Philosophy in Ancient Greece

Today we discussed major philosophers in Ancient Greece. We began by talking about what philosophy is which was thinking and challenging the mind. Socrates was one of the first and most well known philosophers. Socrates looked to science compared to logic which was strongly against the Greek idea that gods are the explanation to how the world works. The Socratic Method fostered major beliefs of critical thinking and finding deeper thoughts without forcing another opinion onto another person. Socrates had also once said: "The unexamined life is not worth living". Socrates was later charged with "impiety"(disrespecting the gods) and "corruption of Athens youth". Over half of jury of 500 men found Socrates guilty of these crimes. Socrates never denied what he did. He was forced to drink Hemlock which is a type of poison. Even though he was offered the chance to escape the jail, he decided to take his punishment to stay true to the democratic system. Plato was the next major philosopher. Plato was a student and follower of Socrates. Plato would write Socrates teaching to ensure they are not forgotten. One of Plato's most influential writings was called "The Apology" to describe the teachings of Socrates. "The Republic" was another one of his writings was based on a discussion of justice and the ideal state.This was as far as we got in class today.