Great Thinkers of Ancient Greece: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle
Philosophy is the study of ideas about life, knowledge, truth, and the mind. The word comes from the ancient Greeks. “Philos” means “loving,” and “sophia" means “wisdom.” Ancient Greece had many philosophers. Some of the most well-known philosophers are Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
Socrates is often viewed as the founder of Western philosophy. He was a distinguished soldier, but is most famous as a philosopher. Socrates would often ask people questions about a problem. Based on their answers, he would ask more questions. He usually wouldn’t say his own opinions. Instead, he would keep asking questions to test their answers and ideas. After many questions and tests, the people would eventually come to a conclusion. This way of testing ideas through questioning is now known as the Socratic method.
Plato was a student of Socrates who founded the Academy, a school of philosophy where he delivered lectures to students from all over Greece. In addition to teaching and exploring ideas, Plato wrote down a lot of his ideas. Some of his writings have survived to today. Probably his most famous writing is the Republic. One idea explored in the Republic is about a fair and just government ruled by rulers who are also philosophers.
Aristotle was a student of Plato in the Academy. Later, Aristotle rented space in the Lyceum, a former wrestling school outside of Athens. At the Lyceum he created a place of learning much like that of Plato. He developed a curriculum centered on his own teachings. Aristotle also wrote down much of his ideas. It is believed that he wrote about 200 works. Most of them were probably written while he was teaching at the Lyceum. In his works, Aristotle explored the nature of animals, planets, ethics, politics, and life. Only 31 of Aristotle’s works survive today.