Greek Philosophy Essay

I will be writing about Greek philosophy because I am particularly very interested in Philosophy. I will start by explaining a little bit about what philosophy is in general; philosophy is the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline. Not all people have their own philosophies and it is not considered simply a way of life, nor a belief or wish. Philosophy is a quest of wisdom and a unique style of thinking. Philosophy literally means “love of wisdom.” Philosophy is considered very analytic and requires much critical thinking as well as an open mind. Throughout Greek history there were many philosophers I can name such as Plate or Aristotle. Socrates, however, was

Aristotle was born circa in Stagira, Greece and lived from 384-322 BCE. At 17 years old after Aristotle’s father died, Proxenus of Atarneus, who was married to Aristotle’s older sister, Arimneste, became Aristotle’s guardian. Proxenus sent him to Athens to pursue a higher education. At the time, Athens was thought to be the academic center of the universe during this time. In 338 BCE Aristotle began tutoring Alexander the Great. He continued to develop Plato’s teachings first devoted and unswerving then later critically of his master’s doctrines for twenty years. In 335 BCE, Aristotle founded his own school called the Lyceum in Athens, where he spent the rest of his life studying, teaching and writing. Some important works of Aristotle are Metaphysics, which is thought to be the most complex of his works as he delves into the Theory of Forms. He disagreed with Plato in the idea that people contained a remembrance from previous existences and argued that everything in the universe is simply made up of Earth, fire, air, and water. In the metaphysics world this would make Aristotle a materialist. Another work of Aristotle was the Rhetoric, where he prescribes the ideal model of oratory; Poetics which he prescribes the ideal model of poetry and includes a famous definition of tragedy, and Physics which centers on elements that compose the universe and the laws by which these elements

Plato who lived from 427 BCE – 347 BCE was one of the world’s best known and greatly read philosophers. He was a student of Socrates and the Dialogues of Plato are thought to be the recorded teachings of Socrates. In the beginning of the Dialogues Plato tried to preserve some of his master’s teachings and views and in the later parts it is thought that Plato used Socrates as an advertiser for his own views. Some of Plato’s works include the Apology, one of three works that recount Socrates’ last days, the Crito, which is about prison and why Socrates refuses to escape, and the Phaedo, which relays his last day with friends spent discussing the immortality of the soul and his death. After Socrates’ death Plato, horrified, left Athens only to return in 387 BCE to found the Academy. The Academy was the first permanent institution in Western civilization and was mainly focused on mathematics, law and political theory. Twenty years later Plato was invited to Sicily in 368 BCE where he was asked to put his political theories into action by turning Syracuse into a model kingdom. Plato failed and by 366 BCE he was back in Athens. Where, besides another unsuccessful trip to Syracuse in 362 BCE, he spent the rest of his life, teaching and writing, until his death. Plato believed that there is a reality and real things ‘beyond’ our senses that lead to interpretations about what