WOH 1012-002

History of Civilization to 1500

Class Notes Part III

  1. Greek Science and Philosophy
    1. Importance.
      1. Background.
    2. Science vs. Philosophy
      1. Modern Science.
      2. Greek Science.
        1. Anaximander
        2. Democritus
      3. Inductive and Deductive Reasoning.
        1. Deductive
        2. Inductive
      4. Achievements.
        1. Mathematics.
          1. Pythagoras
        2. Medicine.
          1. Hippocrates
        3. History.
          1. Herodotus
          2. Thucydites
    3. Great Greek Philosophers
      1. Socrates (469-399 b.c.)
      2. Plato (427-347 b.c.)
        1. Metaphysics
          1. Allegory of the Cave
        2. Political theory, The Republic.
      3. Aristotle (384-322 b.c.)
        1. Ethics-- "the Golden Mean."
          1. "Everything in moderation"
        2. Metaphysics.
      4. Conclusion.

  2. Hellenistic Age
    1. Alexander the Great (356-323 b.c.)
      1. Early life.
      2. Personality.
      3. Conquest of Greece.
        1. Thebes
      4. Conquest of Persia.
        1. Ionia, Syria and Egypt
        2. Darius
        3. Battle of Arbela, 331.
      5. Eastern conquests.
        1. Afghanistan.
        2. Killing of Cleitus (328)
        3. India.
      6. Alexander’s Empire.
        1. Ptolemy, Egypt
        2. Seleucus, Syria and Persia
        3. Antigonus, Macedonia and Greece.
      7. Importance.

  3. Hellenistic Philosophies
    1. Background
      1. Difference from Classical Philosophy.
        1. Science migrated to Alexandria.
    2. Different Philosophic schools.
      1. Skepticism.
        1. Pyrrho of Elis (365-270 b.c.)
      2. Cynicism.
        1. Diogenes (d. 323)
      3. Epicurianism.
        1. Garden of the Epicurians.
        2. Epicurus (341-271 b.c.)
        3. Ethics: Hedonism
        4. Physics: Atomism
        5. Logic: Empiricism
      4. Stoicism.
        1. Zeno (333-262 b.c.)
        2. Stoa Poikil‘, or "the Porch"
        3. Chrysippus (d. 206 b.c.)
        4. Ethics: Rejected hedonism for a life of "Virtue."
        5. Physics: Accepted materialism but not atomism.
          1. Fate
          2. Lazy Argument of Arcesilaus
        6. Logic: Empiricists, but assigned a major role to reason in developing knowledge.
    3. Mystery Religions.
      1. Background.
        1. Greece.
          1. Demeter and the Eleusinian mysteries.
          2. Orphism.
        2. Egypt.
          1. Osiris.
        3. Persian.
          1. Mithraism.