's written here. I would go back and read page two 25 and make sure this information is correct. Here's a quick summary or highlight of the things in this chapter that you absolutely are going to need to know on both the quiz and the test. This presentation is over, but the learning is just begun. Did Socrates commit treason. Check it out on page two 21 and answer those questions. And then tell me the difference, and the similarities between Plato and Aristotle. As a matter of fact, you can look at the chart, I think that would help you that is in this section. Located on page two 24.