Socrates was one who argued this point of view. He stressed truth as
absolute, not changeable depending of the thinking of society as a given time.
He believed in set standards of ethics. He said that right and wrong can be
figured out on an absolute level. If one understands the truths, he can live a
good life, without evil. Plato agreed with Socrates. He, too, said that morals,
ethics, as well as matter, were absolute. He stated two levels of existence; the
physical world of shadows and the real world of ideas. Plato wanted a
philosopher-king who would stress harmony and efficiency, as Plato did. Another
philosopher, Aristotle, believed in a world of moderation and balance. He
disagreed with Plato's two levels of existence. Instead, Aristotle said that all
functions of the soul die with the body and that there is no afterlife.
Aristotle also said that truth followed logically from other truths. One must
reason, step by step, before reaching conclusions. Greek thinkers assumed that
the universe was put together in an orderly way. They insisted that people could
understand their laws, merely, through the process of reason. There were many
conflicting ideas among the elite of ancient Greece, of what the Greek outlook
is. Our western society has learned a lot from the Greeks. We inherited their
art and love of symmetry, their literature and understanding of man, their
philosophies which stimulate our thinking, causing us to ask questions about our
existence. As modern and knowledgeable as we are today, we would not be nearly
as sophisticated if not for our ancestors the great thinkers of Greece in
ancient times.
Bibliography
Jantzen, Steven L., Krieger, Larry S., Neill, Kenneth. World History, D.C.
Health & Company: Massachusetts, 1988. The American Heritage Dictionary, Dell
Publishing Co. Inc., New York, 1986.
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