We can’t forget the greats of Ancient Greece! From Anaxagoras to Diogenes, these ancient philosophers are well worth studying! Learn more about each of them and their work in this article! Listed here are the 5 most famous Greek philosophers. You may already be familiar with one of them, but if not, you can get started by reading the brief biographies of the others.
Anaxagoras
Aside from being a teacher and friend of Socrates, Anaxagoras had several students. He had great influence on Euripides and Aristophanes, and he also influenced Democritus. Anaxagoras is one of the 5 Greek philosophers. However, his influence does not end there. Many other Greek philosophers cite him and follow his example.
According to the Ancient Greeks, Anaxagoras was a teacher and philosopher. In fact, he was even considered to be a father figure. His circle of followers included Socrates and Anaxagoras. The earliest known work about Anaxagoras can be found in the Lives of the Eminent Philosophers (Plato, Hicks, and Laertius).
Anaxagoras was resident in Athens for twenty years. He was charged with impiety and Medism and was exiled to Lampsacus. The scholars of his time debated this question. Nevertheless, Anaxagoras is known to have influenced the works of Euripides, Sophocles, Aristophanes, and Democritus.
Among the 5 Greek philosophers, Anaxagoras formulated a pluralist philosophy. It was a reply to Eleatic monism and an early Ionian hylozoism. Anaxagoras also accepted the Eleatic refutation of ex nihilo generation. Anaxagoras conceived of becoming and passing away as internal cosmic processes. This belief is consistent with his belief that everything comes from a mixture of fundamental materials.
In order to focus on philosophy, Anaxagoras left his wealth behind. He also left his property to ruin. He found that attachment to material possessions impeded his quest for wisdom. This belief lasted throughout his life, so it’s difficult to know how he ended up at that point. Therefore, we cannot say for sure that Anaxagoras is a Greek philosopher.
Curd’s work provides an English translation of many fragments of Anaxagoras’ works. He follows the numbered format of Diels and Kranz’s collection. The translations are remarkably accurate and philologically sound. They accurately reflect the structure of the text and the context of his arguments. It’s important to understand this philosophy before deciding which Greek philosopher you’ll study.
Democritus
A famous Greek philosopher, Democritus, believed that the world consists of small particles called “atoms.” These atoms have the same essence but are connected by their differences. Democritus was the first philosopher to make this claim. While Democritus did not deny the existence of souls and spirits, his atomic theory makes it clear that all things happen because of necessity. This makes it easy to understand why he was so well-respected and still able to challenge contemporary theories about nature.
Born to a noble family in Abdera around 460 BC, Democritus traveled widely and studied deeply. He was influenced by Anaxagoras, who was also a philosopher. Democritus may have visited India and Babylon. His travels took him to many other parts of ancient Greece. He wrote a number of books on various subjects, including physics. Eventually, he was able to translate his ideas into a model for the atomic universe.
The atoms inside our body are held together by our bodies, and it is our soul that interprets them when they are outside of our bodies. For example, we perceive a book, a tree, or anything else when we combine these atoms. In reality, we are all one, and all atoms are interconnected. That’s how we perceive things in our lives. So, we are all made up of atoms, and we can’t deny that.
Democritus was also influenced by the Presocratic Philosophers. His only complete statement is “Nothing happens at random.” Democritus echoes this concept. Leucippus, Anaxagoras, and Parmenides were also influential in his work. In addition to being the ‘laughing philosopher’, Democritus also wrote about farming, human origins, and astronomy.
A third Greek philosopher, Empedocles of Acragas, was known for his weird death stories. He was considered a sort of messianic figure due to his belief in reincarnation. Unlike Socrates, he was influenced by Parmenides’ philosophy and was one of the last Greek philosophers to express his ideas in verse. He denounced animal sacrifices and advocated vegetarianism.
Diogenes
Diogenes is perhaps the most controversial of the 5 Greek philosophers. He was a radical and antisocial ascetic who lived in a barrel and rejected the norms of society. His followers often dressed in crude clothes and slept under porticoes, while urinating and defecating in public. He was often depicted with a lit lamp, a symbol of his antisocial lifestyle. He admired dogs and tried to emulate their simplicity.
His biography is also somewhat sketchy, but he is attributed with various apocryphal stories. One apocryphal story attributes to him the quest for an honest man in the daytime. It is also said that his father had banished him to the Ionian city of Sinope after he defaced the currency there. Despite being exiled from his home town, his life is an interesting and intriguing one.
Diogenes lived in a pithos while in Athens. He wrote to an influential ruler in order to get a real house. After failing to procure a proper cottage, he took a bath in Metroon instead. In his letters, he explains this as the origin of his legendary askesis. So, let’s get back to the facts: Diogenes was a great thinker who was a bit of a loner.
In fact, he had such a poor life that he was forced to beg for his bread. He slept in a large ceramic jar in the marketplace. His father was a banker, and he was probably enrolled in the banking business with him. It seems his extreme poverty allowed him to develop his theories about the nature of mankind. The five Greek philosophers have their merits and weaknesses.
Diogenes’ most famous work, “Search for the Honest Man,” exposed the hypocrisy of polite societal conventions. His approach forced people to recognize false practices. His work inspired Crates of Thebes, who also studied with him. Because of his dedication to the truth, Diogenes is considered one of the 5 Greek philosophers. The world has been transformed by his work and the values he embraced.
Socrates
Socrates was one of the earliest known philosophers. He died at the age of 70. He never wrote anything down. Plato depicted him as a main character in his dialogues. His primary philosophical methodology was dialogue, which leads listeners to give up presuppositions and come to knowledge through dialogue. This method requires listeners to acknowledge their ignorance and become more critical of their own views. Many dialogues depict Socrates as uneasy and frustrated.
Socrates grew up in a low-class family in Athens. His parents, Sophroniscus and Phaenarete, were stonemasons. The Sophroniscus family was not wealthy, so Socrates could not claim noble birth like Plato. Socrates lived in a political district called Alopece. He began performing typical male duties when he was 18 years old, including participating in the Assembly.
Socrates emphasized the importance of the soul, and he observed that his fellow citizens were more concerned about their bodies, reputation, and wealth. Socrates believed that he was on a mission from God to examine his fellow citizens and convince them of the importance of their souls. He also believed that wealth, as much as it can buy, cannot buy human excellence. Rather, it must be accompanied by virtue to be good.
Socrates compares himself to Sophists, who were learned men who taught youths for a fee. Socrates says it is admirable to teach people, and he asks what virtue is. Unlike most of his fellow philosophers, Socrates does not charge for conversations, instead, he simply asks for respect. This attitude led him to be despised by many of his friends, and it helped him develop a reputation for honesty and integrity.
Socrates is a renowned and influential philosopher, but he is also an important historical figure. His dialogues were written in Greek and his dialogues are not the only sources of his writings. A few other Greek philosophers are credited with Socrates’ work. Theaetetus was his most famous work. Socrates is one of the 5 Greek philosophers.