Greece and the Ancient World, Essay Example

Greeks Mythology and Philosophy

The ancient Greek way of living was based on two beliefs that dominated there culture. The Greek mythology, which believed in magical myths about ancient Greeks that were gods and heroes. The Greek mythology became the primary political, cultural, and religious values for the Greek people. The Greek mythology can be credited as major influences on the future cultures, heritages, poetry, and Western civilization foundations of different ways of life. The second belief moved away from the Greek Mythology to Greek Philosophical way of life. The Greek philosophy begins in the 6^th century that addressed many different thoughts such as ethical issues, political philosophy, and nature of being, study of being, existence, and reality (Ancienthistory.about.com, 2015). Including logic subjects such as computers science, literary, mathematics, and philosophy. The primary thesis argument is that the Greek life has a major impact on every culture and civilization. Their contributions include philosophy, politics, cuisine, culture, art, religion, and a way of life. The Greek civilization and contributions symbolizes and parallels all other cultures that have come after them.

This Greek philosophical era sparked the human interest and investigations of how people reason and learn knowledge based on different philosophies of wisdom, love, ethics, righteousness and the birth of metaphysics and epistemology. Socrates and Plato ushered in the philosophical way of life with their phislophcal views on life. However, Aristotle was the most influential of the ancient Greek philosophers who focused on the role of the human being rather than Greek mythical gods.

Characteristics of Myths and Philosophy

The Greek mythology is a group of collective mystic beliefs that are represented by Greek arts, paintings, variety of gods, goddesses, and exotic mythical beings. The mythical gods represented strength such as Hercules who fought for what was right and good. This mythical god gave human beings the courage to stand up for what was righteous with the blessings of the Greek gods. Zeus was the king of all gods that represented power in the world which people got strength to face odds against them. The culture was enamored with the characteristics of these Gods such as Apollo that influence everything they believe and cherished with poetry, sun, medicine, and light.

The Greek mythology has several characteristics such as Greek such magnificent gods that the likeness of human form armed with human emotions. The gods and goddesses represented courage, wisdom, anger, love, lust, and power. These gods all had names such as the god of the ocean, god of war and god of the spring to name a few. The Greek mythology can be describe as not like religions that have books, revelations and spiritual teachings. They had not church, no written books or sacred scrolls, they lived by the adventures and stories about the goddesses, gods, and heroes. The characteristics of these gods provide a way for people to live praying and believing that each characteristics of the gods would help them. Those that were seeking love would cater to the characteristics of love and beauty of Venus. The Greeks that fought wars sought the characteristics of blessing and favor of war such as Mars, the king of offensive wars or Area or Vulcan, Blacksmith gods to make the armor impenetrable. The characteristics of the Greek philosophy were that of the Golden Age of western philosophical thoughts. The ancient Greeks can be characterized as art of philosophy and seeking the questions concerning human reality. This philosophical belief encourages people to think for themselves and not just believe whatever they have been told.

Hesiod

Hesiod is one the greatest Greek epic poem writers of his time. The legend of Hesiod is his philosophical thoughts about the common person’s way of living and thinking. The three writings by Hesiod known as the Theogony, Works and Days and Shield of Heracies. Hesiod poetry has historical significance because his Greek poetry influences the Greek religious customs. Hesiod writings were famous for providing a unique insight into the moral and ethical state of society. The belief by Hesiod that the moral questions for human beings surrounds in understanding the decisions we make that are moral and ethical that builds the foundation of civilizations. He stressed that the moral fabric of society can be ruining by deceit, violence, and disorder, which is the burden and responsibility of the righteous. Hesiod envisions the history of man to one of future pain and suffering often-experiencing stages of lawlessness. Hesiod believes that when men experience hardship it develops the ethical muscles to learn the right moral decision to make for Greek people. Hesiod stated that the society that refuses to act in good faith and ethically will doom future generations was the belief of Hesiod. The truth and righteousness are believe to be one in the same for Hesiod, which stressed the importance learning ethical responsibility. The power of competition provides society with away to balance the efforts of even lazy men as explained by Hesiod.

