What Is Greek Philosophy?

Socrates may have argued "philosophy" in this Athens arena some 2,500 years ago

Greek philosophy is a system of thought that focuses on the importance of reason--or of thinking things through. The word "philosophy" means "love of wisdom" (from the Greek words "philo," meaning "love," and "sophia," or "wisdom"). In its infancy, adherents were trying to uncover objective truths (about justice, reality, etc.) with reason.

Branches

Some branches of philosophy studied in ancient times included metaphysics (study of reality), epistemology (study of knowledge), aesthetics (the study of beauty), ethics (the study of right and wrong) and logic (reasoning).

Origins

Greek philosophy can be traced back 2,500 years, when there was an emphasis on the rational unity of things and rejection of mythological explanations of things. Socrates--known as the father of reason--was first Greek to rely on reason rather than the Greek traditions (religion). His opposing viewpoints--such as that truths need to be reasoned rather than believed without question--cost him his life.

Prominent Philosophers

The two most prominent philosophers of ancient Greece were Plato and Aristotle. Plato was a student of Socrates, and Aristotle was a student of Plato.

Plato's Contribution

Plato developed a complex metaphysical framework of reality. In it there was a physical world and the world of the forms. Items we see every day (a chair, for example) are imperfect versions of their perfect forms (e.g. Chair), which exist on a different plane of reality.

Aristotle's Contribution

Aristotle discovered the law of non-contradiction, which states that a thing cannot be itself and something else at the same time--for example, a human and a rabbit. This can be summed up simply as "A is A."

References

• Molloy College: What is Philosophy Anyway?
• The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Ancient Greek Philosophy
• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Aristotle on Non-contradiction