1. Greek Culture
Philosophers, Drama

2. Greek Culture Philosophy = the search for wisdom and knowledge
Greek word meaning “the love of wisdom”
Socrates – 1st of the great Athenian philosophers
Everything known about Socrates comes from the writings of his students
Interested in broad concepts of human life
Best way to learn is to ask questions – Socratic method
Use question-and-answer format to acquire knowledge
Socrates was charged with disrespect for religion and corrupting the city’s children
Thought he caused children to question the actions of the gods
Believed the displeasure of the gods caused Athens to lose the war
Sentenced to death by drinking a cup of hemlock, a poison

4. Plato
Student of Socrates
His most famous work was the Republic
Gov’t should be led by the people most qualified to make good decisions – philosophers
Plato founded the Academy, a school where respected philosophers could teach their students and hold debates
Questioned reality and believed in ideal Forms
Every material object in the world was only the reflection of a perfect ideal

5. Aristotle
Student of Plato
Emphasis on reason and logic to study the natural world
Reason = clear and ordered thinking
Logic = the process of making inferences – a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reason
Aristotle believed in analyzing through observation and investigation
People should use reason to learn about the world by making careful observations
Influenced the development of science in Europe

6. A systematic analysis of past events, created by the Greeks
History
A systematic analysis of past events, created by the Greeks
The Greeks were one of the first people to write about and analyze the past
Herodotus – First historian, wrote about the Persian Wars
Thucydides – considered to be the greatest historian of the ancient world
Included many primary speeches and looked at his sources critically

7. Greek Drama
Used for entertainment, two distinct forms of drama
Tragedies – usually focused on hardships faced by Greek heroes
Comedies – satires, written to expose the flaws of society

8. Several well-known Greek playwrights
Sophocles – concentrated on the suffering people brought upon themselves
Many of his characters had fatal flaws
Famous play = Oedipus Rex, the story of a king who accidentally kills his father and marries his mother
Aeschylus – wrote plays based on ancient Greek myths
Famous play = Oresteia, the tragedies faced by the leader of the Greek army on his way home from the Trojan War
Euripides – wrote about characters whose tragedy was brought about by irrational behavior