Plato

It was Plato who was consider the first father of philosophy because he was the first philosopher or thinker that attempted to structure man’s knowledge that allowed a new way of comprehending the meaning of life. In previous history prior to Plato, the ancient thinkers in Greece chose to answer basic questions of the nature of reality in relations to man gaining new knowledge, ethical implications and the proper social and political systems. In contrast, Plato has believed that the real question should be unified, systematic that encompasses a whole philosophy that was not segregated in to small pieces of thoughts and philosophies. Plato was more than a philosopher, he was a mathematician that was considered a primary figure that was responsible for the growth and the development of Western philosophy. In addition, to the founding the famous Academy in Athens. Plato believe that the only the leaders would study the Academy in Athens.

Plato was the one the most famous philosophers that open up a new way of thinking about man’s morality and meaning of life. Many argue Plato gave the greatest gift to humankind of teaching others to think for themselves making intelligent decision based on their capability to accept and analyze knowledge. Plato believes in social structure, which required each class to understand their part in building intelligent society. He believed that the human soul was the foundation to human beings understanding how to reason and contemplate. He thought that each society should have the leaders of the clan or civilization be taught the Western philosophy to be handed down to the masses. Plato was a significant contributor to the philosophical thoughts of Socrates. It is believed that most of Socrates works was what he learned from Plato because he did not write down any of his philosophical beliefs and findings. Plato was famous for his political debates concerning the best form of government such as democracy or monarchy. The debates of Plato still have a place in today’s political arenas because the arguments were first made by Plato centuries before today’s political machines. Plato central themes include political debates, conflict between nature, convention, and human intelligence.

Plato was famous for rejecting other philosophical beliefs that the sensual and physical realism are independent in nature. Plato believes knowledge is true and justified with no grapy area or in the middle. Knowledge is solid which he explains in Theaetetus. Plato made some significant points about a personal opinion and the foundation of knowledge is the same because knowledge is definite and secured. Plato argued that the only way to understand knowledge systematically is based on four stages that cannot be disputed. The first stage is imagination, a person’s belief, a way of thinking and perfect knowledge. The belief stage develops knowledge where seeing is not always the reality. The next state is “Thinking” the mind leaves the visible world and moves into a new realm of thinking. This ignores the visible objects to make decision based on the knowledge the mind has obtain. The Perfect Intelligence represents the mind no longer have limitations to theory and philosophical thoughts.

Aristotle

Aristotle’s has some the most profound philosophical thoughts on physical sciences, and philosophy of humankind. His beliefs and understanding of ethics made a profound impact on how the world view and thought about virtue and truth. Aristotle way of thinking is still be study today in academic arenas. He pro reasoning masterpiece was the foundation of happiness approach to life. In other words, he laid the foundation for reason and the method of acquiring knowledge. The theories founded by Aristotle develop some of the most important historical philosophical thoughts such as laws of logic, different types of reasoning and deductive reasoning. The establishment of naturalistic, metaphysics, reality, and the intellectual ability of humankind to make ethical decisions for the future.

Homer

Homer is a great Greek philosopher that is best recognized for his controversial works called the Odyssey and the Iliad. He was believe to be the best and first writer of epic poetry and literature. Homer believes in nature, inner strength, intelligence and the value of the human mind. Homer stated the deeds are what the reward will be at the end of the day. Homer gods in the Iliad and Odyssey were represented by the human characteristics of children, anger, admiration, and love. Homer reflects his philosophy in his characters discussing ethical and moral issues along with using the gods as the communicator of his philosophical thoughts. Greek philosophy in plain English is the attempt to explain humankind and the universe in untraditional ways of thinking. The differences between philosophy and mythology are the one beliefs in mystical gods and the philosophical believes in the human mind. The approaches have similarities such as allowing people to experience and accept their human emotions. The conclusions that can be drawn are human nature and human purpose are one in the same.

References

Ancienthistory.about.com. (2015).Plato:The Greek philosopher. Retrieved from http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/platoprofile/p/Plato.htm

 

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