Thursday, March 21

Today we took notes on the philosophers Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
Socrates
  • looked to science and logic (not Greek mythology) to explain how the world works
  • the Socratic method fostered critical thinking 
  • "The unexamined life is not worth living"
  • Socrates was charged with serious crimes
    • impiety
    • corruption of Athens youth
  • at his trial, he described himself as a gadfly and Athens as a lazy horse
  • sentenced to death by drinking poisoned hemlock
Plato
  • a student and follower of Socrates
  • he wrote out Socrates teachings and described his trial in Apology
  • Republic was Socrates' discussion of justice and the ideal state- one of the most influential books on philosophy ever written 
Aristotle
  • a student of Plato
  • fostered the idea of Athens as an intellectual
  • Started a school called the Lyceum for philosophy
  • wrote on logic, physics, biology, ethics, politics, rhetoric, motion, theatre, poetry, metaphysics, psychology, and dreams    
  • tutored Alexader the Great 

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