If you haven’t heard of Greek philosophy, you’re missing out on some of the most influential philosophers in history. From Plato to Heraclitus, these philosophers had a profound impact on Western thought. We’ll explore some of their key ideas and discover the relevance of these thinkers today. Whether you are studying Greek philosophy for fun or as part of a class assignment, you’ll find that these thinkers can make a profound difference in your life.
Anaxagoras
The philosopher Anaxagoras lived between 500 and 428 BCE. He claimed that mind is the First Cause of Existence, and that all things were born of seeds which could never be destroyed. Moreover, he believed that all things were originally one mass. The cosmos was therefore composed of many seeds. The individual seeds had different types of substances, so the cosmos was a mixture of many different kinds of things.
After moving from Ionia to Athens in 480 B.C., Anaxagoras brought with him a new philosophy, tempered with the spirit of scientific inquiry. But in the process, he was charged with impiety for asserting that the Sun is an incandescent stone. The attack was intended as a subtle stab to the philosopher’s rival Pericles. In the end, Anaxagoras escaped execution, and he spent the rest of his life in exile.
In Anaxagoras’s work, the mind is extended to a cosmic level, and he also makes the connection between humans and animals. The Mind of the cosmos is a dynamic governing principle, which is immanent in the natural system while retaining transcendental determining power. Ultimately, Anaxagoras saw the world as both natural and divine, and he sought to make sense of it.
Plato
The study of Plato’s Republic points to its ambiguous nature. Many scholars disagree on the exact nature of “Form,” while others argue that it is simply the name of the most important philosophy of the age. However, they generally agree on the general theme of the work: that it is central to the period. Although the Republic has been a central work of Greek philosophy for several centuries, its precise nature is not fully understood.
Timaeus is a short piece of dialogue that is not commonly found in the West. In antiquity, the dialogues were ordered thematically, but this is not the only approach. In the Middle East, Moslem scholars preserved the dialogues and published them under the name of Timaeus. It was not until the fifteenth century ce that the dialogues were rediscovered. In addition, a number of scholars disagree on the chronological ordering of the dialogues.
The Symposium contains ideas about love and sexuality. It entertains various points of view, such as the idea that people were originally doubled, and were cut into two parts and spend their lives looking for the other half. A fragment from the Timaeus also mentions the mythical Atlantis. The philosophic works of Plato have had a lasting impact on math, science, morals, and political theory.
Aristotle
Aristotle and Greek philosophy are closely connected. In their conception of the world, these two philosophers are one in the same. Aristotle was a multifaceted polymath who studied under Plato, a fellow philosopher who had established the Lyceum. Aristotle was also a founder of the Peripatetic school of philosophy and the Aristotelian tradition. His writings cover a broad range of subjects, and he has a profound impact on Western thought and intellectual lexicon.
Although Aristotle’s writings are filled with errors and fallacies, the amount of knowledge that he has left behind is unsurpassed until the Spencer era. In fact, the results of the Spencer era are less than half of the collection of knowledge Aristotle left behind. Despite the difficulties he faced, his writings are widely considered one of the greatest philosophers in history. This article will examine his contribution to our understanding of ancient Greek philosophy.
Aristotle emphasized the importance of beings and their nature. In his treatises, he considered the physical world as a continuum of individualities. The laws of nature govern individual and collective behavior. For instance, the laws of reversion govern reproduction and mating, and the principles of reversal apply to artistic innovation. Aristotle believed that artistic innovation was born from an impulse to model and emotional expression. Beauty is an imitation of reality; it is a reflection of nature.
Heraclitus
Heraclitus is a philosopher of the ancient Greeks and the author of The Lyceum, a book that seems to be more of a collection of proverbs than a philosophy text. In fact, the philosopher Theophrastus said that the work of Heraclitus seemed incomplete. Heraclitus’ book was, however, divided into three sections, each of which dealt with a different area of Greek philosophy. Heraclitus’ philosophy also touched on politics and ethics. The importance of understanding nature, he says, is essential to harmony and good action.
Heraclitus’s philosophy was based on the premise that the universe is constantly changing, despite its orderly patterns. He viewed nature as a series of cyclical changes, each of which he attributed to a single, unifying principle. Heraclitus defined fire as the basic substance and the universe as a cyclical process. This idea is fundamental to the study of the nature of the world, and one that can be traced back to ancient Greece.
Heraclitus is an influential thinker in the history of philosophy. He did not offer a detailed theodicy, but he did suggest that all things are interdependent and inevitably in conflict. By demonstrating that everything is connected and dependent on one another, Heraclitus redefines values and how they are defined. The opposite of what we think is bad is a good, and vice versa.
Diogenes the Cynic
A Greek philosopher known as Diogenes the Cynic is considered the founder of Cynicism. However, his ideas are not recorded in any written documents. There are several anecdotes about his life, and a volume of letters that include seven tragedies. While the ideas are present in his works, we can only derive them indirectly through his own actions. In addition, his ideas are often scattered throughout classical sources, such as fragmented anecdotes.
While there are many myths about Diogenes, there are some facts. For example, he once carried a lamp around the city, looking for a good man. However, in reality, he found only hypocrites and frauds. In one instance, he observed a young man dressed up in a fancy costume, to which he replied, “This is a shameless knave!” In another story, Diogenes said that he dealt with sexual impulses by masturbating in public, urinating on people who insulted him, and taking a dump in a theatre. However, despite these controversies, Diogenes’ words have been translated and used to teach us a great deal about philosophy.
The apocryphal stories about Diogenes the Cynic are full of interesting details. Although his biography is sketchy, he was probably already practicing asceticism when he arrived in Athens. It is believed that he was appointed tutor to his master’s sons and had already adopted a life of asceticism. His anti-conventionalism led him to deface Greek currency, and Aristotle called him a “familiar figure” in the city.
Empedocles
A presocratic philosopher from ancient Greece, Empedocles lived in the ancient colony of Agrigentum in Sicily. His work focuses on the nature of matter, which he argues is composed of four basic elements: earth, fire, air, and water. Empedocles also proposed the existence of Love and Strife, which he felt were necessary to explain attraction and separation. His theory of light’s finite speed was subsequently accepted by other thinkers and became a standard dogma for over two thousand years.
Greek philosophers considered Empedocles to be the father of rhetoric. Some believed he was the father of poetry. Horace spoke of him with great admiration and regarded him as an inspiration. Friedrich Holderlin wrote a play about him and a poem about him in 1826. And in 1852, Matthew Arnold wrote a poem about him, ‘Empededocles on Etna’, about a philosopher who became famous by a cult following.
Moreover, Empedocles’ belief in transmigration of souls was a crucial element of his philosophy. He declared that people who commit sin must wiggle through many mortal bodies over 30,000 seasons before they reach a point where they can be freed from punishment. This process of transmigration also explains the existence of animals with human heads. For Empedocles, animal flesh contains the souls of former humans.