Ancient Greek Philosophers: From Atomic Theory to Ethics

Democritus and Atomic Theory

Democritus proposed that the universe is composed of indivisible and indestructible elements called atoms. This contrasts with modern atomic theory, where atoms are divisible and behave according to quantum mechanics. Atoms are in constant motion, and their interactions have implications for life and death, healing and destruction.

Protagoras and Relativism

Pythagoras' Influence

Protagoras, influenced by Pythagoras, stated, "Man is the measure of all things, of what is that it is, and of what is not that it is not." This suggests that truth is relative and varies based on individual perspectives. This period is known as the anthropological period, focusing on human nature and thought.

Views on Democracy and Law

• Charicles: Democracy is not for the weak; when the strong man rules, the law is broken.
• Gorgias: Disadvantage is desirable and depends on the individual.
• Pythagoras: Man is the measure of all things.

Plato's Tripartite Soul

The soul has three parts: rational, irascible, and lustful. Plato believed the rational part should govern our lives, as it discerns good and bad.

Socrates and Virtue

Socratic Intellectualism

Socrates identified virtue with knowledge and vice with ignorance. No one sins willingly; evil stems from a lack of knowledge of the good. This view combats Sophist relativism.

Socrates supported Athenian democracy's foundations: moral virtue, equality before the law, and freedom of expression. He viewed virtue as an end in itself, not a means to an external reward. Happiness comes not from external things but from the soul's spiritual and inner harmony, achieved through virtue.

Aristotle and Ethics

The Golden Mean

Aristotle believed happiness lies in virtue, the perfection of human reason. Human virtues are divided into ethical and dianoetic. Ethical virtue is a habit of choosing a balance between two extremes (the "golden mean"). This habit is acquired through repeated right choices. Prudence is the virtue of correctly choosing the middle ground. Justice is the supreme ethical virtue.

Moral Truth

Moral truth is the correspondence between thought and its expression, opposing falsehood. It differs from verbal truth, where the speaker expresses their mind, even if incorrect, provided they believe it to be true. A better definition is "the correspondence of the outward expression of thought with the thing as it is conceived by the speaker." Moral truth does not imply true knowledge. A lie is an intentional deviation from moral truth.

The Greek Sophist Movement

The Sophists were an intellectual movement of scholars and teachers in ancient Greece (5th century BC). They shifted focus from the cosmos to human problems. The term "sophist" refers to thinkers who played an intellectual role in Athens during the second half of the 5th century BC. The word "sophist" comes from words meaning wisdom and skill.