Tyr’s Day, January 28: “Greek” Philosophy
 EQ: What is “philosophy” – and what is NOT?
 Welcome! Gather
pen/cil, paper, last
week’s work, wits!
 Activity: Make Me Mad!
 Lecture/Presentation:
“Greek” Philosophy
o Sophists vs. Philosophers
o Socrates
 CLOZE:
“Greek” Philosophy
 Freewrite: Sophist
or Philosopher?
ELACC12RL-RI1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis
ELACC12RL-RI2: Analyze two or more themes or central ideas of text
ELACC12RI3: Analyze and explain how individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop
ELACC12RL4-RI4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in text
ELACC12RL5: Analyze an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text
ELACC12RL6: Distinguish what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant
ELACC12RI6: Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text
ELACC12RI8: Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal texts of World Literature
ELACC12RL-RI9: Analyze for theme, purpose rhetoric, and how texts treat similar themes or topics
ELACC12RL10: Read and comprehend complex literature independently and proficiently.
ELACC12W1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts
ELACC12W2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas
ELACC12W4: Produce clear and coherent writing appropriate to task, purpose, and audience
ELACC12W9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis
ELACC12W10: Write routinely over extended and shorter time frames
ELACC12SL1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions
ELACC12SL3: Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, evidence and rhetoric
ELACC12SL6: Adapt speech to a variety of tasks, demonstrating a command of formal English
ELACC12L1: Demonstrate standard English grammar and usage in speaking and writing.
ELACC12L4: Determine/clarify meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases
ELACC12L6: Acquire and use general academic and domain-specific words and phrases
Try to make me mad by asking
questions about something we have
studied, or that I have ever said in class.
Questions must fall in these parameters,
and must be worded “cleanly.”
Activity ends when I say “stop.”
Bet ya can’t do it.
Introduction to Greek Philosophy
Philosophy happened mostly at the Acropolis
(Greek: “edge of the city”)
The Acropolis was a set of buildings and open areas on
a hill outside Athens where Greeks of all social classes
came together to discuss and debate current issues.
Here the sophists met to discuss and debate.
A sophist (Greek: “wise one”)
claimed to
have wisdom,
know truth
(about science,
politics,
morals, the
gods, etc.)
and would
teach it for
money.
Wealthy families would decide which sophist they
believed, and hire him to teach truth to their sons.
This was school (Greek: “relaxation”)
A philosopher had an entirely different
mindset from a sophist – and that difference
is found in the words.
 “Sophist” means, literally, “wise-ist” or “person who
has wisdom.” A sophist believed he had the truth, and
would teach it to others for money; wealthy parents
would send their sons to speak with, and in some cases
live with, a sophist. (BTW – sophists and their
students were always male in Ancient Greece.)
 Today “Sophistry” means “deceptive argument.”
That’s because a sophist had to fit new questions
or information into his existing set of answers.
 “Philo sopher” means, literally, “lover of wisdom” or,
more precisely, “one who yearns for wisdom.” In
other words, s/he desires truth – because s/he does not
believe s/he has it yet. A philosopher does not
claim to have found truth, but is instead looking for
it. (BTW – there were some female philosophers.)
 “Philosophy” does not settle on answers; it always
asks questions. New questions and information
push philosophy to ask more questions.
Philosophers – especially Socrates –
made sophists really, really mad.
Here is Polykleitos' sculpture Doryphoros,
which represents
the Greek Ideal
of beauty and truth
as inspired by Apollo.
Here is Socrates ( c. 469-399 BCE)
The greatest of the
Greek philosophers
described himself as
a short, fat, ugly,
smelly old man who
knew nothing.
An old soldier, wrestler
and construction worker,
Socrates would walk
around the Acropolis asking
the sophists questions and
getting them to contradict
themselves –forcing them
to admit that they did not
know the truth after all.
This is called The Socratic Method:
 Ask questions of someone
until that person’s answers
contradict a “Truth” which
that person is proposing;
 This exposes a contradiction
in that person’s “Truth” – and
probably embarrasses him/her!
 BUT that process gets us
closer to “Truth.” Which, of
course, we never finally reach.
The sophists of Athens got tired of Socrates,
and persuaded the Government to issue
three charges:
 That Socrates was a sophist practicing without
permission/license – i.e., that he claimed to
know the truth and was teaching it for cash
without first obtaining permission from Athens;
 That Socrates was an atheist who denied the
existence of the Greek Gods and taught his
students to ridicule the gods and those who
believed in them; and
 That Socrates was “corrupting the youth of
Athens.” Probably this meant that his teaching
was encouraging the rich boys of Athens to
disbelieve, disrespect and disobey their parents.
Some, however, think it meant …. well …. ew …
The Athenian Court found Socrates guilty,
and gave him three choices:
 He could leave Athens;
 He could stay in Athens but stop teaching;
 He could die by drinking hemlock.
Freewrite 20 words: In these circumstances,
which would you choose, and why?
Consider – you’re really answering this question:
What is Truth worth to you?
Socrates chose to die.
Jacques-Louis David, The Death of Socrates. Oil on Canvas, 51" x 77 ¼”, 1787
Before ending his life by drinking hemlock, Socrates gave
the Court of Athens his Apo logy – not “I’m sorry” but,
literally, his “last words” to explain himself, his actions,
and his choice of death rather than exile or silence.
Socrates’ life, words and death were enormously
influential, inspiring especially to two Athenians:
 Plato, who published The Apology of Socrates
and other books recording and expanding
Socrates’ philosophy, and founded The Academy,
a school teaching free thought;
 Aristotle, who studied under Plato and went on
to write books applying Socratic thinking to
Politics, Ethics, Poetry, Science, etc.
Tomorrow, we’ll start reading The Apology of
Socrates, written by Plato but recounting Socrates’
words to the Court of Athens on his last day alive.
CLOZE: “Greek” Philosophy
1. The ___________________ was a set of buildings and open areas on a hill outside _____________.
2. Here Greeks of ____________ social classes would come together to ________________________.
3. The word “school” comes from a Greek word meaning __________________________.
4. The word “sophist” literally means _____________
_____________________.
5. A sophist claimed to know ______________, and would teach it to others for ______________.
6. Sophists and their students were always which sex?
7. Today, the word “sophistry” refers to what kind of argument?
8. The word “philosopher” means, literally, _________________ of ________________________.
9. A philosopher desired __________ but unlike a sophist believed s/he had not _________ ____.
10. Philosophy does not settle on _________________; it is more interested in ______________.
11. How did Socrates describe himself?
12. What are the three steps in the Socratic Method?
a.
b.
c.
13. What were the three charges against Socrates?
a.
b.
c.
14. What choices did the city offer to Socrates?
a.
b.
c.
15. Which of these did he choose?
16. What does the word “Apology” mean in The Apology of Socrates?
17. How was Plato connected to Socrates?
18. How was Aristotle connected to Socrates?
Turn in today: CLOZE
Freewrite (100 words): Analyze your own
relationship to “truth” by answering:
Are you a sophist, a philosopher, or neither?